After spending the last few weeks slowly trimming their roster down from the initial 90 players they began training camp with, the Tennessee Titans have officially gotten their roster down to 53 players.
In the process, Tennessee waived 29 players over the past few days to meet yesterday’s league-mandated deadline. The majority of the transactions were pretty predictable for the most part, but there were a few surprises that threw us off when we first saw them.
It should also be noted that this is called the “initial” 53-man roster for a reason.
The Titans will be making moves in the week-plus ahead of the season, the first of which could involve wide receiver Racey McMath, who is reportedly expected to be placed on injured reserve with a hip injury.
With all that in mind, let’s a take closer look at what surprised us the most about yesterday’s 53-man roster reveal from the Titans.
Five wide receivers
WRs (5): Robert Woods, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Treylon Burks, Kyle Philips, Racey McMath
Going into yesterday’s deadline, it was rather predictable that the Titans had five wide receivers that you could essentially pencil in for roster spots. The real surprise came in the fact that those were the only five receivers to make the initial 53-man roster.
When it was all said and done, Tennessee parted ways with Dez Fitzpatrick, Mason Kinsey, Reggie Roberson, and Cody Hollister. However, you’d have to imagine that a few of those receivers will end up returning on a practice squad deal in the near future.
Truthfully, it’s not a real surprise that none of those guys made the roster; it’s more of a disappointment that nobody seized the opportunity and claimed the spot that was there for the taking.
Another shocking development is the fact that McMath appears destined to start the season on the injured reserve list due to a recent hip injury, which means he’ll miss at least the first four games.
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Racey McMath is expected to be placed on injured reserve with a hip injury on Wednesday, league sources said. https://t.co/cS8VRMoKd8
— Terry McCormick (@terrymc13) August 30, 2022
The LSU product had seemingly been on track for a bigger role on the offense due to his special blend of size and speed. Unfortunately, that plan appears to have taken a hit before it ever got going.
More importantly, that means the Titans are only slated to have four healthy wide receivers come Week 1.
In reality, it’s highly unlikely that the receiver depth will remain that thin when the Titans open up their season against the New York Giants on September 11th.
There’s a pretty good chance that the team is probably eyeing someone elsewhere, either through a waiver claim, a free-agent signing, or trade.
This is one position group to keep your eye on going forward because the group’s construction does not appear to be finished just yet.
Julius Chestnut and five RBs
RBs: Derrick Henry, Dontrell Hilliard, Hassan Haskins, Julius Chestnut, Tory Carter (FB)
The most surprising name in this group is the undrafted rookie out of Sacred Heart, Julius Chestnut. He consistently had a solid performance throughout camp and the preseason, therefore his addition to the team is hardly a fluke.
POWER running 💥 @JuliusChestnut
📺: Watch #AZvsTEN on @WKRN pic.twitter.com/rvoZ5nBepm
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) August 27, 2022
The real surprise comes in the fact that Tennessee decided to keep a total of five running backs when you also include their fullback. Most felt Chestnut would be a victim of the numbers game, but clearly Tennessee feels his long-term potential is too good to let go.
And so much so they’re essentially willing to sacrifice a spot on the roster for him just to ensure that he doesn’t get swiped away by another team.
J.Chestnut gobbling up some yardage. 🍽@JuliusChestnut | @Titans
📱: Stream #TENvsBAL on NFL+ https://t.co/AXsI2aWMg0 pic.twitter.com/BgQPeTRFab
— NFL (@NFL) August 12, 2022
There’s also a chance that this marriage could be temporary depending on what happens with other transactions throughout the week.
If Tennessee decides to add someone who becomes available, they will need to cancel that roster addition out, and there’s a legitimate possibility that one of these running backs ends up being the sacrificial lamb.
It will be interesting to see if this group looks the same by the time next week rolls around.
Late additions make the cut
DBs (11): Kristian Fulton (CB), Caleb Farley (CB), Roger McCreary (CB), Elijah Molden (CB), Ugo Amadi (CB), Tre Avery (CB), Kevin Byard (S), Amani Hooker (S), Lonnie Johnson Jr. (S), Joshua Kalu (S), A.J. Moore (S)
Over the last few weeks, the Titans have gone on a bargain shopping spree in hopes of improving the depth along the backend of their defense.
In total, they added five new defensive backs throughout the preseason: Tyree Gillespie, Adrian Colbert, Joshua Kalu, Ugo Amadi, and Lonnie Johnson Jr.
Regardless of their late arrivals, Kalu, Amadi, and Johnson Jr. each made the initial 53-man roster.
To do so, they not only beat out Gillespie and Colbert, but they also surpassed previous late-round investments in Chris and Theo Jackson.
Tre Avery makes the cut
Another noteworthy surprise worth mentioning was undrafted rookie cornerback Tre Avery making the team despite being considered a major long shot for most of the offseason.
The Rutgers product impressed the Titans’ decision-makers after a strong offseason where he consistently made obvious strides within their scheme.
@RFootball @Titans #TreAvery making moves 🪓💯🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/DSPsXQ9opR
— Bori_blanco (@ninaneddieanto) August 21, 2022
The majority of this Titans’ secondary is loaded with young talent from the top down. Although it may be considered a largely inexperienced group, it also has the potential for an incredibly high ceiling as a unit once it goes through its growing pains together.
If this group of defensive backs can contribute on a consistent basis, an already elite defense is capable of taking their production and efficiency to an entirely different level in 2022.
Seven defensive linemen
Defensive line: Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry, Teair Tart, Naquan Jones, DeMarcus Walker, Da’Shawn Hand, Kevin Strong
When we drew it up on our 53-man roster projections, we typically had the Titans carrying five, but didn’t rule out a sixth being kept. Not only did the Titans keep six, they kept seven, which was unexpected.
Although, it’s possible there was a good reason behind that. Denico Autry has been dealing with an apparent injury all training camp long and it’s possible Tennessee carried the extra as insurance in case Autry isn’t ready.
Also of note is the fact that Murchison didn’t just miss out on one open spot up for grabs, he missed out on three, which makes his cut look even worse.
