Pair of late round rookies standing out at Tennessee Titans minicamp who could make an early impact
Titans minicamp kicked off Tuesday as new head coach Brian Callahan and his staff began their first major practices with (nearly) the entire team. Several players stood out on the first day of action, but a couple young late round rookies on the defensive side of the ball were major reasons the offense struggled for […]
Titans minicamp kicked off Tuesday as new head coach Brian Callahan and his staff began their first major practices with (nearly) the entire team. Several players stood out on the first day of action, but a couple young late round rookies on the defensive side of the ball were major reasons the offense struggled for part of the day.
There has been lots of discussion surrounding the Titans' linebacker room since leading tackler Azeez Al-Shaair departed via free agency this spring to join the Houston Texans, but both Cedric Gray and James Williams look like they're stepping up as early impact rookies there. The team also signed Kenneth Murray and brought back a handful of other off-ball linebackers, but both rookies look like they could contribute in 2024.
Cedric Gray, Linebacker
Cedric Gray was on the field early, effectively, and often for the two-tone blue on Tuesday, playing well regardless of his particular assignment. I was on site and thoroughly impressed by his efforts, especially when he broke up a nice pass from Malik Willis over the middle early in practice.
This isn't the first time Cedric Gray has stood out due to his coverage abilities, and it's an area where he seems to be improving already. When I spoke with fellow linebacker Jack Gibbens about the competition between the two he made it clear he was excited to lead, "help Cedric along", and hopefully "make each other better" as they all "prepare to be starters" heading into the year.
It sounds like Gray is not just in the mix to make the team, but play and compete for real snaps early on. If he continues making plays in coverage and learning where he needs to be to fit the new defensive system Gray could be an early impact rookie.
James Williams, Linebacker
As coach Brian Callahan reminded everyone at the podium today, James Williams is a converted safety who will be playing linebacker for the Titans this year. His cover skills continue to shine this spring as he's already nearly made interceptions in prior weeks of OTAs. On Tuesday he almost did it again, breaking up a pass from Malik Willis intended for Julius Chestnut short over the middle.
Williams still "has a ways to go" according to what coach Callahan shared today, but "[the Titans] think he's got a chance to make [the transition from safety to linebacker] and be a pretty good line backer" soon. Why are the Titans so excited about him?
He's "got the traits to make the positional switch and make some plays for [the Titans] as a linebacker down the road…and he's going to have to make it on special teams too."
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Williams continues to show great versatility, athleticism, and is getting more looks on special teams to see where he fits there. As a potential depth piece on defense he'll need to add value there. It's still early, but Williams is showing great promise for a seventh round pick.
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And if you want to watch some James Williams highlights from last season to get excited about what he could bring to the Titans you can check out the video below!
