The Tennessee Titans open their preseason Thursday night against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium, and for Robert Saleh, the matchup comes with a familiar twist. Saleh is getting his first look at his new team in game action while facing the organization where he worked as defensive coordinator last season.
That familiarity cuts both ways. Saleh made it clear this week that San Francisco knows his defensive system inside and out, which is exactly why he wanted this test.
“This offense, Kyle and his staff, they know every single flaw or every weakness to our (defensive) scheme. They’ve been going against it for the last 10 years.
So it was really good to get a lot of the route concepts that we need to help teach the principles of our defense. And it’ll start making sense to our guys, hopefully, and in terms of how it evolved and how we got to where we are, uh, from a teaching standpoint,” Saleh said.
The Titans’ joint practice with the 49ers reportedly didn’t go especially well, but that was never really the point. The real value for Saleh is what he can learn about his own roster when it’s put in front of a team he knows so well.
That makes this opener more than just a warm-up. It’s a measuring stick.
One player who has plenty riding on the night is quarterback Will Levis, who is in the final year of his contract. He may no longer be Tennessee’s starter, but his preseason performances still matter. How he looks now could shape how long his NFL career lasts and how much more he has to offer at the position.
There’s also added intrigue on the San Francisco side. Several of the 49ers’ star players are out, including pass rusher Nick Bosa, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL. Kyle Shanahan addressed Bosa’s injury this week, and Bosa will not take part in the game against Tennessee.
For the Titans, though, the spotlight stays on their own evaluation. Saleh gets a chance to see where his team stands, what needs work, and how much ground they still have to cover before the season begins.
In Other News...
Titans Suddenly Have A Cam Ward Problem They Can't Ignore
Training camp has already put Tennessee in an uncomfortable spot at a position it cant afford to gamble on. The backup offensive tackle group was exposed during a joint practice, and with the preseason matchup against San Francisco coming up, the Titans are left weighing how much depth they really have behind their top options.
For a team trying to keep Cam Ward upright while the offense settles in, the concern is bigger than one bad practice rep. Tennessee has not yet made a move to shore up the spot, but the combination of shaky tackle depth and the health of the starters leaves the front office with a decision to make before the preseason gets any closer. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Preseason Opener Puts Several Jobs On The Line Fast
The Titans preseason opener against the 49ers arrives with more than the usual August curiosity attached to it, because for several players this is the first real chance to turn training camp buzz into something more permanent. The roster math is already getting tight, and the early exhibition action will help sort out who is merely surviving camp and who is actually making a case for the final 53.
Among the names under the most pressure are Will Levis and a pair of receivers who have spent camp trying to climb into the conversation for the last spots. Levis has work to do to change the picture at quarterback, while Xavier Restrepo and K.J. Osborn are in the thick of a crowded wideout battle where every clean rep matters. With preseason snaps now carrying real roster weight, the opener should say plenty about who is still in the race and who is starting to fall behind. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Singleton Has A Real Chance To Force His Way Into Titans Plans
Nick Singleton has spent the early stretch of camp doing exactly what a late-round rookie is supposed to do: make the coaching staff pay attention. The Titans took the running back in the fifth round, and with Tony Pollard established at the top of the backfield, the path to snaps is crowded. Still, Singleton has shown enough in joint practices and preseason work to look like more than just a developmental name on the roster, the kind of player whose burst and decisiveness can start changing how a depth chart is viewed.
The challenge now is turning that promise into a real place in the rotation, because Tennessee will not hand out backfield work lightly. Singletons college rsum already gave the Titans a reason to believe he could grow into a meaningful contributor, and the early camp returns have only reinforced that idea. If he keeps stacking productive days in the preseason, the conversation around his role could get a lot more interesting before the roster is finalized. [Read more 🡒]