The Tennessee Titans will have their veterans report to training camp on July 28 with just one positional competiton deciding the final spot in the starting lineup. General manager Mike Borgonzi shaped the roster so that a veteran and sophomore will compete for the right guard spot. It's a competition that is expected to take the entire duration of camp before being finalized.
Veteran Kevin Zeitler, the 2025 starter at right guard, wasn't re-signed this offseason. Instead, Borgonzi signed Cordell Volson in free agency. He'll battle sophomore guard Jackson Slater to round out the starting five.
There is no straightforward answer. Volson missed the entire 2025 campaign for the Cincinnati Bengals with an injury. Slater is a second-year-fifth-round pick with no prior starting experience. Expect it to take almost every training camp practice before a decision is reached.
Titans eager to see which right guard wins the starting job at camp
The Titans held OTAs and mandatory minicamp earlier this offseason. The belief is that both Slater and Volson received opportunities to work with the first-team offense. With no contact being permitted during summer workouts, it was borderline impossible for new head coach Robert Saleh to really assess his offensive line.
That's precisely why training camp will be so vital to making a decision. Once the pads make an appearance at practice, offensive linemen are given opportunities to be difference makers. Both Volson and Slater will need to prove physical enough to protect quarterback Cam Ward, and create rushing lanes for running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears.
This doesn't feel like a make-belief competition where one player enters camp as the overwhelming favorite. Volson possesses the experience advantage with 48 career starts, but has generally been underwhelming throughout his NFL career. The Titans would probably prefer Slater to win the job as a sophomore draft pick, but they don't have enough invested in him to simply hand him the gig.
The competition between Volson and Slater is expected to be a hard-fought battle. Saleh and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll won't rush a decision at training camp. The increased urgency will only help both Slater and Volson improve when push comes to shove.
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