The Tennessee Titans went into the offseason hunting for help at right guard, and the plan they landed on looked simple enough: replace Kevin Zeitler’s spot with a veteran and let the competition sort itself out.
General manager Mike Borgonzi brought in Cordell Volson on a one-year deal worth $3.2 million, then put him in the mix with sophomore Jackson Slater and rookie Fernando Caromona. At first, Volson’s experience gave him the edge. Training camp opened with him and Slater trading first-team reps, and there wasn’t an obvious winner right away.
That picture has shifted fast.
After one preseason game, it’s Caromona who is suddenly the name gaining traction. The rookie got the start at right guard against the San Francisco 49ers after a strong stretch of practices at camp, and head coach Robert Saleh rewarded that run with first-team work. Volson, meanwhile, was the next man up with the second stringers.
The results were rough. Volson had a difficult night in both pass protection and the run game.
Pro Football Focus charged him with allowing one sack, and his pass-blocking grade came in at 58.6. He also got driven back into the backfield at times while trying to open lanes on the ground.
That’s not the kind of debut Tennessee was hoping for when it signed him. Volson missed the entire 2025 season because of an injury, and the Titans clearly saw a chance to buy low. For now, though, the early returns are pointing in the wrong direction.
He still has time to turn it around, with several more weeks of camp and two more preseason games left to make his case. But right now, the momentum belongs to Caromona, and Volson no longer looks like the clean answer at right guard that Tennessee wanted him to be.
In Other News...
Will Levis Just Got A Surprise Chance To Change Everything
Will Levis has spent much of his time in Tennessee trying to prove he still belongs in the conversation, and training camp suddenly handed him a fresh opening. The former No. 33 overall pick in the 2023 draft had a rocky 2024 season, throwing for 2,091 yards with 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions before major shoulder surgery wiped out his 2025 season.
With more reps now coming his way, Levis gets a chance to show the Titans he can still be part of their long-term picture before roster cuts arrive. The timing matters because camp can turn quickly for a quarterback, and for Levis, every snap now carries a little more weight than it did just a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Preseason QB Rotation Just Put One Roster Spot In Trouble
The Titans preseason opener offered an early look at how the quarterback room is shaking out, and the rotation told a pretty clear story about who is being treated like part of the plan. Cam Ward started, Hendon Hooker finished, and the other reps went largely to Mitchell Trubisky and Will Levis, the three passers who have been handling most of the work in practice and in game action. For a team still sorting out its depth chart, the distribution mattered more than the final score.
Hookers night was the kind that can speak loudly without anyone saying much at all. He remains on the outside of the main competition as Tennessee heads toward its final preseason game against the Chicago Bears on August 29, and the clock is ticking for players trying to force the staff to make a harder decision. The Titans still have one more exhibition to sort through the back end of the roster, but the quarterback group already looks like it has a hierarchy, and Hooker is not near the top of it. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Roster Battle Just Took A Turn After Camp Injuries
The Titans closed the preseason with a 19-13 win over the 49ers, and the game offered one more look at how the roster picture is taking shape after a summer of camp competition and injuries. Veteran holdovers and younger players alike kept battling for spots, and the final tuning of the 53-man roster by position now feels like one of the most important follow-ups to what was shown on the field.
Wide receiver remains one of the more interesting parts of that projection, with a new name now working into the mix as Tennessee sorts through the depth behind its established options. Elsewhere, the injury fallout from camp has already altered the conversation for a rookie defender, leaving the Titans to balance immediate roster needs with how much they can stash and develop as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]