The Titans may still call it a competition, but the center race is starting to look a lot less open than it did when camp began.
Tennessee heads to Santa Clara this week for a joint practice and preseason game with the San Francisco 49ers, and that setting should put a few important roster battles under the microscope. One of them, though, may already be trending toward a clear answer: Austin Schlottmann.
Center and right guard were among the most closely watched interior line battles when training camp opened, but after two weeks, the free-agent addition appears to be edging toward the center job. That was one of the main takeaways from ESPN’s Turron Davenport in his latest intel report.
Davenport said the spot is still technically open, but the signs point to Schlottmann. Left guard Peter Skoronski said Schlottmann has sped up his own learning process, helped by the time they spent together with the Titans after previously being with the Giants. Meanwhile, Pat Coogan has continued to get early work, but he has also had trouble at times with snaps that sailed off target to Mitchell Trubisky during team periods.
The Titans’ first preseason depth chart offered another clue. It placed Coogan behind veteran Andre James and Schlottmann, even if that chart is still fluid this early in camp.
Davenport isn’t the only person watching practice who has come away with that read after two weeks, and for now, Schlottmann looks like the likeliest answer at center.
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