One burning question for Titans at every defensive position group
The Tennessee Titans released their first depth chart for the 2022 regular season on Monday, officially revealing who won the starting jobs at multiple spots.
The biggest takeaways was no doubt rookie cornerback Roger McCreary being listed ahead of 2021 first-round pick, Caleb Farley, who was expected to win the starting role going into training camp.
However, as camp and the preseason progressed, it was clear this competition would, at the very least, be very close, so McCreary winning the role isn’t exactly surprising.
But with that decision made, it brings up a very valid question about another cornerback role on the team. We cover that and more as we ask one burning question for each of the Titans’ defensive position groups.
Related: 1 burning question for Titans at every offensive position group
Defensive line
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How much time will Denico Autry spend on the D-line?
We already knew the Autry would be used to help fill the void left by Harold Landry’s injury, but how much time will he be spending at outside linebacker exactly?
On Tennessee’s first depth chart of the regular season, Autry is listed as the starter at outside linebacker opposite Bud Dupree, with DeMarcus Walker taking Autry’s spot along the defensive line.
Walker will no doubt get run when Autry is playing outside linebacker, but how much depends upon how often Autry is there. We fully expect Rashad Weaver to get plenty of looks at the position to keep Autry upfront more often than not.
Inside linebacker
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Who’s first off the bench?
Tennessee’s starters at inside linebacker have long been established, but who comes off the bench first has not. With Monty Rice sidelined the first four games, that is between Dylan Cole and Chance Campbell.
Cole is more known for his special teams prowess but he carries the edge in experience over Campbell, who flashed in training camp and the preseason. It’s anyone’s guess how this shakes out, but both will contribute on special teams no matter what.
Outside linebacker
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Can Titans overcome the loss of Harold Landry?
With Landry out for the season, the Titans have enormous shoes to fill. Not only did Landry lead the team with 12 sacks in 2021, but he was also an effective run defender and was capable of dropping back in coverage.
As we already mentioned, Autry, not Weaver, was listed as the starter in Landry’s spot.
Of course, Autry will see time there like he did last season, but we expect the majority of snaps to go to Weaver and Adeniyi, especially when the Titans need someone to drop into coverage.
Who grabs the majority of the snaps between those two and how effective they are remains to be seen.
Adeniyi has the advantage in the experience department, but there’s no doubt Weaver carries the greater upside as a pass-rusher. Neither player has much or any experience dropping into coverage, so the Titans might need Bud Dupree to drop back more often.
This could be a fairly even split early on, but we believe Weaver will play well enough to eventually take control.
Cornerback
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How do Titans handle the slot?
The most interesting takeaway from the Titans’ first depth chart of the season came at cornerback, where Roger McCreary was listed ahead of Caleb Farley.
This is interesting for a few reasons.
For starters, the rookie beating out the second-year pro for the starting job wasn’t expected to be a thing at the start of the offseason, but it became readily apparent things were trending in that direction during camp.
Also of note is how the Titans used the pair in preseason Week 2. McCreary got the start on the outside but bounced to the slot in favor of Farley on the outside when the Titans brought in an extra cornerback.
However, that was with last year’s slot corner, Elijah Molden, not playing. When he does suit up, will Molden keep his slot job, forcing Farley to the bench full time, or has he lost it to McCreary? Will there be some kind of rotation with Molden and McCreary or Farley?
We won’t have a clear answer on any of those questions until all three players suit up for a game. Right now Molden is in danger of missing Week 1 after he didn’t practice on Monday.
Safety
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Who takes the Dane Cruikshank role?
With Dane Cruikshank now in Chicago, the Titans are looking for a new tight end eraser.
Safety Lonnie Johnson is among the candidates to take the role, along with Ugo Amadi, who is listed as a cornerback but has been known as a safety during his career. Both players were standouts in the preseason.
