The Titans’ latest injury wave has left them scrambling on the interior of the offensive line, and Garrett Dellinger now looks like the most likely answer at right guard.
Tennessee announced Tuesday that guards Fernando Carmona Jr. and Jackson Slater are both going on injured reserve, which means each will be sidelined for at least four games. Carmona exited the Week 3 loss to the New York Giants after the first offensive snap with an ankle injury that was later identified as a sprain. Slater went down while filling in, suffering a foot injury of his own.
That leaves the Titans with a hole to fill and not much time to fill it. With Carmona and Slater unavailable for the next month, Tennessee needs both a new starting right guard and more depth inside. The organization did make a corresponding move, promoting Dellinger to the active 53-man roster.
Dellinger’s path to this point has been a winding one. Baltimore selected him in the seventh round of the 2025 draft, but the Ravens waived him after camp.
He then landed with the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad and eventually got his first NFL action in Week 15 last season against the Chicago Bears. In that game, he played 29 offensive snaps, allowed one quarterback pressure and earned a 73.3 Pro Football Focus grade.
Just two days after that debut, Cleveland waived him. Tennessee claimed him the next day, and he has been in Nashville since, aside from a four-day release during final cuts before he re-signed on the Titans practice squad.
When the season started, Dellinger was not expected to factor into Tennessee’s offensive line mix. Now, the 24-year-old may be thrown into a starting role this week when head coach Robert Saleh’s team visits the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
He is the least proven option in the group, and that makes him the biggest unknown on the Titans’ offense. Even so, Saleh and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll may not have a better choice right now than to give Dellinger the job and hope he holds up.
If he can get through Week 4 without being exposed, Tennessee may decide not to chase another guard. If he struggles badly, general manager Mike Borgonzi will have to look elsewhere for an upgrade.
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