The Tennessee Titans find themselves in an interesting spot ahead of the 2023 season. They made it clear they aren't rebuilding and expect to win games when they inked DeAndre Hopkins this past July. On the other hand, you will be hard-pressed to find someone who thinks they can make a deep playoff run in 2023.
Can they exceed their projected win total of 7.5 wins? Certainly, but won't probably seize back the division crown from the Jacksonville Jaguars until next year.
For the time being, Tennessee should focus on finding the best 53 players for the 2023 season. While there aren't many roster spots up for grabs right now, there are a handful of starters that could lose their job if they fail to impress in training camp. In particular, these three could be at risk of being benched if they slip in the upcoming days.
No. 3 Titans starter who could be benched with a bad training camp: Jordan Roos
General manager Ran Carthon deserves credit for plugging as many roster holes as possible despite the fact that he was dealt a bad hand. Besides having to get the team out of the red, he had to replenish a roster that was left devoid of talent by his predecessor, Jon Robinson.
That said, Carthon wasn't able to address all Titans' needs in just one offseason and one position that remains a question mark is right guard. The team's brass is expecting veteran Jordan Ross to fill the void left by the departure of Nate Davis, who signed with the Chicago Bears in the offseason.
Roos, an undrafted free agent in 2017, spent time with the Seattle Seahawks, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the New England Patriots before joining the Titans in 2021. He was on and off their practice squad the last two years but he's now expected to be the starting right guard come Week 1.
While Roos should be commended for working his way up the depth chart, he's played a total of 249 offensive snaps over the last six years. That doesn't really inspire confidence and if he doesn't show he's up to the task in the upcoming days, he could be demoted.