Training camp has a way of turning depth-chart assumptions into fresh arguments, and a handful of second-year AFC players are right in the middle of that fight. After spending their rookie seasons learning, waiting, or carving out smaller roles, these players from the 2025 class now have a real shot to climb into starting jobs in 2026.
Some are trying to beat out veterans. Others are pushing fellow young players.
A few are stuck in crowded position rooms where every snap has to be earned. Either way, the next few weeks could reshape how several AFC teams line up when the season opens.
In Tennessee, Elic Ayomanor has already made a case that he belongs near the top of the receiver rotation. The fourth-round pick led the Titans in receiving as a rookie, logging more than 600 offensive snaps - one of only five rookies at the position to do that - and finishing with more than 500 yards and four touchdowns.
Tennessee’s offseason made the picture more crowded, though, with Carnell Tate arriving as the fourth overall pick and Wan’dale Robinson getting paid like a top-30 wideout by average annual value. That leaves Ayomanor in direct competition with Calvin Ridley, who is back for his third season with the Titans after missing more than half the games last year.
Ridley was widely expected to be a cap casualty, but he stayed after accepting a pay cut. With Tate and Robinson likely locked into bigger roles, Ayomanor is making his push to stay high on the depth chart while Ridley tries to hold him off.
The Jets have a different kind of battle brewing at cornerback. Azareye’h Thomas, a third-round pick in the 2025 draft, played just 311 snaps as a rookie, and most of that work came in the second half of the season.
Now he’s chasing the CB2 job opposite Brandon Stephens, with free-agent addition Nashon Wright in the way. Wright tied for second in the league with five interceptions last season, a number that stands out for a Jets defense that didn’t record a single interception for an entire season for the first time since interceptions have been tracked.
Thomas brings the size and physical style Aaron Glenn likes, and if he’s tightened up the fluidity issues that showed up coming out of Florida State, he has a real path to winning the job.
Jacksonville’s backfield might be the most interesting committee situation in the AFC. Bhayshul Tuten, a fourth-round pick in 2025, is in the mix with fellow 2025 draftee LeQuint Allen Jr. and veteran Chris Rodriguez.
When Jacksonville drafted Tuten, the comparison to Bucky Irving was immediate because Liam Coen had just come from Tampa Bay, where Irving - also a fourth-round pick - posted over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie. But the Jaguars appear set on a rotation.
At camp, the setup has Tuten starting drives, Allen handling all third downs, and Rodriguez working inside the 10-yard line. Tuten has the explosiveness to be the centerpiece, but if he wants to become more than a part-time piece, he’ll have to show he can handle the specialty work his teammates already own.
The Raiders are sorting through a very different kind of competition up front. Caleb Rogers, a third-round pick last year, is trying to turn his late-season run into a full-time role.
Las Vegas has spent the offseason reshaping its offensive line, signing Tyler Linderbaum to a record-high contract in free agency and adding Spencer Burford from the 49ers. With Linderbaum and both tackles in place, the two guard spots are now down to Rogers, Burford, and Jackson Powers-Johnson.
Rogers got into the final six games last season, and the hope in Las Vegas is that he can build on that stretch and claim a starting job.
Then there’s Travis Hunter, who is still one of the most unusual players in the league even after a rocky start to his NFL career. In 2025, he appeared in just seven games and split his snaps between offense and defense, roughly two-thirds on offense and one-third on defense.
This season, Jacksonville is leaning into the defensive side of his game. With Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington, and Jakobi Meyers taking up the receiver snaps, Hunter is fitting in with the first team on defense, where he’s the frontrunner for one of the outside corner spots across from Montaric Brown.
Jourdan Lewis is set in the slot, and the main challenge to Hunter there is fourth-round pick Jarrian Jones. Offensively, the path is much narrower, and Hunter’s role could be limited by the crowded receiver room.
He and Thomas Jr. both had issues with the offense last year, but if Hunter settles into Liam Coen’s system, his athleticism and big-play ability still give him a chance to become a major factor.
In Other News...
Adonai Mitchell Is Making The Jets Look Very Smart Right Now
Adonai Mitchell is already giving the Jets a nice return on a move that was mostly framed around Sauce Gardner, because the wideout acquired from Indianapolis has quickly worked himself into likely starter territory in training camp. For a Jets offense looking for more reliable answers at receiver, Mitchells emergence has added some much-needed optimism and made the trade package look a lot more balanced than it did at the time.
The Colts, meanwhile, are dealing with injuries at receiver and a season that has already gone sideways in ways that only sharpen the regret around moving him. Josh Downs and Alec Pierce have both been banged up, and with quarterback injuries and a missed playoff picture hanging over the year, fans in Indianapolis have been left wondering what might have been if Mitchell were still part of the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Rookie VJ Payne Suddenly Faces A Tougher Roster Fight
VJ Payne had been building a case for himself in camp, showing the kind of coverage ability that can help a rookie safety stick, and Pro Football Focus has already viewed him as a player with long-term potential. For a Jets secondary always sorting out the back end of the roster, that sort of early impression matters, especially for a young defender trying to turn practice reps into a real role.
Now Payne is dealing with a bone bruise suffered in practice, and the timing makes the roster battle a lot less straightforward. Missing the next few weeks leaves the Jets with a decision to make on a player they like for the future, even if the immediate path can still be managed in a few different ways before final cuts arrive. [Read more 🡒]