More snaps is bad news for Tennessee Titans players in the preseason
By Will Lomas
More reps are always a good thing right…right? Well, if you are a Tennessee Titans fan you might want to see your favorite prospect come off of the field in the third quarter.
The Tennessee Titans’ first live action of the year is just hours away at this point and diehard fans are excited to look at the guys competing for spots at the bottom of the roster.
Sure, everyone is excited to see what Treylon Burks, Roger McCreary, Chig Okonkwo, Kyle Philips, and the other rookies do, but those guys are already guaranteed spots on the roster. The players I’m referring to are the veterans that need to prove something this week.
What you don’t want to see is those guys playing the entire game.
Are the Tennessee Titans tipping their hand with snap counts?
Looking back at the snap counts from Week 1 of the preseason in 2021, there were 11 players that played 38 or more snaps in that game. The only players who made it to the active roster were Logan Woodside and three rookies (Rashad Weaver, Dillon Radunz, Racey McMath).
The news wasn’t so good for Breon Borders who had looked like he was going to be one of the Titans’ backup cornerbacks after a strong performance in 2020, but who didn’t end up on the roster.
Players on the roster bubble that didn’t start in Week 1 of the preseason, but who still played double-digit snaps were (excluding rookies):
-TE Tommy Hudson (31)
-RB Mekhi Sargent (29)
-DL Anthony Rush (18)
-DB Chris Jackson (18)
-EDGE Ola Adeniyi (16)
For Tennessee Titans fans, the main takeaway here should be that snap counts are going to matter for veterans that you might think are sleepers to make the roster this year.
Guys like Dez Fitzpatrick, Mason Kinsey, Corey Levin, Josh Malone, Da’Shawn Hand, Larrell Murchison, and Josh Kalu should be excited if they get to play 20ish snaps and then take off their shoulder pads and watch the rest from the sidelines.
The one exception to this rule is guys that start in one spot and move to another. For example, I expect Jamarco Jones to get a fair amount of work on Thursday night. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him get a series or two at left guard and then move over and play some right tackle before the night is done.
Competition on the offensive line and in the defensive backfield are often decided on who can do more for your team in an emergency. While the team may end up having a guard that is better than Jamarco Jones if he can play every position other than center it makes him more valuable as a utility piece to have active on game days.