The Titans are heading into training camp with one clear spot still unsettled, and it comes with a lot riding on a veteran who has plenty to answer for.
Right guard is the only starting job up for grabs when camp opens in late July, with free-agent addition Cordell Volson set to battle sophomore Jackson Slater for the spot. Tennessee’s decision to move on from Kevin Zeitler, who started there in 2025 and remains unsigned in free agency, leaves the team betting on either a developmental fifth-round pick or a player coming off a lost season.
Slater is the cleaner long-term swing. General manager Mike Borgonzi drafted him in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and the Sacramento State product spent most of his rookie year developing behind the scenes, aside from some action in Week 18. But the early buzz suggests Volson may have the edge, largely because he’s the more experienced option and arrived as a free-agent signing.
That experience comes with baggage.
The Bengals took Volson in the fourth round of the 2022 draft and plugged him in as a starter right away. He went on to start 48 games from 2022 through 2024, but the results never really matched the opportunity. His three career pass-blocking grades from Pro Football Focus were 52.7, 46.7 and 48.8.
Then came the injury. Volson missed the entire 2025 season after season-ending right shoulder surgery in August, which means he’ll report to camp having not played football in over a year.
There’s at least a path to a reset here. Working with Titans offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo could help Volson find something closer to his best form, and the Bengals’ track record developing offensive linemen during the Joe Burrow era hasn’t exactly inspired confidence. If Volson wins the job over Slater, Tennessee will be counting on a major bounce-back season.
In Other News...
Titans Camp Battle Could Quietly Decide Robert Salehs Defense
Training camp is about to sort out more than just the Titans depth chart. Under Robert Saleh, the competition at right guard has become one of the quieter but more consequential battles on the roster, with Jackson Slater and Cordell Volson both in the mix as the team tries to stabilize the interior and keep the offense on schedule. It is the kind of job fight that can shape how a line functions long before the regular season starts.
The same is true on the edge, where the spot opposite Jermaine Johnson II is expected to draw real attention once camp gets rolling. Femi Oladejo and Jacob Martin headline that group, with rookie Keldric Faulk also expected to factor in, and the way Saleh parcels out those snaps should tell a lot about how he sees the front seven taking shape. For a defense built on pressure and rotation, those decisions may end up carrying more weight than they first appear. [Read more 🡒]
Former Titans Star Left Stunned By Travis Kelce Friendship Snub
The celebrity-heavy wedding scene around Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift had plenty of NFL representation, with names like George Kittle and Matthew Stafford showing up with family in tow. For former Titans lineman Taylor Lewan and ex-Titans linebacker Will Compton, though, the guest list brought a different kind of attention, since both had long considered themselves part of Kelces circle and expected to be in the mix for a day that blended football fame with pop-star spectacle.
Lewan sounded genuinely taken aback when the invitations didnt come his way, openly questioning what he might be doing wrong after seeing who was there. Compton had a similar reaction, saying he was flabbergasted while reacting to the photos and even noting Dean Blandinos presence, a reminder that the guest list was full of surprises even before the Titans duo realized they were on the outside looking in. [Read more 🡒]
Titans May Finally Have The Camp Battle Their Secondary Needed
The Titans added another piece to their secondary on March 12, signing Joshua Williams to a two-year contract after four seasons with the Chiefs. For a cornerback room that has spent too much time shuffling bodies because of injuries, Williams arrives as the kind of steady, experienced depth every defense wants but not every defense can find.
What makes him especially relevant in Tennessee is the role he can fill behind Alontae Taylor and Cor'Dale Flott at boundary corner. Williams brings size, special teams value and the sort of flexibility that can help a coaching staff keep its options open if the camp competition gets tight, and the Titans will be watching closely to see whether he can turn that backup job into something more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]