Tennessee Titans left guard battle has a clear favorite right now
By Will Lomas
The Tennessee Titans have built a strong roster that is set up around the idea of players developing over time and stepping into starting jobs even if they don’t start from day one.
For example, since Jon Robinson has been in charge of the draft the team has had players like Derrick Henry, Kevin Byard, Jonnu Smith, Jayon Brown, Harold Landry, Nate Davis, David Long, etc. all come along at different speeds.
Two current Tennessee Titans offensive linemen are on that same path, but one is facing a bumpy road.
During his senior year, Dillon Radunz’s team played just one game during the Covid-shortened 2020 season. He was then drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Titans with the idea that he would have a long shot to compete for the right tackle job immediately, but that the main goal was to try him at multiple positions while giving him time to physically develop.
Now it looks like Radunz has the inside track for the right tackle job and the only question is whether he can keep up his current level of play once the pads come on.
The other offensive lineman that has been developing is former UDFA Aaron Brewer who isn’t off to the best start…
Aaron Brewer may not be the favorite for the Tennessee Titans guard job
Brewer had such a great opportunity to come into the 2022 season as the man who knew the most about the left guard position by a mile. Not only had he been in the Titans system for two seasons, but he was always the first man up to replace Rodger Saffold when he was hurt.
Despite his lack of bulk, Brewer’s efficient movements usually put him in the right position to make a play and clear space for Derrick Henry. However, Brewer hasn’t been able to put those movement skills on display during OTAs.
According to Jim Wyatt, Aaron Brewer is part of a handful of players who have been very limited so far this offseason:
"“Meanwhile, players like offensive lineman Aaron Brewer, cornerback Elijah Molden and linebacker Monty Rice have been either sidelined, or very limited. Will they do more this week? I’m thinking no, because they’re due for a six-week stretch to recover further and there’s no need to rush them back now.”"
Last year, David Quessenberry basically won the Tennessee Titans’ right tackle job because he was the healthiest veteran lineman standing by the time the season started. In a similar way, there is a good chance that Jamarco Jones could win the starting left guard spot just by continuing to take all of the starting reps in practice.
While the Titans are still going to move Dillon Radunz around the line for…some reason, they have clarified that he is primarily being looked at as the starting right tackle for this team.
That means that this year the Titans have probably seen most of the left guard snaps go to Jamarco Jones and Corey Levin while Brewer is healing from whatever injury he currently has.
While we don’t know whether that injury will bleed into the season, we know that Mike Vrabel puts a premium on practices and seeing players on the field before making a decision about who should start. The longer it takes Aaron Brewer to get on the field, the less and less chance he has to convince Mike Vrabel that he should make the jump from backup to starter.