Titans linebacker missing final preseason game could hurt his roster chances

The Tennessee Titans play their final preseason game of the year on Sunday in New Orleans. It will be a big one as the deadline for teams to submit their initial 53-man rosters is on Tuesday, and Brian Callahan has said that about 4-6 roster spots are up for grabs heading in.

Although he did not specify which players or positions are the ones to watch, we have to figure that one of them is inside linebacker. It has shaken out to the point where in a perfect world, the Titans would keep six of them, which is possible, but might be seen as one too many considering the rest of the depth chart.

One of the guys in the mix at linebacker is Otis Reese, who had a strong finish to last season and has looked good in the first two preseason games this year. But his roster spot is no lock, and an unfortunate development will all but certainly keep him from proving himself any further before Tuesday.

Otis Reese injury will force him to miss critical action in Tennessee Titans final preseason game

Otis Reese was placed in concussion protocol after last Saturday's game, and has not practiced at all since. Reese is extremely unlikely to clear the protocol prior to Sunday's kickoff.

Now, between his performances last season and this preseason, he might have already clinched a roster spot. Even if there is a good chance of that, sustaining the injury now can only hurt his chances when you consider how tight the competition at linebacker is looking.

Of course, the expected starters, Kenneth Murray and Jack Gibbens, already have their roster spots determined. Murray was signed in the offseason and has been a huge success so far, and the coaching staff has indicated several times that Gibbens will be the other starter at the second level.

It gets a bit dicey after those two, but the next one in line has to be Chance Campbell, who has had a tremdndous training camp and preseason. He was making all kinds of plays in the first game, and followed it up with another strong showing in last Saturday's contest.

He came into those games already in a top-four linebacker spot on the Titans unofficial depth chart, and even for preseason being what it is, Campbell has done so well and you just cannot justify not giving him a role.

Then come the rookies, one of whom is 2024 fourth-round pick Cedric Gray, who people might have gotten a bit too excited about for the current season. Of all the guys to be mentioned here, he might have been the weakest performer in training camp, and has been sidelined for a few weeks with a shoulder injury.

Regardless, it would be a major shock if he was left off the 53-man roster. The team is not going to want to cut him loose after spending a high pick on him, and guys in his spot are to be developed over time, so he is all but a lock to be retained.

Last but not least is James Williams, who was picked in the seventh round, and has also been noticeable not only on defense, but on special teams. Rookie seventh rounders are known to not be guaranteed roster spots, but considering that the team still did use a draft pick on him, and his preseason play, they would likely prefer to keep him.

Given the other five guys directly competing with him, you can see why it will be a big blow for Reese to miss Sunday's game. Even though lots of guys are deserving, there are only so many spots to go around, and the smallest details will be looked at when determining who is kept and who is cut.

Once again, the Titans might keep six linebackers including Reese, in which case all of this turns into a moot point. But he would feel a lot better if he could go into Tuesday having taken advantage of every opportunity available, but an unfortunate injury is preventing that from happening.