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...
Titans Rookies Are Already Creating A Real Playing Time Debate
Training camp has given the Titans a first real chance to sort out which rookies are ready to push for immediate roles, and the early returns have added a little intrigue to a roster still in evaluation mode. With padded practices now underway and a joint session with the San Francisco 49ers on the schedule, Tennessee is getting a clearer look at its 2026 draft class, from encouraging signs by wide receiver Carnell Tate, defensive end Keldric Faulk and linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. to the tougher road facing some of the other first-year players.
Nicholas Singleton and Jackie Marshall are among the rookies trying to make their case, but the challenge for both is simple: turning camp work into enough trust to earn meaningful snaps. That competition is exactly what makes this stretch important for the Titans, because the coaching staff is not just grading talent, it is weighing who can help soonest in a crowded depth picture as the physical work ramps up and the 49ers practice offers another measuring stick. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Suddenly Have A Real Cody Barton Decision To Make
The Titans suddenly find themselves with a linebacker question they did not necessarily expect to be pressing this soon. Cody Barton arrived last offseason as a veteran presence, but Tennessees defense is also starting to see some encouraging signs from younger players, and that changes the conversation around the depth chart. With Robert Saleh now steering the scheme, fit matters just as much as experience, and Bartons style is not as clean a match on paper as it might have been a year ago.
Anthony Hill and James Williams have both given the Titans reasons to look closely at what the future could look like in that room. Barton still has value, and that makes this more than a simple keep-or-cut call, especially with his contract and potential trade market in play. For now, there has been no official move, but the fact that Tennessee is even weighing the possibility says plenty about how much the linebacker competition has shifted. [Read more 🡒]