In our latest installment of Tennessee Titans 2020 training camp previews, we’re going to take a closer look at the tight end position. If you’ve missed any of our previews thus far, we linked to each of them at the end of this article.
Things will look a bit different for Tennessee at the position this year after the team parted ways with Delanie Walker during the offseason. With that said, the Titans are still looking strong at tight end for the upcoming season.
Let’s take a look at the team’s roster locks, players on the roster bubble, and then make a prediction for who will fill out the depth chart when the initial 53-man roster is released.
Roster locks
Jonnu Smith
Anthony Firkser
MyCole Pruitt
Analysis: The Titans will return three of the four tight ends that made the initial 53-man roster cut last season, with the exception being Walker, who was cut earlier this offseason and remains unsigned.
With Walker gone, that will open up a spot for a lesser-known tight end at the bottom of the depth chart — that is, if the Titans decide to carry four players at the position going into the season once again.
Not having Walker on the roster also means that Smith will be the undisputed No. 1 tight end for an entire season, which isn’t necessarily a new thing for the 24-year-old. He filled in for Walker in 2018 after he suffered a brutal ankle injury, and he was the main man in 2019 after seven games.
With Firkser filling in behind Smith, the Titans are going to have an impressive duo of pass-catching tight ends, giving them good depth at the position. Pruitt will take on his normal role as primarily a blocker, which he does as good as anyone in the NFL.
What we really want to see from Smith in training camp is improved chemistry with Ryan Tannehill. Smith and Tannehill worked out together a lot during the offseason, so the Titans’ signal-caller should be looking the young tight end’s way more often in 2020.