Still in the early stages of their rebuild under head coach Robert Saleh, the Tennessee Titans are wrapping up camp with a roster that remains in flux. Saleh and his staff have been tight-lipped when it comes to various position battles on the roster, leading to uncertainty about who will be on the field in Week 1.
Training camp performances have signaled clear favorites in a couple of competitions, though.
The Titans' roster is slowly taking shape as we shift our focus to the preseason.
Consider these Titans position battles settled
Backup quarterback
When the Titans signed Mitchell Trubisky this offseason, he was expected to compete with former second-round draft pick Will Levis for the backup quarterback job. Coming out of training camp, it seems like Trubisky has the clear edge.
Levis is determined to improve, but he has continued to show accuracy issues throughout the summer. He likely won't make the 53-man roster unless the Titans decide to keep three quarterbacks, which is becoming less common across the league.
Tight end
Brian Daboll's familiarity with Daniel Bellinger made this battle interesting early on, but it looks like Gunnar Helm will emerge as Tennessee's starting tight end. Helm has become a reliable target over the middle for Cam Ward.
Daboll's New York Giants utilized 12 personnel (one running back and two tight ends) at a top-ten rate last year. Both Helm and Bellinger will still play important roles in this offense, but Helm has the clear edge as the starter.
These Titans position battles are still up in the air
Wide receiver
Rookie Carnell Tate and offseason addition Wan'Dale Robinson are clear starters. The rest of the group is full of individual battles for positioning. Calvin Ridley and Elic Ayomanor are still jockeying for the second starting spot on the outside. Jim Wyatt called Ayomanor "one of the biggest stars of camp." The second-year pro suffered an injury late in camp but recovered quickly.
At the end of the roster, Xavier Restrepo and Bryce Oliver are fighting for a spot in the final 53.
This is a much more talented receiver group than what the Titans had last year, but the pecking order is still far from being determined. Preseason reps will be key for separating the starters from the backups, and the backups from those just off the roster.
Starting off-ball linebacker
This position battle came as a bit of a surprise. Rookie Anthony Hill has come on strong in training camp and is pushing Cody Barton for his starting inside linebacker job. Hill is a strong fit in Saleh's defensive scheme and seems to have gained the edge in the ongoing competition.
Seniority may be keeping Barton in the fight, but Hill Jr. has been the better player throughout training camp.
Center
Saleh recently said that he is "not close" to deciding starting spots across the offensive line, per Jim Wyatt. Right guard could be looped in here, as Cordell Volson and Jackson Slater duke it out, but center may be even more contentious. Austin Schlottman is the current leader, but rookie Pat Coogan has a real chance to pass him up with a strong preseason.
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