One of the starting spots the Tennessee Titans need to figure out going into training camp comes at linebacker, where the team only has one locked-in starter in Kenneth Murray.
There has been a lot of talk about rookie Cedric Gray taking that role in his first year, and second-year linebacker Otis Reese has also been in the conversation after he flashed a bit in 2023.
But we certainly can’t discount one of last year’s starters, Jack Gibbens, who has been written off far too much this offseason.
One person who is doing the opposite of that is Titans writer Jim Wyatt, who stated in a recent mailbag that he believes Gibbens is the favorite for the starting role going into training camp.
In fact, the question at ILB for me is: Who is going to step up as the third man behind Gibbens and Murray? And, I think that’s going to be Gray. I’m not saying Gray can’t win the job, but in my mind Gibbens enters camp as the favorite to start in Week One alongside Murray, with Gray trying to catch him.
After seeing all the praise Gibbens has received for his offseason work and leadership, we had him as the starter in our last projection for the defense.
And it makes sense. Granted, Gibbens was nothing to write home about in 2023, but he is more experienced than the other two and has the ability to wear the green dot.
Now, that’s not to say Gibbens will be able to hold on to the job for the entire year. But he may simply be the best option early in the season as Gray and Reese get more experience under their belts.
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