Titans 53-man roster projection.
With final cuts just a few days away, the Tennessee Titans have a few important decisions to make.
NFL teams have until Saturday, September 5th to cut their rosters down to the 53-player maximum. Now, cutdown day is always interesting, but the 2020 version of cutdown day is even more intriguing.
With no preseason and a shorter offseason period in general, teams haven’t had as many looks at their guys as they normally would.
This could lead to many teams playing it safe, and not many UDFA’s will be getting chances this season. Fortunately for the Titans, their roster was already set in stone in many key areas.
This isn’t to say there won’t be some interesting decisions made. Backup RB, edge rusher, defensive line, and wide receiver are all areas to watch for Titans fans. I took a shot at projecting the final roster for the Titans about a month ago, and quite a lot has changed since then.
For example, when I did my first final roster projection, Trevor Siemian was still a free agent, and Cole McDonald was still vying for the backup QB spot. Another change is the addition of kicker Stephen Gostkowski who will presumably win the kicking job. Recent running back addition Jeremy McNichols looks like a key candidate to force himself onto the final roster as well.
With that being said, let’s take a look at what’s changed in the past month or so.
Offense
The Titans offense, at least the starters, should look very similar in 2020. With Tannehill and Henry back at the helm, expect continuity to benefit the Titans this season.
Quarterbacks (3): Ryan Tannehill, Trevor Siemian, Logan Woodside
This position group is noticeably different than it was last month. In my previous article, I predicted the Titans to roll with what they had, in Cole McDonald and Logan Woodside. Unfortunately for McDonald fans, he was released in favor of Trevor Siemian.
Woodside should still make the team, just not as the backup to Tannehill. Extra depth at the QB position is always a good thing, especially given Tannehill and Siemian’s injury histories.
Reports are that Woodside is still running the second offense and that makes sense when you consider that Woodside has spent two years with this coaching staff, while Trevor Siemian has spent a little over two weeks with them.
That shouldn’t change the fact that Siemian is a player with a higher floor and ceiling than Woodside, but until the Titans are confident that Siemian is at least close to where Woodside is in terms of the playbook, the Titans will keep three.
Running Backs (4): Derrick Henry, Darrynton Evans, Jeremy McNichols, Khari Blasingame
This projection is similar to my last one, except last time I had Dalyn Dawkins instead of Jeremy McNichols, who wasn’t on the team at the time. Dawkins was waived, along with Cameron Scarlett.
It seems like the final RB spot will be between Jeremy McNichols and Senorise Perry. Perry is more of a special teams ace, and the Titans already carry several of those. This time, McNichols makes the team.
We all know the role that Derrick Henry will play in this offense, but this gives the Titans “double-dips” at the two running back prototypes.
Henry and Khari Blasingame can be the big bruiser backs that get touches on short down and distances. Obviously Henry can do more as a runner and Blasingame will be relied on more as a fullback/H-back, but thing power football.
Then, Darryton Evans is supposed to be the do-it-all player who can run, catch, block, and even give you some help on special teams. Well, luckily the other running back on this list can fill the exact same role.
Depth is going to be key this year, and no team relies more on their running backs than the Titans.
Tight Ends (4): Jonnu Smith, Anthony Firkser, MyCole Pruitt, Geoff Swaim
Jonnu Smith is vastly underrated as a tight end. He will be the starter here, and he has a few capable backups behind him.
Firkser and Pruitt return as solid depth pieces. Recent FA signee Geoff Swaim should make the team as well. Swaim has shown more pass-catching ability than Pruitt, but Pruitt is an excellent blocker.
Something to keep an eye on this season will be the usage of Firkser vs Pruitt. We all know that they two are opposites, with Firkser being a more finesse receiver with soft hands and Pruitt being a run-blocking specialist who is a player more likely to get the ball on a trick play than to be a consistent target.
With some depth questions at wide receiver, will the Titans give more snaps to their wideouts or will they use Firkser or Smith as a makeshift “jumbo slot” receiver in 2020? That would be a subtle, but important shift in the Titans being a more versatile and aggressive team.
Wide Receiver (5): A.J. Brown, Adam Humphries, Corey Davis, Kalif Raymond, Rashard Davis
In my last projection, I had 6 WR here, and Rashard Davis wasn’t one of them. But after a good camp, Davis has put himself in the driver’s seat to get the final Receiver spot. I went with 5 instead of 6 this time because frankly, none of the other receivers have impressed much this summer. Davis is also a return specialist, so there was no need for Cameron Batson.
This is the position where I think we could see the most action on the waiver wire or in a cutdown day trade. Will the Titans bite on Mohamed Sanu in a late round trade with the Patriots or even as a waiver wire pick up?
Could the Titans look to add another young developmental talent to the practice squad like they did with Kalif Raymond way back in 2018?
That is up for debate, but the top-5 really isn’t a question right now and you would be hard-pressed to make a case for Cody Hollister if the Titans are going to keep four tight ends.
Offensive Line (8): Taylor Lewan, Rodger Saffold, Ben Jones, Nate Davis, Dennis Kelly, Isaiah Wilson, Ty Sambrailo, Jamil Douglas
This position group is the same as last time, minus David Quessenberry. I just decided to use that 9th o-line spot somewhere else, as I think the Titans are pretty good here.
Sambrailo can backup at tackle or guard, and Douglas can play center, albeit not at a level that anyone should be confident in…I guess what I am saying is he knows how to snap a football. If the Titans run into injury problems, this group might struggle, but another year of the same starters should help.
One thing to note on this group, the Titans seem to like their starting five, but the first man off the bench will be Ty Sambrailo who filled in at tackle before Isaiah Wilson and who has experience at guard.
The coaching staff is so terrified of playing Wilson, that they actually lined up like this when Nate Davis, Dennis Kelly and Jamil Douglas missed a part of camp on Tuesday:
LT: Taylor Lewan
LG: Rodger Saffold
C: Ben Jones
RG: David Quessenberry
RT: Ty Sambrailo
Which is just about as bad of a sign as you could want if you are looking for Isaiah Wilson to do anything in 2020.
Defense
The loss of Jurrell Casey still hurts, and Logan Ryan finally found a new team, but this defense is still an above-average unit. Team brass made a few key additions this offseason that should at least offset the losses.
Defensive Line (6): Jeffery Simmons, DaQuan Jones, Jack Crawford, Larrell Murchison, Isaiah Mack, Matt Dickerson
This position group seems pretty set, barring a last-minute waiver claim. Crawford seems to have earned the final starting spot. Rookie Murchison and second-year UDFA Mack are a solid backup pairing.
The final spot will either be Dickerson or a waiver claim, but like Jamil Douglas the Titans coaching staff seem to have a soft spot for Dickerson despite what he has looked like in his time on the field over the last two years.
There is something to be said for good locker room guys and it looks like he is one of those because there isn’t a lot to like about his development in recent seasons.
Edge (5): Harold Landry, Vic Beasley, Kamalei Correa, D’Andre Walker, Derick Roberson
Once again, barring a waiver claim, this will be your Titans’ edge rush group.
There isn’t a lot of competition here, in large part because talks with Jadeveon Clowney stalled and Vic Beasley (more on him in a second) hasn’t shown up. That’s okay though, because as long as they stay healthy, and Beasley is good to go, this will be a fine group.
Speaking of Beasley, it should be noted that today Mike Vrabel said that he expects the free agent signing to start working with the team to ramp up his progress. Hopefully, this means that Beasley will be able to play in Week 1, but even if he doesn’t a healthy Roberson might get you the same results.
Someone that we might need to talk about is Wyatt Ray who has been making noise in camp and got name-dropped by Vrabel this morning, but numbers might push him out.
Inside Linebacker (5) : Jayon Brown, Rashaan Evans, David Long Jr., Nick Dzubnar, Will Compton
The best LB tandem in the league returns, in the young duo of Jayon Brown and Rashaan Evans.
David Long Jr. progressed quickly as a rookie, going from a player who found the ball quickly, but struggled to make tackles in the preseason to a player who had a forced fumble returned for a TD vs the Kansas City Chiefs and who was key in stopping Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
Dzubnar and Compton will mostly contribute on special teams, and I know Matt Neely (RIP) would be glad to see Compton back on the squad.
It won’t get talked about, but if the Titans can sneak Cale Garrett on to the practice squad he has a chance to be Will Compton 2.0. Both players are from the state of Missouri, both were 4-year starters, both became captains in their final year, and both signed as UDFAs.
Garrett was injured in his final year and has a lot of potential, so sitting for a year behind Compton and learning how an UDFA can carve out a 10-year career in the NFL is a great place to be.
Cornerback (5): Adoree Jackson, Malcolm Butler, Kristian Fulton, Johnathan Joseph, Kenneth Durden
The top four players on the CB depth chart are solid and they give the Titans the perfect combination of veteran knowledge and leadership, with the speed and athleticism of the two guys on their rookie contracts.
The 5th spot will most likely come down to Kenneth Durden, Tye Smith or Chris Milton. Now, usually, Tye Smith would be a shoo-in, but every year there is a player who is talked about early and then you hear rumblings of another young guy who could step in and take his spot.
One of my surprises this year is that Durden takes that spot because of the help he can add on special teams, and give credit to Durden because he has made some plays.
If the Titans do go with Smith over Durden, it will be because they feel comfortable with the special teams help they have been able to add over this offseason with Compton, Dzubnar, McNichols, and Rashard Davis.
Safeties (5): Kevin Byard, Kenny Vaccaro, Dane Cruikshank, Amani Hooker, Joshua Kalu
Kevin Byard and Kenny Vaccaro are cemented as one of the best safety tandems in the league so these two are obviously at the top of this list with a bullet.
Dane Cruikshank is solid on special teams, and Amani Hooker should see some playing time in the slot role. The final spot is given to Joshua Kalu, because he can do things like this.
The depth of this group doesn’t get enough attention because at different times over the course of the season these players could all make key plays in some way or another. Beyond the top-two, Amani Hooker is someone the Titans like as a LB/S/slot hybrid who can play deep safety or come down in the box if they need him to.
I said Cruikshank is a special teams player, but don’t forget about his versatility and athleticism because if the Titans aren’t comfortable with Hooker playing 400+ snaps in 2020, I think he will be the next man up and they won’t even look at free agent help.
Special Teams
The Titans punting last year was great. Kicking? Not so much. Hopefully, the addition of Stephen Gostkowski will stabilize the Titans’ kicking unit for 2020. Brett Kern is an absolute weapon and probably the best punter in the league.
Kicker: Stephen Gostkowski
The Titans announced just this morning the signing of Gostkowski. This is bad news for Greg Joseph, but good news for Titans fans. Gostkowski has a proven track record as a 3x Super Bowl champ, and 4x Pro Bowler. With the signing of Gost so close to cutdown day, it all but guarantees him the starting job for 2020.
Punter: Brett Kern
Anyone surprised by this one? Kern is consistently one of the best punters in the entire NFL. I mean, you have to be a pretty good Punter to have your own banner outside of the stadium.
Long Snapper: Beau Brinkley
Brinkley signed an extension with the Titans last year, and why not? Beau has quietly been one of the most consistent long snappers in the league and has great chemistry with Brett Kern. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.