Tennessee Titans vs Denver Broncos: 3 rookie matchups to watch

Titans’ DL Larrell Murchison vs Broncos’ OL Lloyd Cushenberry

One of the sneakier, more fun individual rookie matchups that we could see in Week 1 comes from a pair of Day 2 and Day 3 players, Tennessee’s Larrell Murchison and Denver’s Lloyd Cushenberry.

Despite neither player being taken in the first two rounds, both should have a clear path to meaningful playing time in their rookie seasons. For Cushenberry, Denver’s third-round pick, he could be a plug-and-play starter along with one of the weaker offensive lines in the NFL.

And while the Titans’ Murchison will need to compete for snaps, he could be set to get some playing time on a defensive line without a clear-cut third starter.

There’s a good chance these two players will cross paths multiple times during their NFL debut, and it will be interesting to see who can get the advantage. Cushenberry comes in with a higher profile, coming from the reigning National Champion LSU Tigers, being a Second-Team All-American, and the higher draft pick.

However, Murchison is no slouch himself and the Titans’ defensive lineman was a Second-Team All-Conference player with the NC State Wolfpack. There he managed to record 31 tackles for loss in his four seasons in college after transferring in from junior college.

This battle is one that could go either way and could be a gamechanger for the Titans if Murchison can assert himself as a late-round game wrecker and final starter along the defensive line.