Tennessee Titans roster projection 2024: Resetting 53-man depth chart after 2024 NFL draft
The Tennessee Titans have a full roster. Not a complete roster. But a full one.
Now that the 2024 NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror and OTAs are just a couple weeks away, it's time to project what the Titans' 53-man roster will look like for 2024. With four months to go before the season, GM Ran Carthon has plenty of time to add free agents who can reconfigure the squad. But for now, the skeleton of the roster feels set.
Let's take a look at who would be on the 53-man roster if the season began today, and analyze the strengths and weaknesses.
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Projecting Tennessee Titans roster: Offense
Quarterback (3): Will Levis, Mason Rudolph, Malik Willis
Who's got the most to prove? There's no reason for the Titans to cut Willis right now. But after two lackluster seasons, Willis will have to win over a new coaching staff in order to break camp with the team, especially with so many pro-caliber backups available.
Running back (4): Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears, Dillon Johnson, Julius Chestnut
Who's on the cusp? Johnson, the undrafted free agent from Washington, is hardly a lock here. Nor is Chestnut. Fellow UDFA Jabari Small out of Tennessee will be tough competition, and if Hassan Haskins is healthy after missing all of last season, he's a solid contributor on special teams.
Wide receiver (7): Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, Treylon Burks, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Jha'Quan Jackson, Kyle Philips, Kearis Jackson
Could Titans carry eight WRs? Nine? Colton Dowell's status on this roster is muddied by his torn ACL. This give last year's UDFA Kearis Jackson more of a shot. Same for any of this year's UDFAs. And Mason Kinsey's still around, too. For now, none of those commodities are near proven enough to be on the official roster. But given coach Brian Callahan's love for receivers, don't be shocked if seven is a minimum, not a maximum.
Tight end (3): Chig Okonkwo, Josh Whyle, extra tight end TBD
There's more to come, right? The Titans clearly need more bodies at tight end. There are already two UDFAs in the fold, plus practice squad holdover Thomas Odukoya. Two tight ends isn't enough, but it's tough to say the Titans' third tight end is already on roster.
Offensive line (9): JC Latham, Peter Skoronski, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Daniel Brunskill, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Leroy Watson, Dillon Radunz, Jaelyn Duncan, Saahdiq Charles
What happens on the right? Among Brunskill, Petit-Frere, Watson, Charles and Radunz, it's anyone's guess who's in the lead to start at right guard and right tackle. The depth is certainly improved, though.
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Projecting Tennessee Titans roster: Defense and special teams
Interior defensive line (5): Jeffery Simmons, T'Vondre Sweat, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Keondre Coburn, TK McLendon
Will this be enough? The Titans could further beef this group up by keeping Quinton Bohanna. If there are concerns about Sweat's stamina given his size, maybe this makes sense. For now, though, Simmons' and Joseph-Day's versatility allow the Titans to trade depth for skill here.
Edge defenders (4): Harold Landry III, Arden Key, Rashad Weaver, Jaylen Harrell
Does Harrell beat out Caleb Murphy? Murphy was the Titans' highest-upside undrafted prospect last year but didn't make much of a difference in games. Harrell's no roster guarantee as the team's last seventh-round pick. This will be an interesting battle for the last situational pass rusher spot.
Inside linebackers (5): Kenneth Murray II, Cedric Gray, Otis Reese IV, Jack Gibbens, James Williams
For the love of special teams: Drafting Gray and Williams boosts this room's numbers, and makes it tougher for players like Luke Gifford, Garrett Wallow and JoJo Domann to make their way back onto the squad. Williams' upside and experience in coverage make him a strong candidate, and the Titans carry extra depth here to fill out special teams units given the lack of depth at running back and tight end.
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Defensive backs (10): L'Jarius Sneed, Chidobe Awuzie, Roger McCreary, Jarvis Brownlee Jr., Amani Hooker, Elijah Molden, Eric Garror, Matthew Jackson, Mike Brown, Caleb Farley
Caleb Farley? Really? The dead money against the salary cap it would cost to cut Farley is part of the reason to keep him around. But it's also worth seeing if the former first-round pick can flourish under a new regime. Given the upgrades made at cornerback this offseason, it's a low-risk, high-reward move to give him a roster spot and see what happens. If and when the Titans add another safety, though, Farley's roster spot becomes a little more tenuous.
Specialists (3): Ryan Stonehouse, Nick Folk, Morgan Cox
What if Stonehouse isn't ready? Ty Zentner is still around if the Titans need to take their time with their injured punter. It's a one-for-one substitute as Stonehouse recovers, but he'll be the guy when he's healthy.
What holes remain on Tennessee Titans depth chart?
Help is needed at tight end and safety for sure. Arguably at running back too. There's room to grow at receiver, but with the number of free agents available it's conceivable the Titans aren't done adding there. And even though there are a lot of new faces in the defensive front seven, work can still be done to add starter-quality depth, especially at edge rusher.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans 53-man roster projection: Depth chart prediction after NFL draft