The Tennessee Titans entered the offseason needing to find a solution at right guard after deciding against re-signing Kevin Zeitler. General manager Mike Borgonzi signed veteran guard Cordell Volson in free agency. In a competition with sophomore Jackson Slater and rookie Fernando Caromona, Volson's experience immediately made him the favorite.
Training camp began with Volson and Slater competing for the right guard starting gig. There was no clear-cut winner initially. Volson and Slater took turns taking reps with the first-team offense.
After just one preseason contest, it's the rookie Carmona who is emerging from the shadows as an underdog. Volson struggled mightily versus the San Francisco 49ers in the Titans' debut exhibition game. Volson is already trending in the wrong direction.
Tennessee Titans guard Cordell Volson doesn't look like a solution after one preseason game
It was Carmona who received the start at right guard versus the 49ers. Head coach Robert Saleh rewarded the rookie blocker after a string of impressive practices at training camp. After Carmona took advantage of his opportunity, he was replaced by Volson with the second stringers.
Volson struggled both in pass protection and as a run blocker. Pro Football Focus credited him with allowing one sack en route to a lackluster pass-blocking score of 58.6. Volson also occasionally got pushed into the backfield in the run game.
Volson missed the entire 2025 season with an injury. The Titans hoped they'd found a bargain in free agency when they signed him to a one-year contract worth just $3.2 million. Volson has several more weeks of training camp and two additional preseason contests to change the narrative, but the current indication is he's not the solution they hoped he'd be.
The Titans' first in-game look at Volson was very disappointing. Once considered the favorite to replace Zeitler at right guard, he's now losing momentum while the rookie Carmona makes up ground. The Titans' low-risk gamble on Volson may not pay dividends.
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