3 cut candidates on Titans roster ahead of NFL training camp
The Tennessee Titans enter a new era in 2024 with Brian Callahan taking charge of training camp as the new head coach. Mike Vrabel, who was named Coach of the Year with the organization in 2021, left after failing to qualify for the playoffs last season. The former offensive coordinator for the Bengals now has the reins.
He has some work to do to get the Titans competing again. He needs to ensure that Will Levis, now the undisputed starter, is in a position to succeed. He also needs to make sure that the roster is strong enough to compete with an ascendant Houston Texans, an Indianapolis Colts that sees Anthony Richardson back, and a Jacksonville Jaguars team that now has the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. The AFC South will be keenly contested this year.
That means that he needs to look at the training camp and see who performs best, retain only the best players, and let the others leave. Here are the players who are likely to struggle to make the 53-man roster.
3 cut candidates on Titans roster ahead of NFL training camp
Candidate 1 - Malik Willis: QB
It will be interesting to see if the Titans carry three quarterbacks on their roster because, if they are not, Malik Willis will be the first to get cut. Selected a year before Will Levis, he was supposed to be a successor to Ryan Tannehill. It did not work out as he failed to impress and he is now third on the depth chart.
Mason Rudolph was brought in from the Pittsburgh Steelers and has enough experience in the league to remain a success. He has played for his previous team in crucial moments and has experience stepping in for people like Ben Roethlisberger and Kenny Pickett.
That means Malik Willis is firmly the third-choice quarterback. If Brian Callahan decides to go with just two quarterbacks after training camp, he will be the one to be trimmed.
Candidate 2 - Tre Avery: CB
Tre Avery had a miserable season last year. He was the most targeted cornerback in the league with quarterbacks throwing his way more than 21 percent of the time he was in coverage. The reason the opposition targeted him so much is because he allowed completions on 76.19 percent of the passes that came in his direction. It was clearly not good enough.
That is why the Titans went and got L'Jarius Sneed, arguably the best cornerback in the league last year, and a major reason the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl despite their offense misfiring. They also invested in Chidobe Awuzie, which locks the two defensive perimeter spots on the roster.
With other options also available, Tennessee could look to move on from Tre Avery unless he changes their mind during training camp.
Candidate 3 - Treylon Burks: WR
Spare a thought for Mike Vrabel. He was furious when the Titans chose to move on from A.J. Brown and draft Treylon Burks but failed to stop it from happening. The former has become one of the best receivers in the league with the Eagles and the 2021 Coach of the Year is now out of a job and found no suitors during this offseason.
Tennessee has also realized that the situation has not worked out. They got DeAndre Hopkins last year and he will be complemented by Calvin Ridley on the other side, with Tyler Boyd featuring in the slot. Treylon Burks has dropped down the depth chart and it does not look likely that he will regain his place anytime soon or do enough in training camp to justify his continued inclusion.