This is not a league of patience or many heartwarming stories. The NFL is harsh. It’ll test any player, and if you’re not resilient, it’ll toss you aside without a second thought.

While Dillon Radunz’s full tale hasn’t been told yet, say this for him: He’s resilient.

Radunz is entering just his third season as an offensive lineman for the Tennessee Titans. The 25-year-old has been through a lot, and he’s still here.

Still here after largely being written off as a bust as a second-round pick out of North Dakota State. After playing sparingly as a rookie in 2021. After losing a starting right tackle spot in training camp in 2022. After ultimately making it on to the field last season, only to tear his ACL in December and then work like crazy to return far quicker than expected.

“A lot of frustration goes into that. But a lot of preparation went into it also," Radunz said of his injury. “ . . . My body just healed really fast.”

The Titans were fortunate it did. They needed Radunz — in his first game back — to fill in at left guard and help secure Sunday’s gritty 27-24 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Chargers.

He stepped in for first-round rookie Peter Skoronski, who was sidelined late last week by an appendectomy (per NFL Network), and for Xavier Newman, who struggled in two opening possessions as the Titans’ impromptu starter.

In came Radunz, who finished the game for an offensive line that needed assistance.

“The knee, overall, physically felt great,” he said. “Obviously, you have butterflies any time you go out there and compete in front of that many people. I think it was just more nerves settling in. I was able to do that and play a good game and we won.”

Whether Radunz can continue to be a factor this season in helping a makeshift collection of mostly new offensive linemen assemble into a cohesive unit, we’ll see. There's much to be settled. Right tackle could be in play with Nicholas Petit-Frere suspended through the sixth game. Skoronski surely won’t be displaced at left guard, but who knows how long he’ll be out or who else might get injured along the way?

At the very least, Radunz offers the offensive line the additional depth it needs.

And on Sunday, his return was a nice, positive subplot on a nice day for a team that needed a positive result. “It was great to see him back out there,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said.

Inside the team, Radunz has earned respect for how hard he worked to rehabilitate his knee and get back in roughly 8½ months. While the Titans worked during training camp, Radunz was often visible on the side, going through drills and conditioning on his own. Teammates noticed what he did. You could hear it in their voices after Sunday's return: “I’m glad for him, man,” defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said.

Simmons understands what it’s like to recover from an ACL injury, but a lot of veteran NFL players would understand Radunz’s journey as someone still trying to match high initial expectations.

Players like Titans left tackle Andre Dillard, who is on his second team after being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles with a first-round pick in 2019. He, too, dealt with injuries and often was viewed in Philly as underachieving. Dillard is only 27. Radunz is 25.

“I've dealt with that same exact feeling: Big expectations. Injuries hindering you,” Dillard said. “All you can do is put your best foot forward every single day, focus on that recovery, focus on getting back and getting in the playbook and being with the squad.

“When it's time for you to get back in there, then you're ready. I definitely sympathize with that, and I'm proud of Dillon for making the comeback that he's making.”

It hasn’t been easy. Radunz doesn’t argue with that.

“When you're a second-round draft pick, I mean, you want to perform,” Radunz said Sunday. “I'm here to play football. I've started five games here and now I've played in however many. You're always wanting to play more football, and I definitely feel like I'm getting more settled in the more I play here.”

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Off the field, he has made a home in Nashville. He got married here in June 2022 to his college sweetheart who joined him in Tennessee.

On the field, he has seen extensive turnover on the Titans' offensive line, leaving him as something of a veteran in the group already. Aaron Brewer and Corey Levin, he said, are the only remaining Titans on the O-line from when he was drafted.

During those first two seasons, did he put pressure on himself? Sure. Only natural.

“Cliché as it is, pressure makes diamonds, all that stuff,” Radunz said. “You've just got to be able to handle the pressure and move forward and just keep taking blows and handling the adversity.”

If nothing else, Radunz has proven he can do that.

Now let's see where it takes him.

Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @Gentry_Estes.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Good thing for Tennessee Titans, Dillon Radunz hasn't given in yet