Aaron Brewer is the only returning starter on the Titans offensive line, which has been less than impressive in three preseason games.
-- Photo By George Walker Iv | ApIt has taken a while, but the Tennessee Titans have rebuilt their offense for 2023.
Adding the likes of veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and rookie running back Tyjae Spears, and hoped-for improvement from Treylon Burks and Kyle Philips, once they return from injuries, should make for a better showing from the offense than we saw in 2022.
If – and it’s a big if – the offensive line has improved enough to allow Ryan Tannehill and the offense to operate, the Titans can probably do enough to contend in the AFC South.
But even Mike Vrabel admits that the reshuffled Titans offensive line still has lots of work to do. The unit struggled early in the preseason finale against New England, which chose to rest its starters that night.
Basically, the entire group has been swapped out. Only Aaron Brewer returns as a starter from last season, and he has been moved from left guard to center. Everywhere else, there are new faces.
Rookie left guard Peter Skoronski is probably the best of the new faces. The first-round pick from Northwestern drew praise from Jeffery Simmons for his work in practice, and though there will be some growing pains, could solidify that spot for some time.
Next to him, Andre Dillard is a major question. In four years in Philadelphia, the former first-round pick was unable to crack the starting lineup for the long haul. In fact, Dillard played very little football last year, totaling only 47 snaps, something you will find is a recurring theme with this group.
On the right side, Daniel Brunskill, who left the game against the Patriots with a knee injury, is penciled in at guard. Brunskill is another player who was not a starter last season in San Francisco, but new general manager Ran Carthon vouched for him by signing him as a free agent in the offseason.
At right tackle, Nicholas Petit-Frere’s suspension has a problem position back to being a potential problem again. The Titans cut Jamarco Jones, who was expected to grab the spot in the interim, and now are running with Chris Hubbard, who played just 39 snaps for Cleveland in four games last year.
He could get some competition from Justin Murray, a late arrival who played one offensive snap last season for Buffalo after previous stops with the Raiders and Cardinals.
If this group’s collective resumes don’t sound awe-inspiring, believe me, Vrabel knows that already. He didn’t mince words when asked about them this week.
“That entire group, there’s just too much inconsistency. As we work through some different runs, some of the stuff that I think we should be able to nail, no matter what it is,” Vrabel says. “We’ve been running it since May. We’ve got to be able to get and get going, block it better. Some of the new ones maybe see a different look and this happened. But I would just say that group in general, we have to have a great week.”