Let’s try to figure this out.
The Tennessee Titans wrapped up their 2025 offseason program on June 12. Now begins the waiting game until players report for training camp on July 22. And all that is preamble to the real moments of truth: the decisions made leading up to Aug. 26, by which teams must trim their active rosters down to 53 players.
The Titans are carrying 91 players on roster. That means at least 38 players will have to be cut (or, if applicable, stashed on the physically unable to perform list) before the season can start.
Based on what went down during OTAs and minicamp, plus conversations with Titans players, coaches and decision-makers, here is The Tennessean’s post-minicamp prediction for how the 53-man roster will sort out.
Tennessee Titans roster prediction: Post-minicamp depth chart
Quarterbacks: Cam Ward, Will Levis
Ward’s going to be the Titans’ guy. The real question here is Levis. If a team wants to trade for him, the Titans could make a deal and keep someone like Brandon Allen as the backup. But there’s little doubt that Levis is the more talented and higher-upside option behind Ward. It’ll be impossible to justify releasing him, and until a trade partner materializes, he makes sense as the backup.
Running backs: Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears, Julius Chestnut, Kalel Mullings
Mullings may well be the Titans’ No. 3 running back by season’s end. But it makes sense to keep Chestnut around to start the year with Mullings being a rookie who’s been rehabbing for most of his first offseason. And after last season, when the Titans released many of their most experienced special teams contributors to disastrous early season results, keeping Chestnut and his 226 special teams snaps from 2024 feels like a wise investment.
Wide receivers: Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett, Van Jefferson, Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike, Bryce Oliver, Treylon Burks
So many question marks here. The most obvious ones relate to Burks. Will he be healthy enough to start the year on the active roster? Does he need to begin on PUP? Even if he’s healthy, can he earn a spot? For now, let’s say yes to that last question. That means he squeezes out some of the other challengers, including Ward’s college teammate Xavier Restrepo. Restrepo can earn his way onto the squad with a strong training camp, but it’s going to be important to see how his body holds up when the pads come on, and whether he can be a valuable enough special teams contributor to unseat someone like Oliver from a spot.
Tight end: Chig Okonkwo, Gunnar Helm, Thomas Odukoya
This is a tough group to get a read on. No one should be shocked if Josh Whyle or David Martin-Robinson play their way into roles, or if Odukoya’s on the outside looking in by August. But let’s play the overcorrection game again here. Last year the Titans carried five tight ends and barely used two of them. This year, the Titans keep Okonkwo and Helm as the pass targets and keep Odukoya around as the blocking specialist while beefing up numbers at other positions where more value can be added.
Offensive line: Dan Moore Jr., JC Latham, Peter Skoronski, Kevin Zeitler, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Blake Hance, John Ojukwu, Corey Levin, Jackson Slater
If Cushenberry isn’t fully healthy for the start of the season, the Titans probably keep an extra interior option like Sam Mustipher or Brenden Jaimes around. And the battle for the extra tackle spot between Ojukwu, Jaelyn Duncan, Oli Udoh and Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson is far from over. But, broadly, this is the crew that looked best and most involved during minicamp.
Defensive line: Jeffery Simmons, T’Vondre Sweat, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Keondre Coburn, Carlos Watkins
The defensive front should be the position group with the least year-over-year change. Here, Watkins beats out James Lynch and the cadre of undrafted rookies based on his surplus of pro experience, but those younger players will have the opportunity to unseat the veteran when pads come on and they have more full-speed reps to show their skills.
Edge defenders: Dre’Mont Jones, Arden Key, Lorenzo Carter, Oluwafemi Oladejo, Jaylen Harrell
There are three positions on the defense where no one should be surprised if the Titans add a veteran for depth and competition. Here’s the first. Harrell holds off the competition for now.
Inside linebackers: Cody Barton, James Williams, Cedric Gray, Curtis Jacobs, Anfernee Orji
Here’s the second group. Williams has the leg up in the competition to start next to Barton, but the Titans are open to finding a more experienced «Will» linebacker. As it stands, it’s easiest to fill out the roster with experienced players like Jacobs and Orji, especially since Otis Reese IV was still nursing an ankle injury in minicamp.
Defensive backs: L’Jarius Sneed, Jarvis Brownlee Jr., Roger McCreary, Amani Hooker, Xavier Woods, Marcus Harris, Kevin Winston Jr., Darrell Baker Jr., Mike Brown, Jermari Harris
Maybe the most up-in-the-air group. A lot of the players are dealing with injuries, and the secondary didn’t look particularly strong in minicamp. So there’s a mix of players like Brown, who make the squad as a veteran option to guard against Winston not being fully ready for the season, and Jermari Harris, who wins a spot as an undrafted rookie with upside. If Sneed isn’t ready to go, this is the third (and potentially highest-priority) room where the Titans could be looking for outside help.
Specialists: Joey Slye, Johnny Hekker, Morgan Cox
Not many options here. Barring a last-minute roster add, these are the only options, and pretty good ones at that.
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: Tennessee Titans roster prediction: Who survives the cut following minicamp?
