By Jack Gold

The 2024 Titans preseason is over and with that comes the most difficult part for the staff: Roster Cuts. The Titans currently hold 91 players on the active roster, Ran Carthon and Brian Callahan must cut that to 53 by 3:00 P.M. CDT on Tuesday. 

“There’s probably four of five real spots up for grabs that are being competed for. That’s pretty standard every year,” said Callahan.

What should be noted, however, is that the 53-man roster likely will include players who were claimed off waivers from other rosters, and they will likely use some IR spots to hold on to players dealing with injuries that they aren’t ready to part ways with. With that being said, here are my educated guesses on the 53 based on what we’ve seen throughout preseason and camp.

QB – 2

Will Levis

Mason Rudolph

Levis and Rudolph are as locked in as can be. There was chatter at one point about a QB2 competition between Rudolph and Willis, but it was never a real competition. Rudolph has played well, and his experience as a serviceable backup was much more than anything Willis has ever done, though the third year QB from Liberty had a good case to make the team before he was dealt to Green Bay for a seventh-round pick.

RB – 4

Tyjae Spears

Tony Pollard

Julius Chesnut

Hassan Haskins

Spears and Pollard have the potential to be the best running back duo in the league and will dominate the snaps. Barring injury, a third running back for offensive purposes will not be needed on game days which is why Hassan Haskins, who’s been called a “special teams demon” and a running back with a linebacker mentality, will likely make this team. Julius Chestnut has looked significantly better than Haskins running the ball, so I think he sticks as well.

WR – 6

Calvin Ridley

Deandre Hopkins

Tyler Boyd

Treylon Burks

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Jha’Quan Jackson

*Colton Dowell

With Ridley, Hopkins, Boyd, Burks and NWI, the Titans are deep with solid options. NWI is as reliable as they get and always available which is why he is locked in to the 53, and rookie fifth-round pick Jha’Quan Jackson has made a name for himself in training camp going from a pick people questioned to an enticing young receiver/returner and potential late-round gem.

Mason Kinsey and Kyle Phillips are the odd men out here. Kinsey has had a great camp and will likely be a practice squad guy who gets called up when needed for special teams, and Phillips has suffered yet another injury in camp that likely ended his chances. 

Dowell is recovering from a torn ACL and is currently on on the PUP list. He will probably not be relevant until later this year or next year.

TE – 4

Chig Okonkwo

Josh Whyle

Nick Vannett

David Martin-Robinson

Things are tricky here. Chig and Whyle are clearly the top two options here but Chig is more of a pass catcher and Whyle, who has had a big camp, has been often-times injured early in his career – including right now. The veteran presence and solid blocking of Nick Vannett makes him the easy choice as the third TE and I believe DMR has made it impossible to cut him with a stellar camp. Brian Callahan has a history of running a lot of 11 personnel, so DMR may very well not be needed, but if the team wants to keep him around they will need to keep him on the 53.

OT – 4

JC Latham

Nicholas Petit-Frere

Jaelyn Duncan

Geron Christian

If Latham or NPF go down the Titans will be in trouble. That’s why this is the least confident I am in any group. The backup tackles have given no reason to feel good about the spot. None of them have really “earned” a roster spot, but after the past few years the Titans know very well that they need backup tackles. I went with Duncan and Christian with minimal confidence. Duncan at least has enticing potential, but is far too up and down to be relied on, and Christian wasn’t great by any means, but at least played at an acceptable level last year when he was called upon for the Browns. John Ojukwu ran with the ones when NPF was injured early on and has slowly played his way out of a roster spot.

IOL – 5

Dillon Radunz

Lloyd Cushenberry

Peter Skoronski

Andrew Rupcich

Daniel Brunskill

I feel confident about these five. Cushenberry and Skoronski are set to have a good year and Radunz is seemingly running away with the RG job after Saddiq Charles’ unexpected retirement. Rupcich and Brunskill both will provide some much needed positional versatility that will likely make Lachavious Simmons, Cole Spencer and Corey Levin unnecessary, though it would not shock me if one of Simmons or Spencer made the 53 after a solid camp. 

DL – 6

Jeffery Simmons

T’Vondre Sweat

Sebastian Joseph-Day

Keondre Coburn

Abdullah Anderson

Quinton Bohanna

Sweat has been the most exciting player of training camp IMO as he went from a heavily debated draft pick to the most exciting rookie on the roster. He and Simmons will be one of the better interior defensive line duos in football.

Coburn has had an under-the-radar solid camp and the final spot felt like it was down to Anderson or Quinton Bohanna. I gave Anderson the nod after a solid final preseason game, but the injury to Chance Campbell led me to include Bohanna here as well, though I think they may look around the league for a different 53rd player. Several others are also in contention with them for spots, but those two have stood out the most.

EDGE – 4

Harold Landry

Arden Key

Jaylen Harrell

Caleb Murphy

This group is thin and feels like the most likely to potentially have a new edition when roster cuts around the league take place. Landry and Key are the obvious locks, but rookie seventh-round pick Jaylen Harrell has played himself into a lock as well. Ran Carthon made a name for himself in San Francisco as a late-round draft specialist, and he may have done it again with Harrell. Everyone on the staff has raved about him and both his performances in practice and games have backed that up. 

Weaver, Shane Ray and Caleb Murphy will compete for one or two spots, though I’m not certain any of them will be on the 53 long if they choose to keep them. Weaver has been somewhere from just okay to fine in his three years with the team and has had an uninspiring camp, so I went with Caleb Murphy, who has at least shown some juice rushing the passer. Ultimately, I believe someone will be claimed on waivers to solidify depth here.

LB – 4

Kenneth Murray

Jack Gibbens

Otis Reese IV

James Williams

*Chance Campbell

*Cedrick Gray

The solid play from Murray, Gibbens and Campbell made the linebacker group go from a big question mark to a group you feel okay about – until Campbell went down with an ACL tear in the final preseason game. Now, it’s a thin group that may end up adding someone new via trade or roster cuts around the league.

Reese flashed potential late last year and has mainly continued the momentum this camp – though he is in concussion protocol at the moment. Gray has been a disappointment as he hasn’t played in weeks as he’s dealing with a nerve issue in his shoulder and is likely to be stashed on the IR to begin the year. Williams, on the other hand, wasn’t expected of much, but has flashed with unteachable tools backed with solid play and seems worthwhile to keep around and invest in.

CB – 6

L’Jarius Sneed

Chidobe Awuzie

Roger McCreary

Jarvis Brownlee Jr.

Eric Garror

Gabe Jeudy-Lally

This could be the best starting DB group the Titans have had in a long time. Health-abiding, Sneed/Awuzie/McCreary is among the best one, two, three in the NFL and rookie fifth-rounder Jarvis Brownlee has looked like a great pick so far in camp. 

Tre Avery has consistently run with the ones in the Awuzie-Sneed-less practices which makes you think he would probably make the team over the likes of Gabe Jeudy-Lally and Eric Garror, however, Garror’s play on special teams has made him an asset and there have been too many times Avery has been noticeable for the wrong reasons for me to give him the nod. Jeudy-Lally gets the last spot here mainly due to scheme fit as a press man corner after he had a solid camp.

Former first round pick Caleb Farley would have been considered more, but another injury in training camp probably ended his chances – though he would be worth keeping around if he can beat the odds and stay healthy.

S – 5

Amani Hooker

Quandre Diggs

Jamal Adams

Elijah Molden

Matthew Jackson

The top four are as locked in as can be and can be a reason for excitement in Denard Wilson’s defense. Matthew Jackson is on the bubble but has value on special teams and can serve as depth for a group that has a history of injuries which is why I chose him.

ST – 3

Nick Folk

Ryan Stonehouse

Morgan Cox

The Brayden Narvenson preseason performance was awesome. He has a big leg, and hopefully the Titans can keep him on the practice squad, but Nick Folk almost never misses from inside 50 and is slated to make decent money this year.