While we are still about a month away from regular season play, Tennessee Titans fans — and football fans everywhere — will get their first taste of NFL action this week, with Week 1 of the preseason set to kick off.
The Titans will play their first preseason game of 2023 on the road when they travel to take on the Chicago Bears on Saturday.
The kickoff for that contest will be noon CT, and the game will be broadcast on NFL Network for viewers outside of Nashville, and on WKRN for viewers watching from the Nashville market.
While we’ve learned a lot about the Titans’ roster during training camp, the preseason is an even bigger step in player evaluations.
Chances are we won’t see many starters in action throughout the preseason, but rookies will see the field, along with players who are fighting roster spots.
Here’s one player from each position on offense who figures to play and will be interesting to watch in the preseason opener, along with some honorable mentions.
Quarterback: Malik Willis
Willis needs to outperform fellow signal-caller Will Levis for a few reasons.
For starters, Willis is clinging to the No. 2 quarterback job in a competition that has been very close. Further, failing to outplay Levis will hurt his chances of securing a roster spot entirely.
Honorable mention: Will Levis
Levis is playing with house money in Year 1, as his roster spot is secured and he won’t see the field as long as Ryan Tannehill is healthy. However, it would be very encouraging to see him play well and supplant Willis.
Running back: Tyjae Spears
While Spears has been projected to have a significant role in Year 1, we really haven’t heard much about in training camp.
Spears must show he’s not only capable of making plays on the ground and in the passing game, but he must prove to be sufficient in pass protection if he wants to get the most snaps possible.
Honorable mentions: Hassan Haskins, Jonathan Ward, Julius Chestnut
Haskins might get more playing time than expected if he can prove more reliable in pass protection than Spears. If the Titans carry a fourth back, it’ll come down to Ward or Chestnut.
Wide receiver: Reggie Roberson
By all accounts, Roberson has done enough to be considered the favorite for that sixth wide receiver spot should the Titans opt to carry that many.
But he still has to go out on the field and perform otherwise he may let it slip through his fingers. Roberson did have a standout preseason contest in 2022, but was silent the other two games.
Honorable mentions: Tre’Shaun Harrison, Racey McMath, Colton Dowell
Harrison, Dowell and McMath are the next three players in line for that sixth spot, and likely in that order based on how much (or little) each has stood out in training camp.
They must make the most out of this opportunity and outperform Roberson or else he could pull further ahead of them than he already is.
Tight end: Josh Whyle
Whyle is no better than the No. 3 tight end, and there’s a chance he’s as far back as No. 4 (I think the Titans carry four) after having a quiet camp thus far. Trevon Wesco is likely the No. 2, but that’s far from set in stone, as he offers nothing as a pass-catcher.
We already know Whyle’s strength is catching the football and making plays, but if he wants to move up the depth chart he’s got to show he can block at a high level.
Honorable mention: TE Alize Mack
Mack is in a similar spot to Whyle. He’s a plus pass-catcher but doesn’t have much of a background when it comes to blocking. If he can prove capable in live-game action, he should secure a roster spot, at least, but could find himself higher on the depth chart than anyone expected, also.
Just bear in mind, Mack has missed multiple practices in a row, so it remains to be seen if he’ll be healthy enough to play.
Offensive line: Peter Skoronski
It wouldn’t shock me at all to see some or all of the Titans’ projected starters in preseason Week 1.
After all, this group has no experience playing together and features players who are mostly to completely unproven as starters. Not to mention, the offensive line has had its fair share of issues in training camp.
If nothing else, I’d expect to see left guard Peter Skoronski on the field in order to get him his first taste of NFL action. Of course, it’ll be interesting to see how he handles it.
Honorable mentions: Right tackle competitors
Veteran Chris Hubbard, who is the frontrunner for the right tackle job, has a strong chance to see action, as well.
We’ve heard about John Ojukwu and Jaelyn Duncan getting some first-team reps during camp, but Zack Johnson has become a player to watch after he was listed as the No. 2 right tackle behind Hubbard on the first unofficial depth chart.
Ojukwu’s status for this game is up in the air, as he’s missed several practices in a row. We’ll see if he can get back in time for Saturday.
