As we continue to make our way through previewing each position group ahead of Tennessee Titans training camp, we now move to the specialists.
Truth be told, this is one of the easier ones to discuss considering two of the jobs are already locks — and so much so, that two of the positions, punter and long snapper, don’t even have backups listed on the roster.
As for the remaining third, kicker, there are two players vying for the role, leaving it up in the air going into training camp.
This article is going to discuss which specialists are locks to make the team, as well as who is battling for the opportunity of a lifetime. Without further ado, let’s take a deeper dive into Tennessee’s special teams unit.
Roster locks
Roster locks: P Ryan Stonehouse, LS Morgan Cox
These two are the definition of locks heading into camp. Neither is facing any competition being the sole players at their positions on the roster, and rightfully so.
Cox is a perennial Pro Bowler and former first-team All Pro, while Stonehouse is coming off a record-setting rookie season in which he was named a second-team All Pro and broke the following records:
- Most games averaging 50-plus yards per punt in a single season: 14
- Single-season gross average yards per punt: 53.1
Barring an injury, Stonehouse and Cox will make up two-thirds of the team’s primary specialists.
On the bubble
On the bubble: K Caleb Shudak, K Trey Wolff (UDFA)
Tennessee is entering camp with two relatively unknown legs battling it out for the starting kicking job.
A 2022 undrafted free-agent signing of the Titans, Shudak has one game of NFL experience under his belt, going 2-of-3 on field goals in his only professional outing.
Wolff is a 2023 undrafted free-agent signing who is trying to take the job away from Shudak.
Going back to his college days, Wolff made approximately 81 percent of his kicks (42-of-52), with a career-long of 51 yards. He also made 97.3 percent of his extra-point attempts (41-of-42) during his time at Texas Tech.
As for Shudak, the Iowa product currently holds the school record for career field-goal percentage (minimum 25 attempts) at 82.8 percent (24-of-29).
Both of these young kickers will now have the chance to make a name for themselves this summer if either of them is able to seize the opportunity that’s in front of them.
The competition
Battle for kicker
While the competition is currently between Shudak and Wolff, it wouldn’t be at all shocking to see the Titans add a veteran leg to the mix at some point.
Earlier this offseason, longtime Titans beat writer Jim Wyatt stated the following when discussing what he’s seen from Tennessee’s kicking competition during the offseason program:
Caleb is back and kicking again. It was interesting to see kicker Trey Wolff get most of the work for a stretch there, but Caleb kicked on Wednesday and Thursday of this week’s minicamp. I’ve been charting the field goals in the open periods, and Shudak is 14-of-15, while Wolff, who signed as an undrafted free agent from Texas Tech earlier this offseason, is 29-of-32 during the open periods. Both of those guys have kicked well so far.
Judging by those numbers, this battle is practically as even as can be. Shudak may have a smaller sample size, but he has made approximately 93 percent of his kicks.
Meanwhile, Wolff has a larger sample size but a slightly lower field-goal percentage (approximately 90 percent).
In reality, this competition will likely come down to who performs better in the preseason when the pressure is amplified in a live-game setting. But until then, both kickers will look to stand out via stacking good days together in preparation for the preseason games.
53-man prediction
53-man prediction: P Ryan Stonehouse, K Caleb Shudak, LS Morgan Cox
Obviously, Stonehouse and Cox will be on the team unless there is some type of unforeseen development, but the kicking battle could legitimately go either way.
If I had to make a prediction, I’m going with Shudak due to his slight edge in experience, especially when it comes to successfully kicking in the type of inclement weather he often faced at Iowa.
As long as Shudak can prove to make the layups, I think his ability to make kicks in any condition will ultimately give him the edge. However, if it ends up going the other way around, I really wouldn’t be too shocked, either.
All that said, the addition of a veteran at any point during training camp will greatly hinder their chances of making the cut, and it could also mean the Titans are abandoning this experiment altogether.
Check out our other training camp previews!
