Mike Vrabel said Jaelyn Duncan will start at left tackle for the #Titans.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) November 24, 2023
UPDATE: Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel has confirmed that rookie Jaelyn Duncan will start at left tackle in Week 12, and Dillon Radunz will get the nod at right tackle.
Original Text
The Tennessee Titans are reportedly expected to start rookie offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan in Week 12 against the Carolina Panthers.
According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, Duncan will get the nod at one of the tackle spots, and that figures to be on the left side after head coach Mike Vrabel said fellow tackle Dillon Radunz would work on the right side.
Earlier in the week, Vrabel said that embattled offensive tackle Andre Dillard would be an option, but apparently the team isn’t going in that direction — and rightly so.
Dillard has been an abject disaster this season and the worst member of one of the worst offensive lines in football. It only makes sense for the Titans to see what they have in Duncan, who actually has a chance to be part of the team’s long-term plans upfront.
Looks like the #Titans will start rookie OT Jaelyn Duncan vs. #Panthers on Sun, per source. Mike Vrabel hinted at the possibility earlier this wk. Duncan expected to get the nod ahead of OT Andre Dillard.
Duncan receives a chance to prove he's a building block around Will Levis. pic.twitter.com/W3S2CP6OEm
— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) November 24, 2023
Duncan was inserted at right tackle last week for an injured Chris Hubbard, who is now reportedly out for the season. Duncan didn’t allow a single sack or pressure in 25 snaps (12 pass-blocking).
This will be the Maryland product’s second look at left tackle this year. He previously played three snaps at the position in Week 9, when Tennessee’s offensive linemen were dropping like flies. Duncan didn’t allow a sack or pressure in that game, either.
In an ideal world, Duncan shows enough the rest of the way to prove he’s capable of being a long-term solution at one spot upfront.
For now, let’s just hope he can help keep quarterback Will Levis upright, something Tennessee has struggled mightily to do the last three weeks.
