Titans bolster OL by claiming former third-round pick off waivers

The Tennessee Titans are dealing with a few injuries across their interior offensive line. Starting center Lloyd Cushenberry recently suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Starting right guard Dillon Radunz was also sidelined for the Week 9 overtime victory over the New England Patriots.

Radunz returned for Sunday's Week 10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Versatile swing interior offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill earned the start at center in place of Cushenberry. Veteran reserve blocker Corey Levin served as a standard game-day elevation from the practice squad to back up both Radunz and Brunskill.

The expectation was that Levin would eventually be promoted to the 53 man roster once he reached his maximum elevations from the practice squad. That may no longer come to fruition after general manager Ran Carthon addressed the position on Tuesday evening. The Titans claimed offensive guard Logan Bruss, a third-round pick out of Wisconsin in the 2022 NFL Draft, off waivers from the Los Angeles Rams.

The No. 104 overall selection in 2022, Bruss' career got off to an unfortunate start. He suffered a season-ending torn ACL injury in the Rams' second preseason game, ending his rookie campaign before it effectively began.

Having undergone a difficult year of rehab, Bruss failed to make the Rams' roster as a sophomore in 2023. He was waived during final cuts and re-signed to the practice squad. Bruss signed a futures/reserve contract and returned to the Rams to begin the 2024 season.

Bruss finally received an opportunity to contribute as a third-year performer earlier this year. The Rams suffered various injuries across the interior of their offensive line with both Jonah Jackson and Steve Avila being sidelined. Bruss appeared in eight games earlier this season, starting three.

Bruss struggled, earning an overall grade of 44.8 from Pro Football Focus via195 offensive snaps played. With both Jackson and Avila back from their stints on injured reserve, the Rams waived Bruss on Monday. The Titans now claimed him one day later.

What may be particularly interesting about Bruss is that he started 25 of his 34 career games at Wisconsin at right tackle. The Titans have struggled mightily at right tackle all campaign long, having started four different players at the position. Things have gotten so bad that head coach Brian Callahan and offensive line coach Bill Callahan have decided that rotating Leroy Watson and John Ojukwu is the best possible in-season answer.

It's worth acknowledging Bruss has not played offensive tackle in the NFL. Throughout the pre-draft process, his arms were deemed too short by most NFL evaluators to play tackle. It's possible Bruss is simply viewed as interior offensive line depth after losing Cushenberry. The Titans did not need to make a corresponding move, because the roster stood at 52.