The Titans kept rolling in the preseason with a 19-16 win over the Seahawks, moving to 2-0 and giving the Nashville crowd a slow-burn night that still ended with a home victory. With roster cuts due Aug. 30, plenty of players were on the clock, and Tennessee got another long look at several guys whose NFL futures are still very much in play.
One of the clearest winners was Julius Chestnut. He appears to be battling Kalel Mullings for the final spot in the Titans’ running back room, and he strengthened that case again.
Chestnut led Tennessee’s backfield with 48 yards on seven carries, showing the same steady, no-nonsense style that has made him a useful depth option in Nashville. D’Ernest Johnson scored the Titans’ only touchdown, but Chestnut’s consistency across the preseason is making it hard to ignore him.
The night was a different story for Will Levis. He came into the game already under pressure after going 3/8 passing and taking three sacks in the preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers, and he didn’t do much to change the conversation against Seattle.
Levis finished 4/9 for 15 yards and was sacked again, with the lone bright spot being a diving run that helped keep the touchdown drive alive. He also ran for 15 yards on four carries, but the passing game never got off the ground.
He overthrew open receivers and, with cut day now right around the corner, it was another rough showing. Hendon Hooker, the fourth-string passer, later came in and matched Levis’ passing yardage with one completion.
Tennessee also got a notable defensive spark from rookie Anthony Hill Jr. He is the only Titans rookie to catch a pass this preseason, but his impact has gone well beyond that.
Hill picked off Seattle on a sneaky play underneath for the Titans’ first interception of the night and led the team with seven tackles. In a defense that otherwise had an uneven outing under Robert Saleh, Hill stood out.
Fernando Carmona, a fifth-round pick, has also been making noise and pulling away in the battle for the starting right guard job, adding to the theme that Tennessee’s rookies beyond the first round have been the real surprises so far.
Not everyone helped their case. Cor'Dale Flott had another tough night, and there’s not much mystery left around his preseason so far.
Before he sat with the starters in the first half, his most notable moment was an illegal contact penalty that wiped out an interception by safety Kevin Winston Jr. It was another frustrating sequence in what has been a rough month for Flott.
And then there’s Joey Slye, who keeps stacking up perfect nights. He went 8-8 across the preseason games against the 49ers and Seahawks, a sharp turnaround for a team that was trying out kickers earlier this offseason.
Slye has now played for five different teams before landing in Nashville, and he may have found a stable home with the baby blue and red. With Tennessee’s young offense still working through growing pains, having a kicker this steady is a major plus, and Slye was once again one of the Titans’ biggest standouts.
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Titans Make A Late Camp Linebacker Move Worth Watching
The Titans are making another late-summer adjustment at linebacker, turning to Reid Carrico after placing Milo Eifler on injured reserve. Carrico arrives as an undrafted rookie who was recently waived by the Browns, and Tennessee is giving him a look at a time when every rep matters and roster spots are shrinking.
Carricos appeal is pretty straightforward for a team trying to sort through its depth: he showed some defensive ability in a brief stint with Cleveland, and he brought a solid college rsum to the table after transferring from Ohio State to West Virginia. Whether the Titans stash him on the practice squad or see enough to keep him in the mix for their rotation, this is the kind of move that can quietly shape the last days of camp. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Defense Gave Fans An Early Preseason Problem To Worry About
The Titans had little to feel good about on the defensive side of the ball in their second preseason game against the Seahawks, where the starters were on the field long enough to leave an early concern hanging over the rest of August. Tennessee went into halftime trailing 16-9, and all of the scoring came from Randy Bullocks steady work on field goals while the offense remained uneven, even if Malik Willis looked better than he did in the previous game.
The bigger worry was the way Seattles backup offense moved the ball against Tennessees starting defense, capped by two touchdowns and a 69-yard Jacardia Wright run that quickly made the rounds online. Treylon Burks still was looking for his first catch of the night, and while preseason results do not define a season, this was the sort of uneven defensive showing that can stick with a team for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Roster Battle Is Heating Up After Salehs Latest Comments
Robert Saleh came away from the Titans second preseason game seeing the usual August mix of encouragement and frustration, the kind of uneven stretch every staff expects as a roster takes shape. He pointed to the peaks and valleys that come with improvement, and while rookie Carnell Tate has not shown much in the preseason box scores, Saleh made it clear his day-to-day work in practice has kept him in the conversation.
The bigger picture is that Tennessee is still sorting through several unsettled spots with final cuts due Aug. 30, and right guard remains one of the most watchable battles on the roster. Rookie Fernando Carmona has been trending in the right direction there, giving the Titans one more development story to weigh as the last preseason week puts pressure on players trying to turn practice progress into a place on the team. [Read more 🡒]