The Tennessee Titans offensive line will have four new starters in 2024
By Will Lomas
Right Guard
The right guard position is up first, and if you went into this article blind, three players have a strong argument to start at right guard.
Daniel Brunskill was the starting right guard last season, and there were times when he was the best lineman on the field. Now, that is a low (lowwwww) bar, but it is still a fact that he was better than guys like Aaron Brewer, Andre Dillard, Jaelyn Duncan, Chris Hubbard, and the post-appendectomy version of Peter Skoronski.
However, Paul Kuharsky asked Brunskill about his role yesterday and Brunskill mentioned that the coaching staff have asked him to be the backup center because he and Cushenberry are the only players on the roster with experience snapping in the NFL.
That doesn't mean that Brunskill is out of the running at right guard, but given his age and his versatility, it is looking like his most useful role is going to be as a backup lineman with experience at center, right guard, and right tackle.
The second candidate is Dillon Radunz. There is a portion of the Titans fan base that will never embrace Radunz because of where he was drafted and because Mike Vrabel never really gave him a chance to start, but he has always been better than the consensus view of him (see the below tweet).
Don't say it, don't say it, don't say-
— Mr. Positivity (@jlomas72) January 2, 2024
Dillon Radunz has been solid (maybe even good) for Tennessee since the #Titans moved him to RT in Week 12.
Among RTs since the move, he is top-5 in run blocking, top-10 in sacks allowed, and top-15 in pass-blocking efficiency.
Despite that strong stretch, both he and the coaching staff have repeatedly said that his future is inside at guard. Over the course of his short career, Radunz has spent a little over 40% of his snaps at guard and he has held up well. Now that he has added some weight, it seems like he is going to have a good shot at winning the right guard spot in training camp.
His main competitor is going to be free agent addition Saahdiq Charles.
Charles has struggled with injuries in his career, but he is a bigger body than Radunz and according to post-practice interviews he has been getting some first-team reps at right guard. Having a bigger body could be a crucial factor because Brian Callahan has talked about the value of having big bodies in the interior of the offensive line that can help solidify the pocket and prevent pushback.
Something else that could help Charles is that it should be easy for him to develop chemistry with Cushenberry because both were starters at LSU in college. Don't underestimate the value of chemistry on the OL, which could be a determining factor in the final decision.