Tennessee Titans fans must temper their expectations for Dillon Radunz

Should the Tennessee Titans temper their expectations for Dillon Radunz?

The offensive line for the Tennessee Titans looks strong on paper, but until Monday no one had seen all five starters together at the same time. As a matter of fact, over the last two weeks of games and practices, Tennessee has been playing with as few as one or two starters. Most of the offensive linemen that fans have seen in these preseason games are longshots to make the roster.

Center Ben Jones is the brains of the offensive line and he calls out protections and leads the communication. Unfortunately, he has missed time in camp because this coaching staff (correctly) believes that there is little value in pushing clear starters before the season.

Left tackle and three-time Pro Bowler Taylor Lewan has been recovering from an ACL tear last year and he is doing everything he is asked, but again the coaching staff isn’t rushing him back.

Up-and-coming right guard Nate Davis has missed time as well, and as the clear starter at right guard, you can basically copy and paste the reason why he hasn’t been on the field.

Since the right tackle spot is open for competition, that means that the only starter who has truly been on the field week in and week out is the man who should be a Pro Bowl left guard, Rodger Saffold.

However, the Tennessee Titans finally had everyone available on Monday including all four of those starters as well as the entire group competing for the right tackle spot: Dillon Radunz, Kendall Lamm, Ty Sambrailo, and David Quessenberry.

That yielded an interesting theory…

The Tennessee Titans don’t see Dillon Radunz as a starter right now.

For two straight preseason games, the Tennessee Titans have started with Dillon Radunz lined up inside at right guard on the offensive line. In week one, the starting left tackle was Christian DiLauro and the right tackle was David Quessenberry. With Ty Sambrailo and Kendall Lamm both out, it was a little strange that the Titans didn’t use this chance to start Radunz at right tackle and let Quessenberry fill into his old left tackle role.

Eventually, Quessenberry was pulled out of the game and Radunz played the rest of the game at right tackle. The next week versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Tennessee Titans put a returning Ty Sambrailo at left tackle and Quessenberry again got the start at right tackle with Radunz inside at guard.

On the second drive, DiLauro again came in to play left tackle and then Sambrailo filled in at right tackle while Radunz stayed at right guard. Based on that, Radunz is no higher than third on the depth chart at right tackle and he could be fourth when Lamm returns.

That isn’t a big problem because the Tennessee Titans were probably never planning for Radunz to be a starter in 2021, so if the plan wasn’t for Radunz to start as a rookie, it is fair to ask what GM Jon Robinson found appealing enough to validate spending a second-round pick on him? One could argue that there are two players that explain the rationale behind spending a top-100 pick on Radunz.

The Tennessee Titans’ plan with Radunz resembles their plan with two other linemen.

As soon as he was drafted, the Titans told him to come in and learn the playbook for both guard spots and right tackle. That is a message that has been repeated over and over, and it was even hinted at in Jim Wyatt’s mailbag on Tuesday:

"I think the experience at both positions will prove to be valuable, because [Radunz will] be in a position to be active on game days, capable of playing either position in a pinch. I do think he’ll eventually wind up as a tackle, but for now, the team is still getting him ready for both spots."

The value in drafting an athletic offensive tackle from North Dakota State who has played one game in the last two years, wasn’t because they were convinced that he was going to be an All-Pro tackle as a rookie.

Like when they drafted Nate Davis, the plan was to add a talented player, with great traits, reliable character, and great work ethic from a small school with the goal of starting at some point down the road.

Davis was pushed into the starting spot halfway through his rookie year because of injuries and poor play in front of him, but he really didn’t hit his stride until his second season. The difference is, Radunz has the athletic ability to play tackle or guard in this zone blocking scheme and that versatility increases his value because he can be active on game day.

With offensive linemen becoming harder and harder to find, it is a smart move to draft someone who is projected to be a good starter at a premium position in his second year, even if his role as a rookie is as a backup-up guard and tackle.

On paper, Radunz is very similar to Taylor Lewan when he was coming out as a prospect. He is one-eighth of an inch shorter and 13 pounds lighter, but both thrive because of their elite explosion and agility. The RAS chart above proves that.

Remember, Lewan only started 6 games in his rookie season because he was sitting behind Michael Roos and he took massive strides early in his career to get to where he is today.

Radunz has had six good quarters and two really ugly quarters. It isn’t the perfect outcome, but there has been more good than bad. Improvement isn’t a straight line, it comes with ups and downs, and his development is going to take time.

It is going to be hard, but fans are going to have to hold back and wait to really analyze this pick until the 2022 season starts. If he gets in and does anything good as a rookie, that is all gravy and it would be an outstanding feather in his cap, but his career won’t be made or broken in 2021.