Previewing the Biggest Storylines of Titans Training Camp
Finally, the long drought of your Tennessee Titans football content gets a well needed epinephrine shot. The Titans head fully into training camp starting tomorrow after today’s reporting period. The Titans enter training camp a much different team than they entered the offseason in January. New head coach and coaching staff, new offensive lineman, new WR’s, new RB, new CB’s, new defensive lineman, etc. It’s hard to keep up with all the storylines as we went from January to late-July.
There’s much to get into as the Titans will look to solidify their roster in the coming weeks. We’ll dive in to the top Titans storylines that will play out soon enough.
Brian Callahan’s New Look Team
We’re not going to see all the wrinkles from Titans training camp but what we should be able to see is how Callahan handles the full team and his coaches. Titans fans expecting the Titans to look like a completely different team from last year and rightfully so. In comparison, for years Mike Vrabel was a very hands on coach — even throwing himself into drills with his players. For all his faults you can’t say that he didn’t care and didn’t wish things could have turned out better. However, that’s now in the past. The Tennessee Titans are under new leadership and aren’t expecting a rebuild year. This team will need to look like — in practice — that they’re ready to compete, maybe not for a superbowl, but to perhaps compete for a division title.
Will Levis’s Growth and Leadership
This will be the first NFL training camp that Will Levis will come into as the team’s de-facto leader. Coach Callahan has already spoken to the leadership of Will Levis glowingly. Levis will get all the first team reps with the offense and he’ll need it. The Titans have gone through a severe overhaul on both sides of the ball and Levis will need to work to build rapport with the entire offense. Already Levis has taken it upon himself to workout with WR’s and TE’s on their own time. That’s fun to see — often times we see other QB’s doing the same thing with their pass catchers, and they have clearly have an added chemistry on game days. It’s going to be fun to see how Levis grows in Coach Callahan’s system. Could Levis be the long awaited Lisan al-Gaib?
How Ridley Fits into the Offense
Calvin Ridley was by far the biggest offensive addition the Titans picked up in free agency. From all reports he’s been looking very explosive and looking to show that he’s actually more 25 than 29 years old. Ridley will be a huge part of the offense this year. I wrote a bit about what to expect from Ridley this season in an article here. If Ridley can be a difference maker — as many certainly believe — at the position then he’ll make Will Levis’s job that much easier compared to last season as Levis had to deal with a Bad News Bears receiving corps.
Calvin Ridley’s footwork 🔥
— Rotoworld Football (@rotoworld_fb) July 13, 2024
Are you drafting him this season?
pic.twitter.com/4bYJXWNJaJ
4. Will JC Latham be Ready?
Latham was selected with the 7th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. For as high as he was picked he’ll need to come in day one and show why he was picked as highly as he was. He’s received plenty of praise from coaches as he’s done everything he’s been asked to do in the team offseason activities. It should be fun to see how JC Latham matches up with Harold Landry, Arden Key, and others in the duration of training camp. Latham will ge every opportunity to prove that he’s ready to play LT after making the switch from RT at Alabama. That will be a key question to have answered as many feel that Latham was more suitable to play RT than LT. However, The Titans have assuaged those concerns early on.
5. Will the Titans RB Position Truly be 1A and 1B?
After the addition of Tony Pollard in free agency many were unsure of who would start for the Titans this season. OC Nick Holz mentioned that they’re 1A and 1B to answer that question. We’ll see early on in training camp if that is truly the case. The Titans are fortunate enough to where at least that question must be asked. Both running backs have their specialties — Spears with his quickness and agility in comparison to Pollard with his experience and vision.
Brian Callahan said he doesn't view Tyjae Spears or Tony Pollard as the starting running back. He's not putting much stock in who starts. He likes both of them and is excited about deploying both of them in many ways.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) July 23, 2024
6. Who Plays Right Tackle?
The Titans were able to (hopefully) solidify their LT position. However, the the same can’t be said of right tackle. The RT position wasn’t completely addressed this offseason. Nicholas Petit-Frere was the projected starter last year until his suspension then when reinstated he injured his shoulder shortly thereafter returning back to the lineup post suspension. The Titans brought in Leroy Watson to help add depth to the position — unsure if NPF or Jaelyn Duncan would return in time for the season and provide a possible option at RT. However, it appears going into training camp that Watson will fill the immediate role at right tackle. NPF will start training camp on the active PUP list. All the active PUP list means is that NPF won’t participate in practice — he can be removed and activated at any time. Right tackle remains the biggest hole left open from the Titans 2024 offseason. I’m not sure the Titans have done enough since their season ended in early January to address the position — which is to be expected with the extent of holes left from the roster last year.
7. Will T’Vondre Sweat Silence the Haters?
Since Sweat was drafted he’s been hounded by questions surrounding his character and if he’ll turn into Panda 2.0. I, myself, am teettering as a detractor — but I can be swayed. Just recently there’s added reporting to a scout taking Sweat off his draft board and that their concerns go further than just his DWI mere weeks before the draft. Unfortunately Sweat wasn’t necessarily able to silence his detractors before the Titans broke from OTA’s. Sweat was only on the field for one practice before he left with an undisclosed injury, according to Callahan it’s a “short term thing.” Sweat is going to need to be an integral part to the defense. Without him the DL depth is abysmal. The Titans brought in Sebastian Joseph-Day soon after losing Autry to the Texans. The rest of the DL room includes: Simmons: Coburn, Davidson, Bohanna, and TK McLendon. Outside of Simmons the DL group doesn’t inspire a whole lot of confidence. Sweat, who won the Outland Trophy last year, is no doubt extremely talented — thus why the Titans drafted him 38th overall. Hopefully Just recently Coach Callahan talking about Sweat said, he “looks good and is ready to play football.”
8. Who Starts Opposite Murray Jr.?
The Titans added ILB Murray Jr. early in free agency. Regardless how you feel about Murray Jr. who starts opposite of him is just as important after losing Al-Shair. Currently, the depth at ILB after Murray includes: Gibbens, Gray, Reese IV, Williams, Wallow, and Campbell. Certainly quite a few of those names won’t make it on the roster come cut down day. Unfortunately that’s just the reality. It will be interesting to see how Cedric Gray plays and if he can work his way to supplant Jack Gibbens at ILB. The Titans will need to figure out a competent ILB situation if they’re to have any success defending the run next year.
9. Can L’Jarius Sneed be Load Managed?
L’Jarius Sneed was probably the biggest acquisition the Titans had this past season. Sneed is considered (at worst) a top 5 CB. He’s an absolute game changer. Only problem is he has bad knees. The Titans are looking to load manage Sneed’s practices similar to how he was dealt with last year in KC. That will be something to monitor. However, smarter people than me say they can do it. Therefore, I’ll defer to them about his health.
L’Jarius Sneed will be managed differently. #Titans. pic.twitter.com/u0mPP1wvz7
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) July 23, 2024
10. Ryan Stonehouse’s Health
Just recently it’s been reported that the Titans say Stonehouse is “ready to roll, [he’s in the] last phase of rehab.” That’s a huge boost for the Titans this season. Stonehouse will need to continue to show that he’s healthy after undergoing a severe injury last year. The Titans will need Stonehouse to be back to his old self as he can easily flip field position on Sundays
11. Who’s Returning Kickoffs and Punts?
The Titans will have an interesting conundrum as they try and decipher who may be best to return kickoffs with the new rules. I expect Jha’Quan Jackson, Tyler Boyd, and Mason Kinsey to be the top targets for possible returners. Jha’Quan Jackson was primarily drafted with the thought that he could play both offense and special teams. The Titans should have plenty of time to figure out a better situation than what they have been dealt the decade — seemingly — of finding a competent returner. If the Titans can just find a guy to catch a ball with large hangtime, make smart decisions, and not fumble the ball then he’ll get the start — that shouldn’t be too hard to find should it?
With Titans training camp starting tomorrow it’s hard not to be excited about what this team will look like come the fall. The Titans have done a lot to turn 180 degrees from their moribund path. It all starts tomorrow. Here’s to a great season!
