The Tennessee Titans made sweeping changes to their linebacker position this offseason. New general manager Mike Borgonzi traded Kenneth Murray to the Dallas Cowboys and signed veteran free-agent Cody Barton to a modest three-year contract. Borgonzi quickly moved on from Ran Carthon's Murray mistake, and also declined opportunities to re-sign several linebackers, including Jack Gibbens, Chance Campbell, Luke Gifford, and Jerome Baker.
All those departures left Titans fans wondering who will start opposite Barton in 2025. Speaking at the annual league ownership meetings earlier this week, head coach Brian Callahan seemed to indicate sophomore linebackers Cedric Gray and James Williams will get more opportunities to prove themselves this offseason. One of them could be Barton's sparring partner.
Titans HC Brian Callahan expects James Williams, Cedric Gray to step up
"We have a young player in Cedric Gray who I think we need to see perform," Callahan told Titans reporters. "I think he needs the opportunity to do it. This is the time for [him to step up]. Obviously he got hurt in [training] camp last year. He didn't come on until late in the year on special teams. He started to play really well on special teams. He had a little bit of action [on defense]. We need him to step up and have a chance to compete [for a starting gig]. James Williams is another young player [at the position]. These are guys we think have upside and potential. We have to coach them into it. Those are the guys I think are going to be the core of it, with Cody [Barton]. We're really counting on those young players to step up."
.@Titans HC Brian Callahan said he’s looking for @cedthr33 and @Begreat_20 to step up at ILB alongside newcomer Cody Barton. pic.twitter.com/xZooW2vLCi
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) March 31, 2025
It was previous Titans GM Carthon who drafted both Gray and Williams. Despite that, Borgonzi and the new decision makers appear high on the pair of sophomore linebackers. The other alternative option to start opposite Barton would be Otis Reese IV, though Callahan notably failed to mention him.
Williams earned just 111 snaps on defense last season and Gray was involved even less, totaling 48 snaps. Pro Football Focus tagged Williams with an overall defensive grade of 51.9, and Gray's was even worse at 36.8. As mentioned by Callahan, both rookies were significantly more involved and impressive via special teams, combining for nearly 400 snaps there.
If the Titans are going to be even league-average at linebacker in 2025, they'll require at least one of Williams or Gray to showcase legitimate sophomore development.