With training camp now in full swing and the Titans heading into preseason week No. 2 at Minnesota, there are a few battles unfolding that are worth monitoring until the 53-man roster is set. Here are a few of the top battles and who has the early edge after 10 days or so of camp and one preseason game.
Backup quarterback: Malik Willis vs. Will Levis. Willis often looked lost last year as a rookie, but despite a couple of mistakes, acquitted himself well against the Bears. He looked much more poised in the pocket and mostly made good decisions with the football. Levis, the second-round pick, had his ups and downs and showed potential but made a few rookie mistakes, as well.
Willis probably played better against Chicago. The next two preseason games will be interesting, as will joint practices with Minnesota and New England. Right now, Willis’ play certainly seems to have the Titans trending toward three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.
Kicker: Caleb Shudak vs. Trey Wolfe. Shudak made a 41-yard field goal at the end of the half, then doinked the second-half kickoff out of bounds in Chicago. Wolfe missed a 48-yarder in the second half in his only attempt.
Shudak’s kick to cap a two-minute drive might give him a little bit of an edge, but one of these guys clearly needs to take the upper hand. Honestly, I’m not sure the Titans wouldn’t be better off reaching out to a free agent veteran like Ryan Succop and going with more of a sure thing for a team that figures to be in a lot of close low-scoring games.
Inside linebacker: Jack Gibbens vs. Monty Rice. You would think it would be Rice’s turn to establish himself as a starter, following in the footsteps of Jayon Brown and David Long as a draft pick groomed to run the defense and make a lot of tackles. But the upstart Gibbens, who Mike Vrabel nicknamed “Dr. Gibby” because of his smarts last year, has taken the bulk of the first-team reps thus far. The key will be can Gibbens’ smarts help overcome his limited athleticism to hold off Rice and keep the job.
Backup offensive tackles: All comers – Nicholas Petit-Frere’s suspension and Jamarco Jones’ release has thrown the right tackle spot into a tailspin. Journeyman Chris Hubbard is currently the starter, while Andre Dillard was brought in to man the left side. They held up OK for the one series they were in Saturday. However, the backup tackles like Andrew Rupcich, Jaelyn Duncan and Zach Johnson left plenty to be desired. The guess here is that general manager Ran Carthon is probably keeping one eye on the waiver wire until the regular season begins to try and find additional depth here.