Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Kevin Pamphile will return this week, so what does that mean for rookie right guard, Nate Davis?
After offensive lineman Kevin Pamphile was listed as a full participant in practice the last two days, it’s clear his return to the Tennessee Titans is imminent. So, what does that mean for rookie right guard, Nate Davis?
Pamphile was expected to compete with Davis for the starting right guard spot in training camp, but that competition never really got off the ground. Davis suffered an injury early on and the job was basically Pamphile’s by default.
However, Pamphile dealt with his own knee injury prior to the start of the season and was forced to miss the first five games, setting fellow guard Jamil Douglas up with the job that he eventually failed miserably at.
In the time that Pamphile was recovering, Davis got healthy and made the necessary strides in picking up the offense in order to eventually return in Week 4, and he got all of the snaps at right guard in Week 5 to officially supplant Douglas.
Bear in mind, Davis getting the gig in Week 5 also happened by default because Douglas was downright awful. Davis didn’t really have much to compete with, as his original competition was still on the shelf.
So far, we’ve seen both good and bad from Davis, however we haven’t seen enough from the Charlotte product to automatically assume he’s cemented as the starter for good.
Now Davis has some competition. Pamphile will likely get at least some snaps at right guard in Week 6 with the Titans looking for any improvement they can get on the offensive line, and the veteran could eventually play his way into a starting role if he shows more than Davis.
The Titans need better play along the offensive line any which way they can get it. If Pamphile can prove to be better than Davis after some in-game evaluation and give this team a boost upfront now, Tennessee should make the switch.