What Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Dillon Radunz said about making Year 2 leap
Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Dillon Radunz is aiming to be a starter in 2022 but knows he’ll have to earn it.
The Titans’ second-round pick last year, Radunz had a disappointing rookie season, playing just 15% of offensive snaps in 12 appearances. The former North Dakota State standout made just one start – as an injury replacement for left tackle Taylor Lewan in Week 16 – and was a healthy scratch in five games. He played guard and tackle as a rookie.
The Titans have voids at left guard and right tackle entering 2022, as Rodger Saffold was released and David Quessenberry was not tendered as a restricted free agent. Both signed with the Bills this offseason.
“Obviously, as a competitor, it’s my goal to start and all that stuff,” Radunz said during offseason organized team activities Tuesday. “But the team is first and we’re going to make sure that everybody on that starting line earns it.”
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Radunz added that he hopes to be a tackle. He played left tackle in college and the expectation was that he’d play right tackle when he was drafted.
In Year 2, he’ll have his crack at the spot. But veteran free-agent acquisition Jamarco Jones and third-round rookie Nicholas Petit-Frere will be in the mix, too.
Radunz is also expected to continue competing at guard, where Jones and Aaron Brewer are starting options.
“Just like I said last year, (I) love being a tackle,” Radunz said. “But I’m a team player. We’re part of the Titans organization and whatever is the best for the Titans to win games is where I’m going to be at. We’re going to compete everywhere, but personally, I’m always going to want to be a tackle.”
Radunz, who said he’s more comfortable heading into his second NFL season, admitted there was frustration with not playing much as a rookie.
“But then you learn how to just turn that into drive and turn that into reasons why you need to work harder. Why you need to do this and that,” Radunz said . “Just putting yourself in the best position to avoid that ultimately and then at the end of the day, you’re just trying to better yourself. You can’t read into (the criticism) too much. Obviously, that’s a byproduct of me sitting out and stuff, and we don’t want to sit out.”
Ben Arthur covers the Tennessee Titans for The USA TODAY Network. Contact him at barthur@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @benyarthur.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What Tennessee Titans OL Dillon Radunz said about making Year 2 leap
