With the news that rosters could be limited to 80 players as part of an agreement between the NFL and NFLPA on COVID-19 protocols, the Tennessee Titans are going to have to make cuts ahead of training camp.
Tennessee announced on Tuesday that rookies, quarterbacks and players with injuries will report on Thursday, July 23, while the rest of the team will report as originally scheduled on Tuesday, July 28.
But before the Titans can get things going, they’re going to have to make some moves to meet this new protocol. Assuming no other signings occur, Tennessee would have to cut seven players to get from its current roster number of 87 down to 80.
The players most likely to be impacted will be undrafted free agents, of which the Titans have 14. That means we could see half of this class go if the initial cut list doesn’t include any players with one or more years of experience.
Exactly which UDFAs get cut to trim the roster remains to be seen, but we can make an educated guess as to who could be on the outside looking in.
As a reminder, here’s the list of Titans UDFAs.
Aaron Brewer | OL | Texas State
Cale Garrett | ILB | Missouri
Tommy Hudson | TE | Arizona State
Khaylan Kearse-Thomas | ILB | Arizona State
Brandon Kemp | OT | Valdosta State
Mason Kinsey | WR | Berry College
Tucker McCann | K | Missouri
Anthony McKinney | OT | TCU
Cameron Scarlett | RB | Stanford
Kobe Smith | NT | South Carolina
Teair Tart | DT | Florida International
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | WR | Indiana
Kristian Wilkerson | WR | SE Missouri State
Kyle Williams | WR | Arizona State
With solid depth and veteran presence along the offensive line already, the Titans could look to part ways with some of their young linemen. Those players include Brewer, McKinney and Kemp.
Tennessee currently has four UDFA wide receivers in Kinsey, Westbrook-Ikhine, Williams and Wilkerson, so look for a cut or two to come from that group, also.
Running back and tight end are two more positions with UDFAs that could be impacted thanks to an already limited amount of spots up for grabs.
Scarlett is behind multiple veterans, and Tennessee figures to have at least two roster locks at running back in Derrick Henry and Darrynton Evans, and quite possibly a third in fullback Khari Blasingame.
At tight end, Hudson is certainly vulnerable with the Titans having three players at that position already locked in and one roster spot up for grabs at most.
Garrett and/or Kearse-Thomas could survive with the Titans having limited depth options at inside linebacker behind starters Jayon Brown and Rashaan Evans, and backup David Long.
With question marks along the defensive line and at kicker, Smith, Tart and McCann figure to have a good chance to make the pre-training camp cut.
Injuries, signings and/or veterans getting cut could drastically change things, but there’s no doubt that UDFAs have the highest probability of being affected by a smaller training camp roster.
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