Tennessee Titans position breakdown: Right Tackle
By Will Lomas
With the 2015 NFL Draft now over, it is time to get a look at what the roster looks like heading into the 2015 NFL season.
Today we will look at the biggest question mark on the Tennessee Titans offensive line at this point: right tackle.
Starter
Byron Bell is the name being thrown around right now during Tennessee Titans OTAs as the starter at the right tackle position. Mike Keith and others have suggested that while left tackle was a disaster for him last year, he is much better at this original right tackle. This argument does hold some weight.
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If you think right tackle and left tackle are easy to switch between, imagine what David Stewart would have looked like at left tackle during his NFL career. As a right tackle he was a devastating run-blocker that mauled defenders and added a mean streak to the offense. As a left tackle, his lack of foot speed and clean technique would have caused him too many issues.
I don’t know how well Byron Bell will fit into the Tennessee Titans scheme, but I will say that I don’t think he has ever had a better supporting cast of offensive linemen and maybe that can make up for some of his blemishes.
Backups
This discussion has to start with the Tennessee Titans rookie drafted in the third round: Jeremiah Poutasi. The former Utah player was a very good left tackle in college who primarily thrived as a run blocker. While on paper he is a good fit at right tackle, time will tell whether he is a better project at guard or not.
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One name people are discrediting early is Byron Stingily. Not only would this not be his first time starting, but he is roughly an average player at his position. If the Tennessee Titans want stability and familiarity with their offense, Byron Stingily might be their guy.
Future
This is a big question mark. No matter what happens, if Byron Bell wins that job this causes issues down the road. Jeremiah Poutasi was drafted to be the future right tackle and maybe that is what he can be. However, if he looks like a pure guard and Byron Bell does well they will have to face the huge cap bump it will take to get him back when he knows he has all the leverage.
This is probably one of the top two or three positions that the Tennessee Titans could look at in the draft next year since I believe that they are not truly finished here. However, if Byron Stingily has a solid year as a backup and Jeremiah Poutasi gets some solid reps at right tackle or swing tackle for some reason, then maybe this isn’t as bleak as it seems now.