After a disappointing start to his career, Tennessee Titans 2021 second-round pick, offensive lineman Dillon Radunz, has played well and revived his stock in a big way.
Radunz has started two games this season and entered two others because of injury. In 166 snaps at left guard and 57 at right tackle, the North Dakota State product has given up 11 pressures but no sacks.
Making his season even more impressive is the fact that Radunz is less than a year removed from tearing his ACL last December, so there’s reason to believe he could get even better as the season progresses.
Radunz got the call off the bench in Week 9 at multiple spots but played the majority of his snaps at right tackle with Nicholas Petit-Frere exiting early.
Per usual, Radunz was good and definitely helped stabilize things a bit after NPF was a disaster. Ultimately, he gave up three pressures and no sacks.
After praising Radunz for the way he “battled” following the Week 9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Mike Vrabel complimented Radunz once again on Tuesday.
#Titans Mike Vrabel said Dillon Radunz has been a versatile and smart player. He added when Radunz plays square with his feet underneath him he's been effective.
— Kayla Anderson ✨ (@KaylaAndersonTV) November 7, 2023
Ahead of the Tennessee’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team is looking for a left tackle with NPF likely to miss the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury that will require surgery.
Right tackle may also be an issue, although Chris Hubbard, who remains in the concussion protocol, is expected to practice this week and is on track to play.
The overwhelming desire amongst Titans fans is to see Peter Skoronski get a shot at left tackle, but that doesn’t appear to be on the table right now, per Vrabel.
A good laugh from #Titans Mike Vrabel:
I asked if there’s a scenario in which he would consider giving Peter Skoronski a chance at tackle.
He said right now, they want to continue developing him as a guard. But there’s absolutely a scenario in which he plays out there. There’s…
— Easton Freeze (@eastonfreeze) November 7, 2023
Knowing that, the next logical solution is to give Radunz a crack at it.
Granted, he’s only played 77 snaps there over three seasons, but he’s earned the right to get a chance, especially when you consider the other options are the mess that is Andre Dillard and a rookie in Jaelyn Duncan.
It remains to be seen if Radunz can hold it down for the long haul, something that would be a massive development for Tennessee, but he’s the no-brainer choice to be the next man up if the Titans won’t give Skoronski a look.
[lawrence-auto-related count=5]