Titans Depth Chart Release: What matters and what doesn’t ahead of joint practice and the first preseason game vs the Bucs

The Tennessee Titans first unofficial depth chart came out this week! One step closer to football, my friends. Allow me to be your roster translator: here are the things that do and don’t matter on the first listing.

Matters: Cam Ward Is QB1

I’ve had a surprising number of people ask me when the Titans will officially make Cam Ward the starting quarterback. I really don’t know what the desire for this is based on, since he has pretty clearly been the starter since before he was even drafted in April. The Titans haven’t hidden the ball whatsoever on when they’ll play him. Do you want an official announcement at a presser? That’ll probably come eventually, not that it will mean anything. But here’s the next best thing: depth chart QB1. Hurray!

Matters: Josh Whyle Is Headed Out

If you’ve been paying attention to my reporting this summer, you’d have known Josh Whyle was likely headed for a late-August cut back in early July. But if you’re a little late to the party, now you’re up to speed. Chig Okonwko is TE1, Gunnar Helm is right on his tail as TE2, and David Martin-Robinson is TE3. Frankly, Thomas Odukoya has a better shot at making this roster as a traditional blocking Y tight end.

Matters: James Williams Is LB2

We’ve been talking about this since the beginning of training camp, and here is confirmation on paper of what we’ve seen every day of practice: James Williams is starting alongside Cody Barton. He’s been at the top of the rotation the whole time, and there’s no reason I can see that it would change.

Doesn’t Matter: Returner Slots

The current listed returners are James Proche on punts and Jha’Quan Jackson on kicks. These jobs are far from finalized, and there’s some classic unofficial roster seniority going on with this listing. Now, if Proche makes the roster as WR7, it is likely he’ll wind up returning punts. It’s what he was originally added to this roster to provide. Jackson, on the other hand, won’t make the final roster in the first place.

Listed behind each of them is rookie Chimere Dike, who this coaching staff would love to see become a two-way returner. They think he has tremendous potential in those roles. How much he’s playing on offense has to factor into that, though. One final thing: it’s odd that Tyjae Spears isn’t listed on kick return duty at all. Last I checked, he was expected to continue in that role as he’s done for this team already. But maybe the plan has changed as part of the effort to keep him healthier and involved on the offense? We’ll see.

Doesn’t Matter: Veteran Receivers Over Rookies

Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson are listed as starters ahead of Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike. This is part fact, part roster seniority fiction. Yes, it’s probably true that those two will get a lot of run in September. They may even be the starters for a bit. But eventually, these rookies are going to play. They’ll be in the rotation out of the gate, and I expect at least one of them to be a starter sooner than later. I think the coaching staff expects that as well.

Doesn’t Matter: Base Defensive Front

There’s nothing to take away from this defensive depth chart in terms of formation. Each sub-position is listed, 12 in total. Can’t have 12 players on the field! Here’s what it does tell you, if it wasn’t obvious already: when they play an odd-man front, Sebastian Joseph-Day will be the primary third DL on the field. When a second ILB is on the field, it’ll probably be James Williams. And most obviously, the nickel cornerback is Roger McCreary.