Tennessee Titans: Taylor Lewan’s return puts pressure on Jack Conklin

With Dennis Kelly going to the bench upon Taylor Lewan’s return, all the pressure is on Jack Conklin now.

Now that star left tackle Taylor Lewan has returned to the Tennessee Titans from a four-game suspension, there is a starting-caliber offensive lineman sitting on the bench behind Jack Conklin.

That starting-caliber offensive lineman is non other than Dennis Kelly, who was Lewan’s fill-in through the first four weeks.

While Kelly proved himself to be more than serviceable on the left side for the Titans, we already know he’s even better on the right side. That was proven last season when Kelly finished as the No. 18 tackle in place of Conklin, per Pro Football Focus.

So, just like that, the Titans went from being short on offensive linemen, to having a surplus that will only be improved once Kevin Pamphile returns — and he might only be a week away.

After the Week 4 win over the Atlanta Falcons, head coach Mike Vrabel made it clear that Kelly would compete for a job at right tackle, which obviously means Conklin is not safe.

Conklin has seen his play improve overall from last season. PFF has him with an above average grade of 70.7 overall, with marks of 72.0 and 73.9 in pass and run protection, respectively. The bad has come in the fact that Conklin has allowed multiple sacks through four games.

Conklin will have to step his game up even more and play at a high level if he wants to stave-off any challenge from Kelly, who bordered on elite on the right side in 2018.

Both Conklin and Kelly are set to hit free agency in 2020, and it’s the 25-year-old Conklin who could command more money and years in a contract than the 29-year-old Kelly. The Titans will have a tough decision to make in the offseason if Conklin does play well enough to keep his job.