Tag: Jaelyn Duncan

Titans’ Jaelyn Duncan to start at LT in Week 12

The Titans are starting Jaelyn Duncan at left tackle in Week 12.

UPDATE: Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel has confirmed that rookie Jaelyn Duncan will start at left tackle in Week 12, and Dillon Radunz will get the nod at right tackle.

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The Tennessee Titans are reportedly expected to start rookie offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan in Week 12 against the Carolina Panthers.

According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, Duncan will get the nod at one of the tackle spots, and that figures to be on the left side after head coach Mike Vrabel said fellow tackle Dillon Radunz would work on the right side.

Earlier in the week, Vrabel said that embattled offensive tackle Andre Dillard would be an option, but apparently the team isn’t going in that direction — and rightly so.

Dillard has been an abject disaster this season and the worst member of one of the worst offensive lines in football. It only makes sense for the Titans to see what they have in Duncan, who actually has a chance to be part of the team’s long-term plans upfront.

Duncan was inserted at right tackle last week for an injured Chris Hubbard, who is now reportedly out for the season. Duncan didn’t allow a single sack or pressure in 25 snaps (12 pass-blocking).

This will be the Maryland product’s second look at left tackle this year. He previously played three snaps at the position in Week 9, when Tennessee’s offensive linemen were dropping like flies. Duncan didn’t allow a sack or pressure in that game, either.

In an ideal world, Duncan shows enough the rest of the way to prove he’s capable of being a long-term solution at one spot upfront.

For now, let’s just hope he can help keep quarterback Will Levis upright, something Tennessee has struggled mightily to do the last three weeks.

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Titans moving Dillon Radunz to RT, considering Andre Dillard for LT

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said Andre Dillard is being considered for left tackle in Week 12.

With veteran Chris Hubbard reportedly out for the season, it was thought the Tennessee Titans would have some combination of rookie Jaelyn Duncan and Dillon Radunz at the two tackle spots in Week 12 against the Carolina Panthers, but the team is apparently considering a third option.

When speaking before the team’s walkthrough on Tuesday, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel revealed Radunz would work at right tackle and the team would give both Duncan and Andre Dillard a look at left tackle in practice.

Dillard, who was ruled out last week due to a concussion, returned to the practice field on Tuesday and is expected to be ready to roll for Sunday, according to Vrabel.

There are multiple reasons why going back to Dillard would be frustrating.

For starters, he’s been the team’s worst offensive lineman this season, which is saying a lot considering how bad the entire unit has been.

Furthermore, the Titans could be deploying someone who is highly unlikely to be on the team next year in place of a younger player who at least has a chance to factor into Tennessee’s long-term plans.

Duncan saw 25 snaps in Week 11 after Hubbard left early and he didn’t allow a pressure or sack in 12 pass-blocking snaps. Sure, a small sample size, but that’s enough to garner him a longer look, especially considering the alternative.

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Titans’ Jaelyn Duncan on track to start after strong showing in Week 11

After a strong showing in Week 11, and with Chris Hubbard expected to miss time, Titans rookie Jaelyn Duncan is on track to start in Week 12.

Tennessee Titans right tackle Chris Hubbard suffered yet another injury in Week 11, which forced the Titans to deploy rookie offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan in his stead.

And Duncan actually performed well in relief of Hubbard. Granted, it was a small sample size, but the Maryland product didn’t allow a single sack or pressure in 12 pass-block snaps and recorded the second-highest pass-blocking grade (79.4) on the team, per Pro Football Focus.

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said on Monday that Hubbard is expected to miss time with the injury he sustained on Sunday. He also noted that Andre Dillard remains in the concussion protocol, although the Titans shouldn’t be going back to him under any circumstances.

That paves the way for Duncan to start at right tackle in Week 12, and Vrabel basically confirmed that is the case by saying the rookie would see more time at tackle this week.

With the Titans having an eye on the future now that their season is shot, they should be giving Duncan as many opportunities as possible the rest of the way.

In an ideal world, the sixth-round pick plays well and leaves Tennessee with one less spot to worry about upfront going into the 2024 offseason.

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Titans’ Dillon Radunz, Jaelyn Duncan to get practice reps at LT

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel revealed that Dillon Radunz and Jaelyn Duncan would get reps at left tackle in practice this week.

The Tennessee Titans have a left tackle problem going into Week 11 — stop me if you’ve heard that one before.

Not only has Andre Dillard been awful, his status for the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars is up in the air after exiting the Week 10 contest early due to a concussion.

Head coach Mike Vrabel provided an update on Dillard on Wednesday, saying the veteran was in concussion protocol and wouldn’t practice.

Knowing that, Vrabel revealed that offensive lineman Dillon Radunz would see reps at left tackle during practice this week, along with rookie Jaeyln Duncan.

Radunz took Dillard’s place versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and gave up seven pressures and one sack, which led to a less-than ideal review from Vrabel, who said Radunz didn’t meet the standard they are looking for.

“Dillon finished the game, and Dillon admittedly wasn’t up to the standard that we need,” Vrabel said on Monday, per Jim Wyatt.

In fairness to Radunz, he didn’t get practice reps at the position all week leading up to the game, so hopefully getting some work there during the week will help him if he starts on Sunday.

I’m not sure the Titans can expect much more from Duncan, who has seen just three offensive snaps this season, all of which came at left tackle in Week 8 when Tennessee’s linemen were dropping like flies.

Duncan didn’t give up a pressure or sack in two pass-block snaps, but that’s not even close to a big enough sample size to know how it’ll go with him should he get the nod.

Tennessee is once again avoiding the approach of putting left guard Peter Skoronski in that spot, which is a mistake considering he’s the only hope the Titans have of finding a long-term, in-house solution before heading into the 2024 offseason, where left tackle will be a top priority.

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Titans’ top-3 candidates for right tackle job with Jamarco Jones gone

A look at the Titans’ top-three candidates for the right tackle job now that Jamarco Jones is gone.

The Tennessee Titans dropped offensive lineman Jamarco Jones like a bad habit and released him on Thursday after he got into yet another spat that led to his being tossed out of practice for the second time this week.

While the move to get rid of the problem child is certainly understandable, it does throw an already uncertain situation into even more turmoil.

That’s because Jones appeared to be the frontrunner for the job, as it seemed he was getting the most first-team reps in practice. Granted, he was a major question mark thanks to a lack of starting experience, but at least we had a handle on who might get the job to temporarily replace Nicholas Petit-Frere.

So, who are the next men up to consider for the starting job? There are three candidates to discuss, and one of them should be considered the favorite, although he’s hardly a lock.

Titans’ Mike Vrabel lists candidates for right tackle spot

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel listed the players who will be competing to fill in for RT Nicholas Petit-Frere.

Among the multiple question marks on offense for the Tennessee Titans going into training camp is who will man the right tackle spot while right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere serves a suspension.

Of course, Petit-Frere will miss the first six games of the 2023 campaign after being suspended for violating the league’s gambling policy.

During his first press conference of training camp, head coach Mike Vrabel listed several players who will be competing for the job, including veteran Jamarco Jones, 2022 UDFA Andrew Rupcich, and rookies Jaelyn Duncan and John Ojukwu.

On top of those players, Vrabel also didn’t rule out first-round pick Peter Skoronski getting a look there, although he also revealed that the Northwestern product would focus on guard for now.

“Jamarco (Jones) has worked over there the first couple of days with the early report guys,” Vrabel said, per Tyler Rowland of All Titans. “I think Andrew Rupcich will play over there. Jaelyn (Duncan) will have a shot over there. O.J.(John Ojukwu) will have a chance over there.

“We’ll kind of see where things go and we’ll find the best person there.”

The Titans head coach was also asked about two veteran free agents the team worked out recently in George Fant and Chris Hubbard, but he had nothing new to report there.

In our most recent 53-man roster projection, Jones was our choice to win the job, but an addition of a veteran free-agent option like Fant or Hubbard would no doubt shake things up.

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Titans training camp: 1 rookie to watch at each offensive position

Shaun Calderon takes a look at one rookie to watch at each position on offense during Titans training camp.

The Tennessee Titans enter training camp with several intriguing young players on their roster. If you take one look at the Titans’ depth chart, it seems like every position is flooded with inexperienced players who are trying to seize the opportunity in front of them.

Whether it’s someone who was drafted in 2023, or a young player who is trying to prove why he should’ve been, Tennessee has more than its fair share of youth vying to carve out a for themselves over the next couple of months.

That is why, over the next few days, we will be going over one offensive and defensive rookie at each position who we should be keeping our eyes on as training camp draws near.

This article is going to focus on the offensive personnel, meaning today’s write-up will mainly revolve around the 2023 draft class considering the team used all of its draft picks on that side of the ball.

Without further ado, let’s see which offensive rookies we are getting ready to focus on most when training camp rolls around.

Ranking Titans 2023 draft picks based on projected impact

Ranking the Titans’ 2023 draft picks based on their projected impact.

With the Tennessee Titans’ mandatory minicamp and entire offseason program in the books, we now know at least a little bit more about Tennessee’s 2023 draft class.

However, the real evaluation will begin in July and August, when the Titans begin training camp and strap on the pads, and then take part in preseason contests.

Based on the limited information we have so far, here’s what we expect from each Titans 2023 draft pick in Year 1, and we’ll rank them based on their projected impact.

Which Titans Day 3 pick could be a hidden gem?

Shaun Calderon chooses the Day 3 pick who he believes has the best chance to be a hidden gem for the Titans.

Every single season, teams across the league find hidden gems who were largely overlooked for a variety of reasons. Either these young players were drafted later than their talent warranted, or they were overlooked altogether.

Last season alone, the Tennessee Titans found two potential stars in the making on Day 3 or later.

With the very last pick in the fourth round, the Titans selected Chigoziem Okonkwo, who looked like he could become the next dominant tight end in Tennessee sooner rather than later. The Titans also lured standout punter Ryan Stonehouse to Tennessee after he somehow went undrafted.

This season, there are a few candidates who could become this year’s hidden gem. Truthfully, you could make an argument for any of the Day 3 guys.

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Tight end Josh Whyle figures to have a role as the second tight end whenever the Titans opt to use 12-personnel in passing situations.

Meanwhile, wide receiver Colton Dowell has tons of untapped potential as he joins a wide receiver room that is begging for someone other than Treylon Burks to rise to the occasion.

However, I’m going to have to go with the Titans’ sixth-round selection as their top candidate to be this year’s hidden gem.

Former Maryland offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan isn’t a perfect prospect by any means, but I don’t think many of us who truly took the time to evaluate these players expected him to fall to the sixth round, either.

Duncan is an athletically fluid mover who has the physical traits and nastiness that Mike Vrabel admittedly wants in his offensive linemen.

The Maryland product isn’t exactly a plug-and-play prospect, but Duncan has tons of tools in the shed to work with.

He will likely compete for the swing tackle role right out the gate, but he’s someone who could sneakily push for a starting spot as time passes and he continues to develop.

With that said, things won’t always be pretty for the Maryland product, especially early on.

Duncan undoubtedly presented tremendous value in the sixth round, but there’s a reason why he was considered a mid-round prospect by many people (myself included).

His overall inconsistencies on the field is a large reason for that type of projection. Over the last two years, the former Terrapin has accounted for 965 pass-blocking snaps, allowing 24 hurries, 11 sacks, and six quarterback hits over that span, per Pro Football Focus.

Obviously, those numbers aren’t ideal, but like we already said, he was never considered a finished product to begin with. Truth be told, Duncan has lots of work to do from a technical standpoint in order to reach his full potential.

Nonetheless, what really intrigues people is the fact that his good reps are truly impressive, which then makes you wonder what he could eventually become once he gets around NFL coaching on a full-time basis.

Duncan now joins an offensive line in Tennessee that has plenty of questions, and several spots to be had. If everything goes according to plan, he could see the field in a limited capacity as the sixth offensive lineman as soon as this fall.

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Full contract breakdowns for Titans’ Day 3 picks

The full contract breakdowns for each of the Titans’ Day 3 picks.

The Tennessee Titans have signed half of their 2023 NFL draft class, with tight end Josh Whyle, offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan and wide receiver Colton Dowell all under contract.

That leaves three draft picks unsigned in offensive tackle Peter Skoronski, quarterback Will Levis and running back Tyjae Spears, all of whom were taken in the first two days of the draft.

Despite being unsigned, all three did take part in rookie minicamp over the weekend. Check out some of the highlights right here.

Now that Duncan, Whyle and Dowell are signed, their full contract details have been revealed. Here are the numbers, per Spotrac: