Titan Sized
FanSided

Dissecting ESPN’s 53-man Tennessee Titans roster prediction

By Matias Wodner

NASHVILLE, TN - JULY 6: A single bunch of flowers lies at the entrance to the Tennessee Titans offices and practice facility as team officials prepare for a press conference in reaction to the death of former Titan star quarterback Steve McNair July 6, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. McNair was found shot to death in a Nashville condominium on July 4th, his girlfreinds' body was also found at the scene. (Photo by Rusty Russell/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - JULY 6: A single bunch of flowers lies at the entrance to the Tennessee Titans offices and practice facility as team officials prepare for a press conference in reaction to the death of former Titan star quarterback Steve McNair July 6, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. McNair was found shot to death in a Nashville condominium on July 4th, his girlfreinds' body was also found at the scene. (Photo by Rusty Russell/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

ESPN took a crack at projecting the Tennessee Titans 2017 roster.

With training camp starting up this weekend and preseason approaching, there will be positional battles to watch for. The Tennessee Titans have added a surprising amount of talent over the last few offseasons, and that will result in much more competition this year than in previous ones. With more talent at the coaching staff’s disposal, the 53-man roster is a lot tougher to project. Still, the national media is already giving it a shot.

This is how ESPN broke down the roster.

QB: Marcus Mariota, Matt Cassel
RB: DeMarco Murray, Derrick Henry, Khalfani Muhammad
FB: Jalston Fowler
WR: Corey Davis, Rishard Matthews, Taywan Taylor, Eric Decker, Tajae Sharpe, Eric Weems
TE: Delanie Walker, Jonnu Smith, Phillip Supernaw
OL: Taylor Lewan, Jack Conklin, Ben Jones, Dennis Kelly, Brad Seaton, Quinton Spain, Josh Kline, Tim Lelito, Sebastian Tretola, Corey Levin
DL: Jurrell Casey, DaQuan Jones, Angelo Blackson, Sylvester Williams, Karl Klug, Mehdi Abdesmad
LB: Brian Orakpo, Derrick Morgan, Aaron Wallace, Kevin Dodd, Josh Carraway, Avery Williamson, Jayon Brown, Wesley Woodyard, Daren Bates, Nate Palmer
CB: Logan Ryan, Adoree’ Jackson, Brice McCain, LeShaun Sims, D’Joun Smith
S: Johnathan Cyprien, Kevin Byard, Da’Norris Searcy, Brynden Trawick
ST: Ryan Succop, Brett Kern, Beau Brinkley

Points of Contention

There isn’t much to argue about with their list outside of a few omissions.

Austin Johnson not being on the final roster makes zero sense to me. Blackson and Abdesmad making the team over a 2016 second-rounder who showed really well towards the end of his rookie season is blasphemous. Blackson hasn’t been all that effective and Abdesmad is a practice squad-level type of player. Johnson was very solid against the run last season and could easily compete for a starting job by midseason.

More from Titan Sized

Eric Weems is a bit of an unknown right now in terms of job security. Weems was brought in during the offseason as the team was in the process of revamping their special teams coverage and return unit. Weems brings you safety and dependability, but isn’t as explosive as rookies Jackson and Muhammad, who will be vying for return duties. I wouldn’t mind seeing Weems make the team for his ability as a gunner and on kickoff coverage, especially if it’s at the expense of Harry Douglas.

D’Joun Smith is an interesting name to keep an eye on. Smith was signed late last season to the practice squad, is a former third-round pick and is just 24 years old. Jon Robinson has previously mentioned Smith in a press conference when talking about the state of the secondary, so he’s clearly held in an at-least relatively high regard. Smith will be competing with Demontre Hurst, Kalan Reed, Curtis Riley and Tye Smith for the fifth cornerback spot. That is, if the Titans even carry five cornerbacks on the active roster.

Alex Tanney doesn’t make ESPN’s final roster, and I’m not sure if he makes the actual roster either once it’s all said and done. The Titans are very comfortable with Matt Cassel as Marcus Mariota’s backup, but they clearly like Tanney, as he’s been with the team for nearly four seasons. Tanney is a decent backup to Cassel, but he’s not needed so long as Mariota stays healthy. The problem is that Mariota hasn’t been able to finish a full season, but it’s tough to use up a roster spot for a third quarterback.

Home/Titans News