The Tennessee Titans closed the preseason with a 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears on Saturday night, and the result gave the coaching staff one last look before Sunday’s roster cuts to 53 players.
Head coach Robert Saleh chose to sit most of the starters in the finale, which shifted the focus to the players fighting for the final few roster spots. That made the game less about the score and more about who helped - and who may have helped enough to stick.
At running back, the picture is crowded. Kalel Mullings is expected to land on injured reserve, but Tennessee still has a tricky call to make with the rest of the group.
Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears, and Nick Singleton look safe, while Michael Carter, Julius Chestnut, and D’Ernest Johnson have all played well enough to keep the discussion alive. At least two of that trio are likely to be squeezed out, and Chestnut appears to have the edge because of his special teams value, though only by a hair.
Xavier Restrepo also made a strong case for himself. He may not offer much on special teams, but he has spent the offseason and training camp proving he can help the offense.
Against Chicago, he was Tennessee’s most productive receiver, finishing with four catches for 71 yards, and he delivered when the offense needed a spark. With Bryce Oliver also in the mix as a special teams contributor, Restrepo has done enough to deserve a roster spot.
Anthony Hill Jr. kept showing why the Titans view him as part of what comes next. The rookie linebacker handled the Mike spot against the Bears and continued to grow as the game went on, helping organize the defense for Robert Saleh and Gus Bradley.
His aggressiveness and athleticism were on display, and those are traits Tennessee may simply have to live with while he develops. Cody Barton, meanwhile, should be looking over his shoulder.
There’s also a real question at cornerback. Alontae Taylor and Cor’Dale Flott sat out the game, and the depth behind them did not inspire much confidence. With Joshua Williams still a question because of a pec issue, general manager Mike Borgonzi may need to scan the waiver wire for outside help.
And then there was Will Levis. He started and played the entire first half, going 14-of-22 for 143 yards in an uneven outing.
There were flashes of better touch and ball placement, but the offense never really found its rhythm. Tennessee’s quarterback decision is still open, and the final roster numbers will tell the story.
If the Titans carry only two quarterbacks, this could end up looking like a fitting finish to an up-and-down run in Nashville.
In Other News...
Titans Waiver Moves Put More Fringe Roster Spots In Real Danger
The Titans kept churning the bottom of the roster this week, using waiver claims to add four players while continuing to sort through the fallout from a round of cuts. It was the kind of late-summer personnel work that can reshape a depth chart in a hurry, especially for a team still trying to bolster its depth and add more versatility before the roster picture settles.
Kylen Granson, Truman Jones and Garrett Dellinger now stand out as the names most clearly in the crosshairs as Tennessee evaluates which fringe pieces fit and which ones do not. The need for a slot cornerback only adds to the pressure on those spots, and while some of the players in this mix could still surface on the practice squad, the next wave of moves figures to say plenty about how the Titans want the back end of the roster to look. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Face A Familiar Practice Squad Battle After Final Cuts
With the roster trimmed to the 53-man limit, the Titans now turn to the familiar aftermath of final cuts: waiver claims, practice squad sorting and a round of decisions that can matter just as much for the first month of the season as the moves made on cutdown day. Tennessee still has room to build out a 16-player practice squad, and the early list of possible additions includes players the staff already knows well, along with a few who flashed enough in preseason to stay in the conversation.
Hendon Hooker is among the most notable names to watch, given the value of a quarterback who already has some footing in the building, while Michael Carter and Kalel Mullings sit in a running back mix that could be shaped by depth and familiarity. The same goes for a handful of wide receivers and defensive backs who may fit Tennessees needs better than a fresh outside option, but nothing has been finalized yet, which leaves the Titans in that familiar late-summer holding pattern where the next move can still change the shape of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Cut Day Left One Roster Move Fans Will Debate Most
The Titans have mostly finished shaping their 53-man roster, and the final few decisions offered a clear look at how this front office wants to balance immediate stability with long-term flexibility. Jeffery Simmons remains the centerpiece up front, while the team moved on from wide receiver Kyle Philips and added help in the secondary with Elijah Molden and Amani Hooker, moves that reflect a roster still being fine-tuned after waiver claims and cuts.
James Hudsons arrival on the offensive line is another piece worth watching, especially because of his prior work and his familiarity with the coaching staff. Even with the roster largely set, this was the kind of cut day that still left one move likely to spark the most debate among fans, because it says plenty about what Tennessee values right now and where the biggest questions around the lineup still linger. [Read more 🡒]