Tennessee Titans inside linebacker Cale Garrett is one of 14 undrafted free agents the team signed following the 2020 NFL Draft, but he has a better chance than most to make the roster.
Despite playing in only six games last season after suffering a torn pectoral muscle, something that no doubt hurt his draft stock, Garrett still put together an impressive career at Missouri.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound linebacker posted a Pro Football Focus grade of 80 or better in three straight seasons with the Tigers, and in 2019 he showed his coverage skills, posting three picks on 12 passes thrown his way. His grade of 91.9 was tied for 13th among linebackers.
But Garrett isn’t just bringing promise with him to the NFL, he’s playing with somewhat of a chip on his shoulder, as he told Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
“It’s something that you definitely carry with you. It’s something that still bugs me. But I know you get everything you deserve,” Garrett explained. “You earn the right to get drafted and you earn what you work for. I don’t know. Maybe it’s a drive to work even harder. I don’t look it as being upset. I look at it that it’s all on me. There’s so many other factors, but I’m going to control what I can control. Maybe that adds more of a chip.”
Garrett mentions being able to play for head coach Mike Vrabel and inside linebackers coach Jim Haslett, who is a former NFL head coach himself, as a few reasons why joining the Titans was an attractive opportunity.
“Being able to play for Coach (Mike) Vrabel and (linebackers) Coach Jim Haslett was super appealing as well as the opportunity to come in and compete. They didn’t draft a linebacker this year, so I just felt like this would be a good opportunity for me to contribute to a team and make a roster.”
That last point might be the key to Garrett making the roster.
The Titans carried five inside linebackers into last season, and as it stands now they have a total of seven on the roster.
However, beyond the top three — Jayon Brown, Rashaan Evans and David Long — it’s anyone’s guess who will be the fourth in line to play snaps on defense with the team unlikely to bring Wesley Woodyard back.
Khaylan Kearse-Thomas is another UDFA, and both Nick Dzubnar and Nigel Harris have played sparingly on defense and mostly on special teams during their careers. The latter has just 11 career games under his belt in total.
Filling Woodyard’s role doesn’t just mean playing on defense, though. The veteran also played an important role on special teams, and that’s an area Garrett says he’s ready to contribute in if needed.
“Absolutely. That would have been my mindset. That should be everybody’s mindset coming in,” Garrett said. “What can I do to contribute? What can I do to help this team win ballgames and win Super Bowls? That has to be your mindset at the end of the day. I just want to play and win games.”
There’s a lot to like about Garrett, and it’s why he was one of six UDFAs we decided have the best shot to make the roster.
However, it will be tougher than ever for undrafted players to make the cut this year, thanks to the likelihood that there will be no preseason and a smaller training camp roster of 80 players instead of 90.
Even with that being the case, the Titans only have to trim seven players off their current roster to hit that number (assuming there are no signings), so some UDFAs will still get their shot.
And, with the Titans having a need on the inside, Garrett is likely to be among the group of UDFAs lucky enough to survive the pre-training camp cuts.
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