One of the biggest challenges Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon and head coach Brian Callahan will face during Tuesday's cut-down day is figuring out appropriate roster composition. Callahan recently claimed the Titans wouldn't keep extra players at positions of weakness simply to check a box when finalizing their initial 53 man roster. That's the proper way to approach roster building.
Brian Callahan: Will be plenty in 12 and 13 world, back of roster last six/ seven spots less about checking box for numbers and more about finding best players regarding position. Don't want to lose a good player. Don't think hard to keep four TEs if that is what we decide to do.…
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) August 18, 2024
GMs often feel like they must retain a 10th offensive linemen, sixth cornerback, or fifth off-ball linebacker. That's when they accidentally release better players, opting to keep less talented ones. We've identified three positions on the Titans that lack the depth required to keep a "routine" number of players.
Offensive Line
Most NFL teams keep 10 offensive linemen, and that often included Callahan's units during his time with the Cincinnati Bengals. I only count seven surefire NFL-caliber linemen on the Titans' roster though. They are JC Latham, Peter Skoronski, Lloyd Cushenberry, Dillon Radunz, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Daniel Brunskill, and Andrew Rupcich.
None of those players are reserve offensive tackles, which means the Titans will keep at least two more on the 53 man roster. Carthon and Callahan should choose two of Jaelyn Duncan, Geron Christian, Leroy Watson, John Ojukwu, and Brian Dooley. None of them have particularly impressed during the preseason, and the team should consider searching the waiver wire for help for their eighth and ninth lineman.
Cornerback
The Titans have three excellent cornerbacks in L'Jarius Sneed, Roger McCreary, and Chido Awuzie. The depth falls off a significantly steep cliff from there, though rookie Jarvis Brownlee Jr. has impressed as the fourth option.
Several contenders are jockeying for what should be the fifth and final spot. Former first-round bust Caleb Farley is in that mix alongside Eric Garror, Anthony Kendall, Gabe Jeudy-Lally, and Tre Avery. The Titans should definitely keep one of them, but six is often the magic number for cornerbacks on an NFL roster. If one of the Titans' Big 3 cornerbacks suffered an injury, they'd likely have to search for outside solutions anyway.
EDGE Rusher
Harold Landry and Arden Key will be the starting edge defenders. Rookie seventh-round pick Jaylen Harrell has flashed three-down potential, and Callahan likes how Rashad Weaver is setting the edge in camp. These will probably be the only four outside linebackers on Tennessee's initial 53 man roster.
#Titans HC Brian Callahan on the OLB position, specifically Jaylen Harrell and Rashad Weaver
— JT Ruhnke (@jt_ruhnke) August 22, 2024
Callahan also noted there’s most likely 4-5 spots up for grabs on the 53 man pic.twitter.com/pLXk3CZ1Ud
Has one of Shane Ray, Caleb Murphy, Thomas Rush, or Khalid Duke done enough to make the active roster? Probably not. Anyhow, Dennard Wilson's aggressive defense will send blitzers from the second level (Kenneth Murray and Jamal Adams, specifically), allowing the Titans to stay light at outside linebacker.