Category: Titans training camp

Titans training camp preview: Predicting how things will turn out at QB

In our training camp preview for QB, we take a look at the Titans’ roster locks, players on the bubble, competitions set to take place and a 53-man prediction for the position.

Like most positions on offense in 2022, the Tennessee Titans dealt with poor play and injuries at the quarterback position, with Ryan Tannehill’s injury being the final nail in the coffin of the Titans’ season.

Tannehill’s injury paved the way for three starts for Malik Willis, who was almost immediately disowned by many fans (and perhaps the team itself) after he looked as raw as we all expected him to when he was first drafted.

Willis was eventually replaced by Joshua Dobbs, who simply gave the Titans a better chance to win at a time when Tennessee was vying for the division.

But as was the case with the other two signal-callers, Dobbs wasn’t capable of overcoming all the issues along the offensive line and at wide receiver.

Dobbs is now gone to Cleveland, opening up a spot for 2023 second-round pick, Will Levis, who will add a bit of juice to training camp and the preseason as he tries to show he’s the future under center.

As we do every year, let’s take a deeper dive at quarterback ahead of training camp and identify the roster locks, those on the bubble, and the competitions to keep an eye on the rest of the summer. After that, we’ll make a prediction for what will happen at the position when it’s all said and done.

Projecting Titans’ starting offense ahead of training camp

Our latest starting offense projection for the Titans ahead of training camp, and in the wake of Nicholas Petit-Frere’s suspension.

With the calendar turning to July, we are just weeks away from the Tennessee Titans’ training camp, which will begin on July 25, three days after rookies report.

Just when we thought we had a good handle on the Titans’ starting offense for 2023, right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere completely threw a wrench in things after he was suspended six games for violating the league’s gambling policy.

Now, Tennessee will need a new right tackle with NPF shelved for one-third of the season, which, by the way, is arguably the toughest part of the Titans’ schedule.

The good news is, Petit-Frere didn’t exactly light the world on fire in his first season, so barring his taking a big step forward in Year 2, his shoes aren’t exactly impossible to fill.

So, how might the Titans replace their 2022 third-round pick? And how might the rest of the offense shake out?

Find out now as we take our latest stab at a starting offense projection for the Titans ahead of training camp later this month.

Biggest takeaways from Titans’ training camp, preseason

A look at our six biggest takeaways after watching the Titans in training camp and the preseason.

The Tennessee Titans closed out training camp and the preseason last week, which means the next time we’ll see the team on the field is in Week 1 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville against the New York Giants on Sept. 11.

After trimming their roster down to 53 players on Tuesday and putting the practice squad together on Wednesday, the Titans will begin preparing for regular season play.

There have been no shortage of interesting storylines this offseason, whether it be the starting competitions, the drafting of Ryan Tannehill’s heir-apparent, and wide receiver Treylon Burks’ conditioning issues.

But after the events of the preseason, things are mostly looking up for a Titans team looking to build off a 12-win season while also simultaneously trying to bounce back from said campaign’s disappointing finish.

Here’s a look at the six biggest things we learned after watching the Titans over the course of training camp and the preseason.

Biggest takeaways from Titans’ final training camp practice

The Titans held their 18th and final practice of training camp on Thursday.

The Tennessee Titans’ 2022 training camp is now officially in the books after the team completed its 18th session on Thursday. After this week, the Titans will revert to the normal regular-season schedule for practices.

Tennessee will now look ahead to its preseason finale on Saturday night in Nashville against the Arizona Cardinals. From there, the Titans will cut the roster down to 53 on Tuesday, and then put together the practice squad the following day.

One of the biggest takeaways from Day 18 was rookie offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere seeing a lot of reps at right tackle once again, while fellow tackle Dillon Radunz spent his time at guard.

We’ve now seen this for three straight practices, which has to make you wonder if the rookie has beaten out the second-year pro. Head coach Mike Vrabel did recently say Radunz moving inside was because of injuries, but it’s not like he would reveal the situation even if NPF had already won.

Now, the rest of the takeaways from the 18th and final camp practice.

Watch: Titans’ Ryan Tannehill mic’d up at training camp

Ryan Tannehill was mic’d up at Titans training camp recently.

The Tennessee Titans have mic’d up multiple players for practices throughout the offseason, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill was recently given the honor for a second time.

Tannehill, who is looking to bounce back from a lackluster 2021 campaign, has been sharp in training camp thus far and has limited the turnovers that plagued him last season.

ESPN’s Dianna Russini recently raved about the Titans signal-caller after attending a practice, saying “he looks fantastic.”

“This is Ryan Tannehill’s team, and I can tell you it’s Ryan Tannehill’s team because the way he looks in camp; he looks fantastic,” Russini said. “Ryan Tannehill looks like he has bounced back mentally [from last year’s playoff loss to the Bengals]. And I know there’s no A.J. Brown out there on the field, but he’s done a really good job of figuring out all of the different weapons that he can use, and finding their best characteristic.”

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Tennessee Titans training camp: Photos from practice with Cardinals

Photos from the Titans’ joint practice with the Cardinals.

After making their second round of cuts on Tuesday, the Tennessee Titans were back on the practice field on Wednesday for Day 17 of training camp.

However, it wasn’t just any normal practice, as the Titans hosted the Arizona Cardinals for a joint practice in Nashville. Both teams were originally scheduled for two sessions, but it was changed to just one.

In case you missed the events of Day 17, you can check out our takeaways article right here. You can also check out Tennessee’s remaining training camp schedule right here.

Here are the photos from the Titans-Cardinals joint practice on Wednesday.

Biggest takeaways from Titans’ joint practice with Cardinals

A look at what happened during the Titans’ joint practice with the Cardinals on Wednesday.

The Tennessee Titans held their 17th practice of training camp on Wednesday, which featured a joint session with the Arizona Cardinals.

Tennessee and Arizona were originally slated to practice together for two days, but head coach Mike Vrabel revealed earlier this week that the two teams would only hold one practice instead.

“Just from a health standpoint, [Cardinals head coach] Kliff [Kingsbury] and I decided that was best for our football teams,” Vrabel said, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.

Among the highlights of the day was the performance of quarterback Malik Willis, who was tabbed as having his best day of practice by one beat writer. Willis received some praise from head coach Mike Vrabel as well.

Also of note: offensive tackle Dillon Radunz worked at left guard for the second straight practice, while fellow tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere worked at right tackle.

Those are just two of the biggest takeaways from Wednesday. Here are the rest.

Titans’ Ryan Tannehill draws rave review from ESPN’s Dianna Russini

Titans QB Ryan Tannehill caught the eye of ESPN’s Dianna Russini after she attended a camp practice recently.

While much of the attention has been on 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis in training camp, Ryan Tannehill has been quietly having a strong training camp.

Tannehill has consistently looked sharp in practice. The veteran signal-caller has been limiting turnovers, while also developing chemistry with his new receivers, of which there are many.

While making an appearance on NFL Live, ESPN’s Dianna Russini gave a rave review of Tannehill after attending Titans camp recently.

“This is Ryan Tannehill’s team, and I can tell you it’s Ryan Tannehill’s team because the way he looks in camp; he looks fantastic,” Russini said. “Ryan Tannehill looks like he has bounced back mentally [from last year’s playoff loss to the Bengals]. And I know there’s no A.J. Brown out there on the field, but he’s done a really good job of figuring out all of the different weapons that he can use, and finding their best characteristic.”

All of this is a great sign for Tannehill, who is coming off his worst season in Nashville in 2021, which culminated in a disastrous three-interception performance in the playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

And, while many fans are ready to run him out of town now, it will be at least one more year before that happens, and quite possibly two depending on how Willis develops.

As good as he’s been in practice, we have yet to see Tannehill take the field in a preseason game, but it’s possible we see him for at least a series when the Titans host the Cardinals for the exhibition finale on Saturday, Aug. 27.

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Titans’ Nicholas Petit-Frere talks preseason Week 2, competing at RT

While Titans OT Nicholas Petit-Frere knows there are things he needs to correct, he also feels he’s improving.

Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere has been battling it out for the starting right tackle job with Dillon Radunz in training camp, and so far the rookie has been holding his own, giving Radunz a run for his money.

Both players were on the field in preseason Week 2, with Petit-Frere starting at right tackle before moving over to the left side when Radunz took over.

The pair have regularly rotated on the right side at practice, and each has started a game there in the preseason. Petit-Frere has also consistently seen snaps at left tackle this offseason.

“That’s something that we’re always looking for, that you have some versatility and flexibility to play more than one position,” head coach Mike Vrabel said, per Terry McCormick of Titan Insider. “Nick has shown that.”

While both players were OK in the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Radunz’s struggles were more apparent. And, according to PFF, Petit-Frere had the better showing, especially in pass protection.

Upon being drafted, it was thought Petit-Frere would redshirt his first season because he needed time to develop, and while he’s far from a finished product, he has been better than expected, also.

When asked for his assessment of how he played in preseason Week 2, NPF said he believes he’s making improvements, while also noting there is still a lot to correct. He also touched on the competition he’s currently in.

“I feel like I’ve made some improvements here and there. There’s still a lot of stuff that we’re correcting from the game and practice and I’m just going to compete every single day and try to get better,” NPF said. “Me competing, that’s kind of the main emphasis of what we’re trying to do here every single day, get as many competitive reps as we can because it’s fall camp.”

The Titans turned some heads on Monday when they deployed Radunz at guard in practice. Vrabel shot down any idea that this was a hint Radunz is losing, saying the move was because the team needed bodies on the inside due to injury.

“We’re really just trying to shuffle some guys around. We’ve had some guys out and just trying to figure out where guys are going to be best served for themselves and for us,” Vrabel said.

“It’s just being a student of the game and making sure I know all the positions,” Radunz said of seeing reps at guard.

With the Titans having multiple guards hurt, Vrabel’s explanation holds water on the surface. Regardless, Petit-Frere has a real shot to upset Radunz and secure the starting job going into 2022.

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Titans’ updated offseason roster after second round of cuts

A look at the Titans’ updated offseason roster after the second round of cuts.

The Tennessee Titans made their second round of cuts this week, whittling their roster down to 80 players by the 4 p.m. ET deadline on Tuesday.

First, Tennessee parted ways with outside linebacker Justin Lawler, wide receiver Terry Godwin, defensive back Shyheim Carter and cornerback Shakur Brown on Monday. Brown and Carter were waived with injuries.

Then, the Titans made their final move on Tuesday by placing kicker Caleb Shudak on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, which means he’ll be forced to miss the first four games of the 2022 campaign. The rookie kicker was unlikely to make the roster over Randy Bullock, anyway.

After this week’s round of cuts, we have one more to look forward to, and that will come on Tuesday, Aug. 30, when all teams must trim their roster down to the final 53.

Following this week’s shuffling, here’s an updated look at the Titans’ 80-man offseason roster.

Note: While there are 83 players listed here, guys like TE Thomas Odukoya (International Player Pathway Program), K Caleb Shudak (reserve/PUP) and S Michael Griffin (IR) don’t count towards the 80-man limit.