Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports
Day Two of Titans training camp was quite the show, both offensively and defensively. It was somewhat disappointing to see Derrick Henry, AJ Brown, Jonnu Smith, Jurrell Casey, and Jeffery Simmons all sidelined, but plenty other players stepped up for the Titans. And since you might be curious how the depth chart looks to this point, here is a breakdown of every position group on the team.
Quarterback
Marcus Mariota says he packed on some pounds this off season, but it was clearly all muscle. He looked as fast and smooth as ever passing and running all day long. He kicked off the first round of one on one end zone drills by finding Corey Davis leaping in the back corner of the end zone. He went on to connect several times with Adam Humphries, Tajae Sharpe, and Taywan Taylor consistently throughout the day as well. The defense locked things down a couple times in 7v7 and 11v11 and force Mariota to scramble, but his decision making protected the ball nearly all practice. His lone bad through of the day came on an end zone target to Anthony Firkser that he floated just a bit too much. Overall Mariota looked better than ever.
Ryan Tannehill certainly looks like a competent backup (more so than Blaine Gabbert). He had no issue connecting with a bevy of receivers on a variety of route combinations. There were certainly a few that missed though. Tannehill severely under threw Taylor on a go route up the seem in 11v11. He also missed a couple check downs to both Dalyn Dawkins and Jeremy McNichols. But overall it was a positive day for the newcomer at backup quarterback.
Logan Woodside saw more reps than expected running the third team offense and actually connected on a touchdown to Anthony Ratliff-Williams at one point. He still likely doesn’t make the team, but the Titans couldn’t ask for much of a better third option in the former Toledo Rocket.
Running Back
Dion Lewis dominated the backfield with Derrick Henry sidelined with a “day to day” injury of some kind. He took 100% of his snaps with Mariota and found success on the ground and through the air all day.
David Fluellen actually saw some reps at fullback in 22 personnel for the Titans, but also saw a few more typical running back snaps as well. He still looks like the next man up behind Henry and Lewis.
After that it looks like Jeremy McNichols holds a slight edge over Dalyn Dawkins and rookie undrafted free agent Alex Barnes. None of the final three backs did much of consequence with their few touches.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of their snaps after initial walk through.
Wide Receiver
Corey Davis and Tajae Sharpe led the receiver group for the Titans with AJ Brown on the sidelines. They also both made at least a handful of solid plays throughout the day.
Davis posted the play of the day, diving for a touchdown near the front pylon of the end zone a speedy out route. Sharpe had the most impressive contested catch in one-on-ones over the swiping arms of Malcolm Butler.
Adam Humphries played 100% of snaps from the slot in 7v7 and 11v11. Speaking of 7s and 11, his new nickname might as well be 7/11 because he was always open. No other Titans receiver consistently created more separation than Humphries.
Taywan Taylor, Cameron Batson, and Darius Jennings look to be the only other like receivers currently in line to compete for the final 53. Taylor saw plenty of reps and grabbed a few passes from Mariota. He looked like the obvious WR4 without rookie AJ Brown around. Batson caught a couple balls and actually returned punts some as well. Jennings’ veteran presence is clearly earning him snaps right now, but we’ll see if that fades like it has for the past two preseasons.
However, the most impressive depth wide receiver of the day was Anthony Ratliff-Williams by far. He caught two touchdowns, one in 7v7, the other in 11v11 to end the day. Ratliff-Williams may just a rookie undrafted free agent, but if anyone’s going to rise up the receiver depth chart it’s going to be him.
Here’s a breakdown of snaps for the receivers today.
Tight End
Delanie Walker is clearly being eased in from an overall volume standpoint, but ran 100% of his snaps with Mariota today. Delanie looked hobbled for a moment after making an incredible reception adjusting to the ball and falling to the ground, but it turns out he’s fine. The other two lead tight ends were definitely Anthony Firkser and Mycole Pruitt, by a wide margin. Jonnu Smith was still sidelined.
Here’s a breakdown of the snaps at tight end today after initial walk through.
Offensive Line
The starting lineup still looks like it will be Taylor Lewan, Roger Saffold, Ben Jones, Kevin Pamphile, and Jack Conklin.
Conklin was given some rest after just a few reps into practice. Austin Pasztor replaced him at right tackle for the rest of the day.
Dennis Kelly should do well at left tackle throughout the duration of Lewan’s four-game suspension.
The offensive line looked solid today, buying Mariota time, and opening some holes for Dion Lewis on a consistent basis. Obviously the pads aren’t even on just yet, but this group looks good.
Defensive Line
Obviously when a team is missing their two best defensive lineman during practice the front’s going to look a bit different. Jeffery Simmons will be out for quite some time. Casey is still sidelined for now as well.
However, Austin Johnson, DaQuan Jones, and Matt Dickerson held their own pretty well today with the starters. Once the Titans have both Simmons and Casey back this position should be a positive area for the defense.
Linebackers
The Titans have some healthy depth at inside linebacker and they all showed out well today. Wesley Woodyard and Jayon Brown were the first two in rotation, but the future looks bright with Rashaan Evans and special teams ace Darren Bates there to contribute as well. Once the pads come on we’ll likely learn more on inside backers.
As for the outside, the Titans need some producers to step up. Harold Landry looked quick, strong, and dominant on the edge today, pressuring the quarterback a few times. But Sharif Finch is coming into his own as well. Finch, a second year player and former undrafted free agent actually took some reps with the first team today. He’s earned it with his high motor and wide variety of pass rush moves. Cameron Wake and Kamalei Correa will certainly be much-need veteran leaders in this group, but didn’t make much noise today.
Defensive Backs
And last but not least, the defensive backs looked like they were ready to hit the ground running. They absolutely shut down the offense on a few reps early in practice, forcing Mariota to scramble or “take a sack” based on coverage time.
Kevin Byard and Kenny Vaccaro look like they were in sync today with constant communication and adjustments. LaDarius Wiley (undrafted from Vanderbilt) saw more work than expected. He may actually force his way onto the team. Safety might be the strongest position on the team.
Logan Ryan didn’t make a single mistake the entire day from what I could tell. Malcolm Butler and Adoree both got beat on a few occasions, but they were typically in position to make a play at all times as well.
The Titans’ next practice is at Saint Thomas Sports Park, Sunday July 28th at 10am.
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