The Tennessee Titans are approaching final roster cuts, and the picture is starting to come into focus. Cam Ward, the Titans’ second-year quarterback, headlines the season narratives with legitimate questions at multiple positions, from the offensive line to the back end of the secondary. 

Here is a position-by-position 53-man roster projection for the 2026 Titans, built from training camp observations, preseason usage data, and conversations behind the scenes.

This is a joint-53-man exercise that Easton Freeze and I work through. We see the roster allocation being used differently in a few spots, and there’s even one spot that Easton may have changed my mind on completely.

Titans 53-Man Roster Projection, as of August 18:

• Veteran Newcomers: 17
• Rookies*: 7

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Quarterback (2)

• IN: Cam Ward, Mitch Trubisky
• OUT: Will Levis, Hendon Hooker (practice squad option)

This is the easiest room on the roster. Ward and Trubisky are locks. Will Levis is elsewhere, and there’s nothing to debate here. Two quarterbacks, moving on.

Running Back (4)

• IN: Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears, Nick Singleton*, Kalel Mullings
• OUT: Julius Chestnut, Michael Carter

The top three are cemented. The fourth spot is where things get fluid. Kalel Mullings holds the edge over Michael Carter right now, largely because the Titans invested draft capital in Mullings last year and liked what they saw from him when healthy this offseason. Carter is more of a street free agent the team added because he was available. If Mullings gets healthy, he’s the fourth back. Carter feels like one of the team’s six veteran practice squad options, someone to keep around in case one of the top two goes down.

Wide Receiver (6)

• IN: Carnell Tate*, Wan’Dale Robinson, Calvin Ridley, Elic Ayomanor, Chim Dike, Bryce Oliver
• OUT: K.J. Osborn (practice squad option), Xavier Restrepo (practice squad option), Mason Kinsey (practice squad option), Hank Beatty* (practice squad option), Lance McCutcheon, Courtney Jackson, Tyren Montgomery*

The top five are locks to rotate as the primary receiving corps when healthy. The sixth spot belongs to Bryce Oliver, and the reason is special teams. Special teams coordinator Bones Fassel views Oliver as one of the top gunner talents on the team, possibly the best, and that anchor role on special teams is what separates him from Xavier Restrepo.

Freeze: Here’s the thing about Restrepo, though. He might be the sixth most talented true receiver on the roster. If he lands on the practice squad, he’s the first man called up when injuries hit, particularly if Wan’Dale Robinson goes down. Restrepo profiles as Robinson’s direct replacement based on body type and skill set.

Oliver’s upside as a receiver hasn’t been fully showcased because of health, but his special teams floor keeps him on the 53.

Tight End (3 or 4)

• IN: Gunnar Helm, Daniel Bellinger, David Martin-Robinson, Kylen Granson
• OUT: Jaren Kanak* (IR), Joel Wilson

Stanley: Jaren Kanak’s torn pec changed the math in this room. With Kanak headed to injured reserve, the Titans could justify keeping just three tight ends instead of four. David Martin-Robinson gets the nod as the third tight end over Kylen Granson based on his increased usage in practice settings and the scrimmage, along with his special teams value. Robinson has proven he can contribute on coverage units, and with Kanak functioning more as a special teamer than a traditional tight end this year, his IR designation opens the door for Tennessee to redistribute that roster spot elsewhere.

Freeze: There’s a case for keeping Granson as a fourth tight end. If the Titans lean into heavier personnel groupings, as the league continues to trend in that direction, Granson’s offensive ability makes him a worthwhile roster hold. He played seven special teams snaps in the first preseason game, so Fassel isn’t afraid to use him on units either. This one could go either way, but the tight end count ripples through the rest of the roster math.

Offensive Line (9)

• IN: Dan Moore Jr., Peter Skoronski, Austin Schlottmann, Fernando Carmona*, JC Latham, Pat Coogan*, Jackson Slater, Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, Andre James
• OUT: Cordell Volson, Austin Deculus, Rasheed Miller* (practice squad option), Aamil Wagner*, Ryan Hayes, Garrett Dellinger (practice squad option), Drew Moss

The starting five and the first three backups are set. The ninth spot is the placeholder debate.

Freeze: Cordell Volson sits atop the depth chart for reasons that remain unclear, but he shouldn’t be expected to survive cuts. Andre James has done enough in practice rotations to warrant consideration as that ninth offensive lineman, a swing interior option who has been rotating relatively high.

The bigger structural question is whether that ninth spot goes to a third interior swing lineman or a second swing tackle. Right now, there are only three tackles on the roster worth keeping. In a perfect world, any front office would prefer to carry two swing tackles and two swing interior linemen, but you have to find a swing tackle worth signing first. Austin Deculus needs to be gone.

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Defensive Line (9 or 10)

• Tackle IN: Jeffery Simmons, Jordan Elliott, Solomon Thomas, Jackie Marshall*
• Big End IN: John Franklin-Myers, Keldric Faulk*
• Rush End IN: Jermaine Johnson, Jacob Martin, Femi Oladejo, Malik Herring
• Tackle OUT: Timmy Horne, Laki Tasi, Khalen Saunders
• Big End OUT: Jalyn Holmes
• Rush End OUT: Jaylen Harrell (IR), Truman Jones, Earnest Brown IV,

Freeze: Marshall is the least certain of the four tackles, but the Titans didn’t invest draft capital in him to throw him away as a rookie. He makes the roster.

Stanley: Johnson, Oladejo, and Martin are all locks at rush end. The debate is whether Malik Herring earns a fourth spot. He’s made flashy plays throughout camp and arguably has the highest ceiling of any remaining rush end now that Jaylen Harrell landed on injured reserve (Harrell was trending toward my cut line before the torn ACL anyway). Herring was a 5-star recruit who played at Georgia and has shown more juice than Truman Jones or Earnest Brown IV. It’s all about whether the Titans keep nine or 10 total defensive front players, which affects the linebacker math next.

Linebackers (5 or 6)

• IN: Cody Barton, Cedric Gray, Anthony Hill Jr.*, James Williams Sr., Mohamoud Diabate, Dorian Mausi
• OUT: Dominique Hampton, Mani Powell*, Sean Brown* (waived injured)

Freeze: The first four are locks. Diabate makes it in both of our projections. The question is whether Dorian Mausi earns a sixth linebacker spot or whether that roster spot is better used on an extra defensive lineman like Herring.

The case for Mausi comes back to special teams and specifically to what Fassel said this offseason about the No. 1 tiebreaker in his evaluation: block destruction. Not speed, not power, but the ability to blow up the schemed blocking pattern from the opposing coverage unit. The new kickoff rules make this even more relevant, because it’s less about building up a head of steam and more about winning one-on-one in a 10-yard span against a designed block. Mausi played nine special teams snaps in the first preseason game, among the highest on the team, and solidified himself last year as a core special teamer with that exact skill set.

The counterargument is that nine defensive front players should be sufficient, with healthy rotation, and James Williams and Diabate already provide strong special teams contributions at linebacker. It’s a legitimate roster construction debate with no wrong answer.

Cornerbacks (6)

• IN: Alontae Taylor, Cor’Dale Flott, Marcus Harris, Josh Williams, Micah Robinson, Keydrain Calligan
• OUT: Nazeeh Johnson (suspended for six games), Jalen McMurray*, Mario Goodrich III (all practice squad options)

Stanley: Taylor, Harris, Flott, and Josh Williams are locks, with Williams continuing to look better each day of practice even while still in a yellow no-contact jersey. Robinson has worked his way into near-lock status as a feisty fifth corner and quality gunner.

The sixth spot is where Calligan enters the picture as the backup nickel cornerback behind Harris. Harris told Easton one-on-one at the beginning of camp who else works with the nickel cornerback coach, and he named Calligan. The wrinkle is that a safety (where Easton might have changed my mind) has recently started working more at that direct backup nickel spot, which could be eating into Calligan’s runway. Nazeeh Johnson’s six-game suspension adds another layer of roster gymnastics to sort through at the position.

Safeties (5)

• IN: Amani Hooker, Kevin Winston Jr., Tony Adams, Kendell Brooks, Erick Hallett II
• OUT: Jerrick Reed II, Bishop Fitzgerald*, Derrick Canteen (all practice squad options)

Freeze: The top three are locks. Brooks has earned a spot, and Hallett is the name trending upward. He played 29 defensive snaps and seven special teams snaps in the first preseason game, one of the highest snap counts on the team. The buzz behind the scenes has been positive, and his ability to play the nickel alongside Adams gives the Titans flexibility across the secondary. That versatility between the safety and cornerback rooms is where the final roster spots get ironed out.

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Specialists (3)

• IN: Joey Slye (K), Tommy Townsend (P), Morgan Cox (long snapper)
• OUT: Nobody

Freeze: The real question here isn’t whether Slye makes the initial 53. It’s whether he finishes the season as the Titans’ starting kicker. A week ago, the answer might have leaned no, especially with the team very publicly shopping for his replacement. But Slye answered the bell in resounding fashion, stringing together something in the range of 16 or 17 consecutive makes across joint practice sessions, the preseason game, and Monday’s practice. That kind of bounce-back endears a kicker to his coaching staff, and Fassel’s reported fondness for Slye helps his case. For now, the job is his.