Tennessee Titans: What Reggie Gilbert trade means for OLBs
What does the Tennessee Titans trade for Reggie Gilbert mean for the rest of the team’s outside linebackers?
Now that the Tennessee Titans have made a trade with the Green Bay Packers for Reggie Gilbert, where do the rest of the team’s outside linebackers stand?
The Titans sent a seventh-round pick to Green Bay for the 6-foot-3, 261-pound linebacker, who is recovering from a knee injury but is expected to be ready by the first or second week of the regular season at the latest.
If everything goes through there are conditions attached to the seventh-round draft pick the #Titans will give the #Packers for Reggie Gilbert.
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) August 29, 2019
Gilbert is a player who can set the edge and has serious wheels on the football field, making him an asset against the run. The Arizona product posted 2.5 sacks for the Packers in 2018.
It also appears that the Titans have added a player who is a positive in the locker room, as A to Z Sports Nashville’s Austin Stanley has found out.
What I’ve learned about new #Titans OLB Reggie Gilbert:
— Austin Stanley (@AustinStanley81) August 28, 2019
“Literally best lockeroom guy and helluva player who works hard. Good dude”
The first thought that came to mind is that perhaps the Titans are concerned with the status of Harold Landry. The Boston College product hasn’t played in any of the team’s preseason games and just recently returned to limited practice this week.
ESPN’s Turron Davenport doesn’t think this has to do with Landry. Instead, he believes the trade for Gilbert was simply a move to add depth at the position.
It's pure speculation, but I'd imagine the trade for Reggie Gilbert is more of a result of how the #Titans feel about guys like Derick Roberson than where they feel Harold Landry is healthwise. Gilbert is a depth acquisition.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 29, 2019
Aside from Landry, Cameron Wake and Sharif Finch are also the top outside linebackers on the team. Beyond them, it’s Kamalei Correa and UDFA Derick Roberson. Neither of those two have shown much this preseason, and it’s clear the Titans weren’t content with those options.
The Titans lost depth when fifth-round pick and Georgia product D’Andre Walker was placed on injured reserve and lost for the season. In turn, Roberson was given a golden opportunity to make the team and have a role in 2019.
Gilbert now stands to be the fourth or fifth outside linebacker for the Titans, which could knock Correa down a rung. That would also mean that Roberson’s days are numbered, as its likely the Titans will carry five outside linebackers this season.
With the Titans needing depth at outside linebacker, general manager Jon Robinson appears to have made a solid move to fill an area of need before the start of the season.