Titans are clearly preparing for big roster competition at a key position with draft class and UDFA rookie signings in 2025

What the Titans rookie additions tell us about their plans

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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The Tennessee Titans announced their official list of 2025 UDFA signings on Thursday, finalizing the group that will be under contract at Rookie Minicamp this weekend. This group of 16 undrafted rookies have Minicamp, OTA’s, Training Camp and the Preseason to make the uphill climb towards proving themselves worthy of a roster spot. A handful come with some pretty good reasons to keep an eye on them, which you can read more about right here.

All told, the Titans added 25 rookies to their depth chart: 16 UDFAs and 9 draft picks. Here is the finalized list of undrafted signings:

WR Xavier Restrepo (Miami, Fla.)

RB Micah Bernard (Utah)

OT Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson (Florida)

DT Cam Horsley (Boston College)

DT Devonte O'Malley (Northern Illinois)

DT Isaiah Raikes (Auburn)

DL Philip Blidi (Auburn)

OLB Desmond Evans (North Carolina)

LB David Gbenda (Texas)

CB Jermari Harris (Iowa)

CB Garnett Hollis Jr. (West Virginia)

CB Jalen Kimber (Penn State)

CB Virgil Lemons (West Florida)

CB Clarence Lewis (Syracuse)

CB Davion Ross (Memphis)

S Jerrin Thompson (Auburn)

If your initial reaction is something along the lines of "woah, defense!" then you aren't alone. 13 of the 16 UDFA's are on that side of the ball. It stood to reason the front office might spend more UDFA spots on defense given the fact that 6 of their 9 draft picks were on offense, but a split this dramatic is certainly notable.

Even more specific and telling, 7 of them are going to be competing in the defensive secondary. Add in 3rd rounder S Kevin Winston Jr. and 6th rounder CB Marcus Harris, and the Titans have injected the backside of their defense with 9 new contenders.

This is a clear message: they aren’t satisfied with the depth they had already, especially at cornerback. It’s a premium position, and they want to find enough talent to be comfortable when starters have to miss time. While it’s true in the modern NFL that having a star WR1 is more impactful than having a star CB1, it’s too often overlooked how a defense can be judged by their CB3. It’s reductive, sure, but the idea that “you’re only as good as your third corner” has a lot of truth to it.

And if you’ve been an NFL watcher for one (1) or more seasons, then you know that it’s practically a guarantee your team will have to dip into their CB4/5/6 reserves at some point. Given the passing nature of the modern league, being able to endure triage at corner is vital.

The Titans have three cornerbacks who are locked in as starters when healthy: L’Jarius Sneed, Roger McCreary, and Jarvis Brownlee Jr. Behind them, though, it’s really anybody’s game. The 7 incoming rookie CBs will be competing with 2022 journeyman UDFA Darrell Baker Jr. and 2024 Titans UDFA Gabe Jeudy Lally. From this group of 9 contestants, the Titans will look to pull roughly the 3 best to make up the depth in their cornerback room this season. And their hope is that this crowded competition will produce a more balanced depth chart than they had last season.

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