Tennessee Titans mandatory minicamp is in the books, and training camp is the next stop on the 2026 calendar. Even without pads, a handful of depth players caught my attention: some of them made big plays, some were used more than expected, and some were brought up by their coaches enough to make me put them on my radar.

These aren’t top-line starters; they’re contenders for important roster depth positions who demanded my attention this offseason. With training camp a couple of months away, here are four Titans I think could be surprise storylines when things heat up in the summer.

LB Dorian Mausi is on the coaches’ radar

Mausi came in as a quiet late addition last offseason, but he carved out a role on the game day roster every week because of his special teams contributions. Special teams coordinator Bones Fassel clearly values what he brings.

Here’s what I find telling: when you ask the Titans coaching staff about the linebacker room in an open-ended way, they keep lumping Mausi in with Anthony Hill, Cedric Gray, and Cody Barton. Robert Saleh has done it more than once. That’s the top three in the room, and Mausi is the name they consciously (or subconsciously) throw into the mix fourth.

His special teams resume would be his primary ticket to making the roster, but he’s competing against guys like James Williams and a new draft pick at the position. The way he’s been used at practice and talked about by coaches tells me he’s someone worth monitoring.

WR KJ Osborn looks like more than a camp body

Osborn played in Minnesota to start his career and put together over 1,800 yards and 15 touchdowns across three productive seasons. Every year he was good for 500 or 600 yards and a handful of scores. Then he moved on to New England fell off a cliff. Whether that was scheme, familiarity, or injury, I’m not entirely sure.

What I can say is that he has come into Tennessee and immediately reminded me of how I felt about James Proche at this time last year. The difference is that Osborn doesn’t bring the obvious special teams return ability Proche had. If he’s not going to be a vital part of the special teams calculus, he has to win a roster spot based on his receiving performance alone. So far, what I’ve seen from Osborn already exceeds what Proche showed as a receiver at this stage. He’s making plays primarily with the second team alongside Bryce Oliver and Xavier Restrepo, all three vying for the final roster spot or two.

I’m curious to see what it looks like with pads on, but if he keeps producing, he could sneak onto the 53-man roster or at least make cutdown day a genuinely difficult decision. He has experience, he’s reliable, and he has been a productive NFL receiver in the not-so-distant past. Coaches like that!

Xavier Restrepo is doing everything he can to stick around

Restrepo has had a fantastic spring. He has been present for everything I’m aware of: mandatory minicamp, OTAs, and I believe the earliest voluntary sessions, including rookie minicamp where only a handful of veterans attend. He is clearly seizing every opportunity available to him.

He’s seemingly already taken over the role Mason Kinsey held as the undersized practice squad receiver everyone on the team loves. His teammates rally around him when he makes plays, and he’s produced some of the biggest highlights of the spring. What stands out to me is that he’s getting reps higher in the rotation than you’d probably expect. I find myself looking up during practice and going, “Oh, X is out there!”

The physical limitations are real. He’s not very big, and he’s not fast enough to compensate for the size. He came into this offseason leaner and stronger, and that helps, but there’s a hard cap on what his measurables allow. What works in his favor is that he fits a natural backup role to what Wan’Dale Robinson will be as the starting slot receiver. Robinson is shorter than Restrepo but more athletically gifted, and a Restrepo type could make sense as the understudy to that role.

The problem is a numbers game. He’s probably the seventh or eighth receiver in the pecking order right now. Can you justify that on the 53? Can you justify making him active on game day? Those are tough questions to answer yes to. But if he keeps making plays when pads come on, I can’t imagine cutdown day won’t be a little tricky for the coaching staff. At the very least, he’ll be one of the first practice squad players they call up in a pinch.

Tony Adams has a serious role as box safety

Adams is higher on the depth chart than casual fans might realize, though you could argue that’s more about necessity than skillset. The way Robert Saleh’s defense wants to operate, that box safety position needs a player with a linebacker mentality. Safety Kevin Winston Jr. is capable of filling that role, but the staff is grooming him for something bigger. They need Winston’s athleticism and potential in a versatile single-high or two-high capacity by the end of the year.

That leaves Adams as the pretty clear pick for the box safety job. Saleh talks about that role as a genuinely important piece of the defense. If Tennessee doesn’t bring in another veteran to compete there, Adams is probably going to play a bigger role on this defense than most fans currently expect. I’m looking forward to seeing what the staff has drawn up for him once training camp begins.