No team should be judged by what happens when their third-string offensive tackles are on the field, because no one is prepared to survive those kinds of issues. That was the situation that the Tennessee Titans found themselves in on Tuesday when their starting left tackle and his backup were both ejected from a joint practice against the San Francisco 49ers.
Still, the Titans did themselves no favors by making it this far into camp without properly addressing the backup tackle position. The aforementioned backup tackle, Austin Deculus, wouldn't have done much better than any of the other players they have out there competing for that job.
Whether it be the ejection of Dan Moore or J.C. Latham's injury issues, the Titans have had to see too much of their backup offensive tackles in training camp so far, and there have been several calls for them to address this issue.
Tennessee Titans have to act fast to improve offensive line depth
As if the situation needed even more urgency, the Washington Commanders were the first team to lose a bona fide starting tackle to injury in training camp (Laremy Tunsil), and they are certainly going to be looking over the market to figure out if they are better off by signing one of the big tackles left in free agency.
The Titans play their first preseason game against the 49ers on Thursday, and those tackles are going to have every chance to prove that they are more than what fans think they are. However, if they don't look the part, the Titans need to make calls on Friday morning to get one of those tackles in the building to sign a new deal.
If the Titans don't make a signing, the position will be fine going forward as long as Moore and Latham are healthy. For all of their doubters, they are at least average starting tackles in the NFL, and very few NFL teams have two proven tackles, so the Titans are lucky there.
However, this is a spot where Mike Borgonzi has to be proactive and not reactive, or else Cam Ward's development is going to depend on how well a subpar offensive tackle can hold up against Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter, and Josh Hines-Allen all season long.
That is not a place where the Titans want to be.
There are still some competent offensive tackles available in free agency. Jonah Williams or Cam Robinson could help bolster Tennessee's depth, at least during the preseason. They likely won't be available for much longer.
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