Titans position battles that got extra juice after the preseason win over the 49ers
NASHVILLE – We are about halfway through training camp with the first week of NFL preseason action in the rearview and position battles are starting to heat up at Tennessee Titans camp. Players fighting for roster spots and starting jobs is always expected during every NFL training camp. But now that we have preseason snaps […]
NASHVILLE – We are about halfway through training camp with the first week of NFL preseason action in the rearview and position battles are starting to heat up at Tennessee Titans camp.
Players fighting for roster spots and starting jobs is always expected during every NFL training camp. But now that we have preseason snaps and weeks of practice to go off of, the most intense competitions are beginning to take shape.
Here's a look at the three position battles with the most juice after the Titans' preseason victory of the San Francisco 49ers.
1. Returners/Slot receiver
The first five wide receivers on the Titans' roster all appear to be set in stone. DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, Treylon Burks, Tyler Boyd, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine are all going to make this team. It's the sixth and likely final spot in the receiving corps that I find most fascinating.
One of the biggest factors in choosing a sixth wide receiver will be who wins the job at kick and punt returner. That conversation got even more complicated after the preseason opener over the weekend.
On the Titans' unofficial depth chart, running back Tyjae Spears is listed as the top option at kick returner. Wide receiver Mason Kinsey is listed as the top option at punt returner.
By that logic, Kinsey would have the advantage to get the final spot in the receiving corps. It helps his case that the 25-year-old slot receiver has also had a strong training camp thanks to his connection with backup quarterback Mason Rudolph. But against the 49ers, both Kearis Jackson and Jha'Quan Jackson flashed in the return game while Kinsey, Spears, and third-year wide receiver Kyle Philips got no opportunities.
Kearis Jackson had a 63-yard kick return. That was immediately followed by a 26-yard punt return from Jha'Quan Jackson after being backed up to his own 10-yard line. Those returns gave the Titans' offense good field position and led to back-to-back touchdown drives.
I genuinely have no idea where this one if going to go. I think Kinsey, Philips, and both Jackson's are competing for…maybe only one roster spot? There may be a second roster spot available at receiver if DeAndre Hopkins is not healthy enough to be active at the start of the season, but that feels like a long shot.
It's currently anyone's game and the wide receiver/returner battle will be a fun competition to watch over the next few weeks.
2. Running back
The Titans need a tough, physical runner that can also contribute on special teams behind running backs Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard on the depth chart. The competition for RB3 is likely down to Julius Chestnut and Hassan Haskins.
Titans head coach Brian Callahan said after Saturday's preseason game that Chestnut had a better day than Haskins on the ground as a runner and receiver while Haskins
"played really, really well" on special teams.
"That's a job that’s being competed for. I think that they're both bigger backs, they're strong, they're physical," said Callahan when asked about the position battle at RB3. "So that role is an important one. It's an important one for special teams, and I think that's a battle you're going to continue to see over the next two and a half, three weeks.""
This all comes down to the classic question for what a team values more from the players at the back of the 53-man roster. Tennessee could take the offensive production with Chestnut or the special teams versatility with Haskins. And all of that could be impacted by choices made at other positions groups across the roster.
If I had to guess right now, I'd give a very slight edge to Haskins, but things are still very much up in the air. It's truly an open competition.
Brian Callahan and Titans front office have a real dilemma with a tight roster battle
Tough call for the Titans to make.
3. Inside linebacker
Kenneth Murray Jr. and Jack Gibbens seem relatively locked in to the starting jobs at inside linebacker for this Titans defense. But it's the depth behind them that I find really fascinating.
Third-year linebacker Chance Campbell has really come into his own during camp. Campbell has been all over the field making plays in practice and that transferred over nicely to the preseason game against San Francisco. Campbell led the Titans with seven tackles including one TFL, one sack, and the game-winning interception with time expiring.
Brian Callahan called it a "great outing for Chance Campbell" in a Sunday press conference, but also added that Otis Reese IV had a really nice game and rookie James Williams "doesn't even know how good he can be yet."
You also have rookie fourth-round draft pick Cedric Gray in the mix. Gray missed the preseason opener with a shoulder injury, but is expected back soon. Then there's expert special teamer Luke Gifford, who had flashed in camp just before suffering a concussion on the opening kickoff Saturday night.
With the Titans likely to keep five inside linebackers on the initial 53-man roster, these are position battles I'm excited to watch. I don't think Tennessee will cut Gray, and Campbell seems to have earned his place on the team. That would leave Reese, Williams, and Gifford competing for just one spot. It's a cutthroat league.
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