The Titans opened training camp with a problem that hasn’t gone away, and two practices in, it looks even more obvious: the swing tackle spot is still a major question mark.
That matters because Tennessee doesn’t have much margin for error behind its starters, Dan Moore and JC Latham. There’s a long way to go before the roster is set, but the early read is not encouraging. The Titans simply don’t look strong enough at the No. 3 tackle spot right now.
Latham started camp on the PUP list, though head coach Robert Saleh said he has already been activated and could practice Saturday. Saleh also addressed the swing tackle issue before Thursday’s practice and made the obvious point that injuries are part of the deal. With that reality in mind, Tennessee needs much more certainty than it has behind Moore and Latham.
Austin Deculus has been the most visible option with the first-string offense while Latham has been out. As the veteran free-agent addition, he makes sense as the early favorite for the job on paper. But his camp start was shaky, with Turron Davenport reporting that Deculus false-started on one of his first plays.
Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson is the other name in the mix. The undrafted sophomore is clearly someone the Titans want to develop, and the team protected him last year by keeping him on the initial 53-man roster rather than risking waivers. As a rookie, he played 18 offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, and 17 of those came as a jumbo sixth lineman.
The numbers on Deculus from last season aren’t exactly comforting either. PFF charged him with allowing seven sacks over just 342 pass-blocking snaps, after he stepped in at left tackle for the Los Angeles Chargers when Rashawn Slater went down for the year. His 33.1 pass-protection grade tells the same story.
Finding a good swing tackle is never easy, but Tennessee’s current options look below league average. If Moore or Latham were forced to miss time, the impact on protecting franchise quarterback Cam Ward could be severe. The Titans need to get creative, whether that means a trade or another move, because this is a depth issue they can’t afford to ignore.
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Titans Have A Taysom Hill Debate Fans Will Want To See
Taysom Hills announcement that he will not return to the Saints has pushed his NFL future into the open, and it is the kind of situation that naturally invites a few different teams into the conversation. For the Titans, the appeal is obvious on paper. Hill has spent years living in the leagues in-between spaces, handling snaps as a quarterback, lining up at tight end, working as a running back and helping on special teams. Few available players can offer that kind of flexibility, especially for a team always looking for ways to stretch a roster.
The question for Tennessee is less about whether Hill can still fill a useful role and more about how much a coaching staff would be willing to build around that kind of moving piece. The Titans could use another player who changes the math on offense and contributes in the kicking game, and Hills profile fits that description better than most. Whether that interest turns into anything is still unclear, but it is the sort of roster debate that makes sense to have before the market sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Are Letting Brian Daboll Shape Cam Wards Future
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Saleh still wants the conversations going, but the structure is built around letting Daboll drive the teaching and the scheme while the head coach keeps oversight from a broader view. For Tennessee, it is a long-range bet as much as a coaching arrangement, with the organization trying to give Ward the most stable path possible while putting the offense in the hands of the person it believes is best equipped to shape it. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Secondary Is Starting To Look Exactly Like Robert Saleh Wants
The Titans secondary is beginning to take on the shape Robert Saleh prefers, and the latest additions only sharpen that identity. CorDale Flott and Alontae Taylor bring the kind of length and physical style that fit a defensive coach who wants corners to make life difficult right at the line of scrimmage, while Tennessees front four continues to give the back end a sturdy foundation to work from.
There has already been a noticeable feel to practice as the defense leans into that approach, with the coverage group looking built to hold up in the kind of aggressive scheme Saleh has long favored. Flott and Taylor give the Titans more pieces that match the blueprint, and the next question is how quickly the whole unit can turn that look into something opponents have to spend real time preparing for. [Read more 🡒]