The Tennessee Titans are three weeks away from opening their training camp for the 2022 NFL season. Rookies will report on July 23, veterans on July 26, and then the first practice will take place on July 27.
The Titans had a contentious offseason that saw the the team make several noteworthy moves, including the replacement of their two most notable wide receivers from a year ago.
The Titans impressively accomplished their most successful regular season in well over a decade despite the team using an NFL record of 91 total players in a single season.
That injury list wasn’t just a ton of irrelevant injuries, either. The Titans were forced to play without several key players for extended periods of time.
Tennessee still went on to win 12 games, the AFC South, and the No. 1 seed in the conference. That reason alone should give Titans fans hope that the reigning NFL Coach of the Year will be able to find a way to at least keep this team relevant, even with all the concerns Tennessee has.
As we head into training camp, the Titans have a few positional battles that stand out. Some of these are truly up in the air, while the others you would hope are a foregone conclusion.
Nevertheless, lets take a closer look at the five competitions that we should be keeping our eyes on during training camp.
Backup quarterback: Logan Woodside vs. Malik Willis
AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
This is probably the most polarizing position battle of training camp. I’ve seen a lot of people saying things along the lines of, “If Malik Willis can’t even beat out Logan Woodside, he must really be a bust.”
No one is arguing the obvious difference in ceilings between the two players; however, the battle for the backup job isn’t as simple as which quarterback possesses more talent.
Make no mistake about it: if the Liberty product proves throughout training camp and the preseason that he won’t be a liability out there, then he absolutely should be the backup heading into 2022.
With that said, it makes no sense to force the raw rookie quarterback into a situation where he’s one injury away from playing unless he proves he can handle all of the responsibilities that come with being a quarterback.
What happens if Willis is forced to play in the middle of Week 1 against the New York Giants and a Don “Wink” Martindale-led defense with no real film on how Wink is using his new personnel?
That could be a disastrous situation for a young quarterback. The last thing you want is for Willis’ confidence to be shattered because he was unfairly thrown in before he was ready.
You cannot risk creating a potential hindrance in Willis’ long-term development solely due to short-term impatience.
And because of that, protecting your young quarterback from himself will likely far outweigh anything else at this point in time. It doesn’t mean it will stay that way throughout the season, but trying to rush Willis’ development could be a recipe for disaster.
Again, if Willis shows he’s ready to be one play away at all times, by all means, this becomes a different conversation. But the Liberty legend will have to prove it on the practice field and in the preseason.
Expect to see a ton of both quarterbacks during the exhibition slate, which will surely play a large role in deciding who will be the team’s backup quarterback in 2022.
Prediction: Woodside starts the season as the No. 2 quarterback, but Willis eventually takes over the backup role by season’s end.
Left guard: Aaron Brewer vs. Jamarco Jones (Left Guard)
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
This is probably the most unpredictable competition on the roster. Both Brewer and Jones will have a legitimate shot at the starting left guard job.
Jones has a history with head coach Mike Vrabel, who recruited the offensive lineman to Ohio State. Since then, Jones has become a valuable depth piece along the offensive line in both college and the pros.
Brewer, on the other hand, has been a contributing asset to this football team for a few years now. The Texas State product excels in Tennessee’s zone-blocking scheme due to his natural athleticism, combined with his fundamentally sound technique.
Brewer’s biggest downfall comes when he needs to anchor down in pass protection against a physically superior defender. His small stature can be exposed in those situations, and his physical limitations can become a real liability for the offense, as we saw last year against Pittsburgh.
If the young athletic lineman comes into camp and shows an improved ability to hold his own in pass protection, he could be very tough to beat for the starting job.
Nonetheless, keep an eye on how this one plays out throughout the preseason.
Prediction: Brewer shows enough improvement to comfortably win the job before Week 1.
Right tackle: Dillon Radunz vs. Nicholas Petit-Frere
AP Photo/Matt Patterson
This one shouldn’t be much of a battle if everything goes to plan. This job is Radunz’s to lose barring something dramatic happening.
The former North Dakota State star already has experience in this specific scheme, and he’s finally being allowed to solely focus on one position following his seeing time at multiple spots last season.
Petit-Frere was an All-American at Ohio State, so he shouldn’t be ruled out from the starting job completely, but all signs point to Radunz getting the nod in 2022.
Meanwhile, Petit-Frere will probably aim to develop in the swing tackle role in hopes of legitimately competing for a starting job on either side in 2023.
Regardless, the developmental progression of both of these young offensive tackles will be something to watch for as the weeks and months pass.
Prediction: Radunz enters and leaves camp as the projected starting right tackle.
No. 2 wide receiver: Treylon Burks vs. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
Syndication: The Tennessean
In an ideal world, Burks will end up shining over the next few months and he will enter the season as an undeniable starting wide receiver for the Titans.
Sadly, things haven’t exactly been ideal for the rookie wide receiver from the get-go. Burks’ asthma limited his participation in rookie minicamp, and he was out during mandatory minicamp for an undisclosed reason.
The only thing we can do right now is give Burks the benefit of the doubt that this will prove to be a short-term issue.
Burks’ main competition for a top-two role will be with Westbrook-Ikhine, who seemingly does nothing but constantly exceed everyone’s expectations for himself.
By all accounts, the Indiana product has looked good this offseason, and he looks destined to take another step forward.
Having said all that, this is clearly Burks’ job to lose. It will be up to him to seize the opportunity and make the most of it. Only time will tell how this one plays out.
Prediction: Burks wins the starting job and makes everyone forget about his practice issues.
Cornerback: Caleb Farley vs. Roger McCreary
AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
You can make an argument that McCreary should be against Elijah Molden, but the latter proved to be a consistent slot cornerback last year, therefore overtaking Farley may be the more realistic route to a starting job for McCreary.
Last season, the former Auburn cornerback received Pro Football Focus’ highest grade among all FBS cornerbacks (89.9). He also led all Power-Five corners in pass breakups with 13.
His physical limitations might make him better suited for the inside, but McCreary has the experience, technique, and alpha mentality to compete on the outside, also.
Farley, on the other hand, arguably has all of the physical traits you could want in your franchise cornerback. He is long, fast and moved extremely fluidly on the football field the last time we saw him.
Farley’s main issue aside from injuries is the fact that he hasn’t played an extended amount of football in almost three years (2019).
Over the coming months, it will be fascinating to see how the competition plays out for a starting job between the cornerback selected 22nd overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, and the cornerback recently selected 35th overall in 2022.
Prediction: Farley narrowly wins out, but McCreary ends up regularly contributing on both the outside and inside.
No. 2 tight end: Chigoziem Okonkwo vs. Geoff Swaim
Syndication: The Tennessean
The Titans brought in Austin Hooper to be their starter for at least one season, and then drafted Okonkwo to be the long-term solution at the position.
So far, the pick looks great, as Okonkwo has shined during the offseason and looks primed to have a role as a receiver in 2022. But if Chig wants the most snaps possible, he’s going to have to show he’s a capable blocker at the next level, something the jury is still out on.
If Okonkwo shines as a blocker, he would render Swaim irrelevant. However, counting on a rookie to do that is a tall order, thus Swaim is the favorite to see more time in 12 personnel over Okonkwo.
Prediction: Swaim and Okonkwo split snaps in 2022, with the latter working in obvious passing situations, and the former serving as the second tight end in 12 personnel.
Check out our other training camp previews!
Syndication: The Tennessean
Training camp preview: RB
Training camp preview: QB
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