The Titans roster has been cut down to 53 players. Let’s talk highlights.

Xavier Restrepo is on the Tennessee Titans’ initial 53-man roster. The undrafted free agent wide receiver out of Miami survived a tight two-man competition with Bryce Oliver to earn his spot on the 2026 Tennessee Titans, and it caps one of the more compelling grinder stories of this team’s training camp.

Of our 53 spots projected heading into the weekend, only three were misses and two of those were essentially placeholder situations. But the headliner deserves the attention it’s getting.

How Wan’Dale Robinson paved the way for Restrepo

Here’s the thing about Xavier Restrepo’s path to this roster: the best thing that ever happened to him in his NFL career is Wan’Dale Robinson getting north of $15 million a year to play for Tennessee. When Robinson was signed this offseason, the Titans created a role that suddenly made a player like Restrepo far more valuable than his physical profile might otherwise suggest.

Restrepo came in as an undrafted free agent, as Cam Ward’s college teammate, carrying the reputation of a guy who just wasn’t physically cut out to work in the NFL. Some of that remains true. In the modern NFL where positionless, basketball-sized speed is coveted at the receiver position, he’s physically limited. But when you bring in a 5-foot-8 slot receiver like Robinson and make him a fixture of your offense, a guy like Restrepo becomes the direct backup in a role that is kind of old school at this point in the league. There aren’t many Wan’Dale Robinsons around. And when you’ve got that guy on your team, a player like Restrepo is an element you need.

That’s been the case for weeks now. Whether he was technically on the 53 or waiting on the practice squad, Restrepo was always going to be the first man up if anything happened to Robinson for any extended stretch. The competition with Oliver was genuine, but it was close to a coin flip, with Oliver’s edge being his special teams pedigree.

Restrepo’s growth and the special teams factor

Beyond the Robinson connection, the ticket Restrepo punched was his improvement on special teams. He was used far more by special teams coordinator Bones Fassel throughout training camp, joint practices, and the preseason than anyone probably expected coming into the summer. Whether that translates to a core special teams role remains to be seen. As a sixth receiver, his offensive impact will be limited. But Restrepo’s trajectory from the beginning of spring to the end of summer has been undeniable.

I haven’t watched a player on this team this year grind at every possible opportunity, every voluntary portion of the team’s training situation, the way Restrepo has. He has refused to go away. Over the last two years, he has become a pro. He told me as much in the locker room after the final preseason game. He feels like a pro now, and clearly he is, because he’s on an NFL roster. It’s a story that’s impossible not to appreciate.

As for Oliver, the vibes have been a little strange for a while. There was a time when the Titans internally talked about him not just as a useful special teamer but a core one. That’s clearly no longer the case. Whether other players made his skill set less unique or whether he took a step back is hard to say definitively. The situation has been murky ever since he missed a significant chunk of last season with injury.

The rest of the roster: what we got right and wrong

Beyond the Restrepo-Oliver swap, the other two misses on the projected 53 were minor. Austin Deculus earned the ninth offensive lineman spot over Cordell Volson, though that spot likely would have gone to Andre James if not for his recent injury. And Truman Jones made it as the 10th defensive lineman only because Dorian Mausi landed on short-term injured reserve with a designation to return.

Running back Kalel Mullings was waived outright rather than placed on injured reserve as some expected. Michael Carter is also gone. The four backs are the four everyone projected: Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears, rookie Nick Singleton, and Julius Chestnut, who earned Fassel’s special teams endorsement. Fassel went 50% on his two big votes of confidence heading into cuts, backing both Chestnut and Oliver. He got one.

The offensive line shook out as expected from left to right: Dan Moore, Peter Skoronski, Austin Schlottmann at center, Fernando Carmona at right guard, and JC Latham at right tackle, with Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, Jackson Slater, Pat Coogan, and Deculus filling out the depth. The cornerback and safety groups landed exactly as projected, with Eric Hallett earning the nod over Keydrain Callaghan. Hallett simply would not go away this training camp, and his stock trended up throughout August while Calligan’s trended down. Don’t be surprised to see Calligan on the practice squad.

The tight end room kept four: starters Gunnar Helm and Daniel Bellinger, with David Martin-Robinson and Kylen Granson forming a solid second wave behind them after seventh-round pick Jaren Kanek was lost for the year with a torn pec.

A fond farewell to Will Levis

Will Levis is gone, and the divorce was a long time coming. I hate the way it had to end. I think things could have gone better with him as an on-field talent, and as a tradable asset. It all spiraled from the moment he was given the keys to the kingdom, and that was many months ago now.

I was higher on Levis than most. Maybe I just can’t quit the physical tools, but those tools still exist. The version of Will Levis we’ve seen since he came back from his injury is not the real version or anywhere close to the best version of him. He has felt mentally checked out since April, and I feel strongly that he has wanted out for a long time. A fresh start could change things.

Will Levis is not a bad guy. I believe that wholeheartedly. Robert Saleh said Will was great throughout training camp this offseason, and I believe that too. He’s just not a very good quarterback. He’s too volatile between the ears and a bad decision maker on and off the field at times. That’s the book on Volume 1. Volume 2 is likely going to be the lost years of bouncing from practice squad to practice squad, hopefully learning behind good quarterbacks and good coaches before he might emerge as a reclamation project for somebody in a couple of years. Best of luck to him.

The bottom line is this: the Titans still need to find a swing tackle somewhere. Austin Deculus is a placeholder, not a solution. Happy hunting, Mike Borgonzi.