NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans open training camp on July 27 at St. Thomas Sports Park in Nashville. The Titans finished the 2020 season with an 11-5 record, good enough to win the AFC South division title. They've reached the playoffs in back-to-back seasons including an appearance in the AFC Championship Game two years ago.
The Titans return 16 starters from last season's team but have a new offensive coordinator in Todd Downing. Here's a 53-man roster projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Ryan Tannehill, DeShone Kizer
Tannehill continued his ascension to elite quarterback status last year by finishing with 33 touchdowns passes and 3,819 yards. But he won't have Arthur Smith with him for the first time in his Titans tenure. He and Downing hope to create a QB room with similar synergy. Kizer rounds out the room, providing a backup QB with a similar skill set to Tannehill's that won't require too much tweaking of the offense if the starter goes down.
RUNNING BACK (4): Derrick Henry, Darrynton Evans, Brian Hill, Khari Blasingame (FB)
Henry carried the football 396 times last season. That number should come down a bit in 2021 with Evans and Hill in the mix. Although Evans appeared in only four games due to a groin injury, the Titans are relying on the second-year back to be an impactful player this year.
WIDE RECEIVERS (7): A.J. Brown, Julio Jones, Josh Reynolds, Dez Fitzpatrick, Racey McMath, Cam Batson, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
Brown, Jones and Reynolds are an impressive trio that present Downing with a lot of versatility in that they can play on the outside or in the slot. Trading for Jones gave a jolt to the Titans organization and offers the wideouts an established veteran to learn from. Fitzpatrick and Batson round out the group of receivers who are most likely to see the field on offense.
TIGHT END (3): Anthony Firkser, Geoff Swaim, Briley Moore-McKinney
Tennessee's biggest loss was the departure of 2020 starter Jonnu Smith. Firkser takes over as the starter and will be featured in the slot as well as in short-yardage situations. Swaim fills the blocking role so he'll be incorporated into most 12 personnel packages. Moore-McKinney is a versatile player who can both block and catch in addition to playing H-Back.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Taylor Lewan, Rodger Saffold, Ben Jones, Nate Davis, Kendall Lamm, Ty Sambrailo, Dillon Radunz, David Quessenberry, Aaron Brewer, Daniel Munyer
Getting Lewan back healthy will be a big-time boost to the offensive line. However, the Titans still have to figure out who will be the right tackle. The competition will be between Sambrailo, Lamm, and second-rounder Radunz. If Radunz doesn't win the job during training camp, it wouldn't be a surprise if he takes over as the starting right tackle at some point during the season.
DEFENSIVE LINE (5): Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry, Teair Tart, Larrell Murchison, Naquan Jones
Impacting the quarterback is the primary goal for the Titans' defensive lineman. Adding Autry (7.5 sacks in 2020) should give Tennessee's front a much-needed boost. Simmons has already established himself as one of the better young defensive players in the game. Tart, Murchison and Jones give the Titans young options to rotate into the game in various situations.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (5): Bud Dupree, Harold Landry, Derick Roberson, Rashad Weaver, John Simon
Dupree was the premier addition on defense during the offseason. It's been a long time since the Titans have had a dominant pass-rusher who can consistently make plays when the team needs them most. The Titans are hoping that Dupree's vast experience can help spark the young group of pass-rushers, especially Landry.
INSIDE LINEBACKER (5): Rashaan Evans, Jayon Brown, David Long Jr., Monty Rice, Ola Adeniyi
Brown wore the green dot helmet (as the principal communicator with the coaching staff) before he went down with an elbow injury in November. Evans holds down the other inside linebacker spot while Long, Rice and Adeniyi should be key contributors on special teams.
CORNERBACK (6): Janoris Jenkins, Kristian Fulton, Caleb Farley, Elijah Molden, Breon Borders, Chris Jackson
The CB room suffered the most significant turnover last year. Gone are starters Malcolm Butler and Adoree Jackson and in come Jenkins, Farley and Molden. Jenkins will man the left cornerback spot while Farley and Fulton will compete to start on the right side. Fulton, Molden and Jackson will battle it out for the nickel spot.
SAFETY (3): Kevin Byard, Amani Hooker, Dane Cruikshank
Byard is excited about what he believes will be a big season in 2021. He'll have a new partner on the post with Hooker taking over for Kenny Vaccaro. Cruikshank is a more than capable safety who can serve as a dime linebacker in sub-packages in addition to being a key special teams player.
SPECIALIST (3): Blake Haubeil, Brett Kern, Morgan Cox
A new kicker? Yes indeed. The kicker competition will be between Tucker McCann and Haubeil. Kern enters his 13th season with the Titans. He's the team's longest-tenured player. Cox comes to Tennessee after being voted a first-team All-Pro last season as a long snapper.