Tennessee Titans announce signing 17 UDFAs before rookie camp
By Will Lomas
When people talk about Jon Robinson’s strengths as the Tennessee Titans GM, one of the first things they mention is his success on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. However, don’t sleep on how good he has been on Day 3 and his undrafted free agent classes.
Now, you can’t expect the same level of success between a player drafted in the top-60 and a player who was still available after 250+ players had been selected. A great pick on Day 2 could be a Pro Bowler or better, but a great UDFA signing should just be someone who can play as a starter or role player and look as good as (or better than) players who were drafted.
Finding UDFAs like Sharif Finch, Derick Roberson, Isaiah Mack, Teair Tart, Naquan Jones, and Aaron Brewer is a really nice way to add cheap, quality players to an already deep roster. They aren’t always in Tennessee for a long time, but they make plays and fill holes that would have cost millions of dollars in free agency or a draft pick to fix for most teams.
On average, the Titans find one player in each class of UDFAs that comes in and play significant snaps as a rookie.
With all of that in mind, take a look at the class of UDFAs that the Tennessee Titans just announced.
Introducing the Tennessee Titans’ class of UDFAs
David Anenih EDGE, Houston
Haskell Garrett DL, Ohio State
Jalen McKenzie OT, USC
Reggie Roberson WR, SMU
Jayden Peevy DL, Texas A&M
Ryan Stonehouse P, Colorado State
Sam Okuayinonu DL, Maryland
Andrew Rupcich OL, Culver-Stockton
Tre Avery CB, Rutgers
Julius Chestnut RB, Sacred Heart
Jack Gibbens LB, Minnesota
Michael Griffin II S, South Dakota State
Hayden Howerton iOL, SMU
Brandon Lewis WR, Air Force
Xavier Newman-Johnson iOL, Baylor
Caleb Shudak K, Iowa
Tre Swilling CB, Georgia Tech
Thomas Odukoya TE, Eastern Michigan (International Allocation)
The names in bold are players with write-ups in Dane Brugler’s draft guide (The Beast) and they are players that received Day 3 draft grades or were considered “preferred free agents” meaning that they were the guys with a good shot to compete for a roster spot/practice squad spot in camp.
In addition to these 17 UDFAs, the Titans also invited seven players on a tryout basis:
De’Vion Warren WR, Arkansas (teammate of Treylon Burks)
Kenneth George CB, Tennessee (teammate of Theo Jackson)
Donnell Williams WR, UT-Martin
Bryce Nunnelly WR, Western Michigan
Chris Rice LB, Castleton State
Quinten Dormandy QB, Central Michigan (technically a former teammate of Theo Jackson)
Sean Mills LS, Toledo