With Tennessee Titans veterans reporting to training camp on Tuesday and the team set to take part in its first practice on Wednesday, we continue our training camp preview series with the cornerback position.
The Titans are coming off a season in which they sported the league’s worst pass defense in terms of yards allowed per game (274.8), but there’s some important context to add there.
The Titans didn’t have Kristian Fulton for six games due to injury, and slot cornerback Elijah Molden, who shined in 2021, was absent for all but two contests because of injury, also.
As if that wasn’t enough, former first-round pick and second-year corner, Caleb Farley, gave the Titans nothing when he was on the field and eventually saw his season end early due to a back injury.
The Titans had to depend heavily on rookie Roger McCreary, who played well but also understandably showed he has a ways to go.
McCreary played every single snap, and his 1,165 snaps were tops among all defensive players in the NFL. Adding to that, he played on the outside and there’s many out there who believe he’s better suited for the slot.
The Titans will welcome back all of those players in 2023, but they’ve also added some help. Here’s a look at the group in its entirety, along with a prediction for how things will shake out.
Roster locks
Roster locks: Kristian Fulton, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Roger McCreary, Elijah Molden
No surprises here.
Fulton and Murphy-Bunting are projected to start on the outside, and both McCreary and Molden can work out of the slot. Adding to that, both offer versatility, as McCreary gained valuable outside experience in 2022, and Molden has been getting reps at safety this offseason.
On the bubble
On the bubble: Caleb Farley, Tre Avery, Chris Jackson, Steven Jones Jr. (UDFA), Anthony Kendall (UDFA), L.J. Davis (UDFA), Eric Garror (UDFA), Armani Marsh (UDFA)
As is always the case with UDFAs, they face an uphill climb in making the roster, and that’s especially true with the Titans having four roster locks at cornerback, as well as a few near-locks (more on those in a second).
Of the group of UDFAs, keep an eye on Jones Jr., who the Titans think highly of considering they gave him a big guaranteed deal. Our Shaun Calderon also listed Jones Jr. as one of six UDFAs with the best chance to make the cut.
While I have the down-and-out Farley listed here, I do think he’s a near-lock if healthy, but not because I expect him to take a big step forward this year.
The fact is, it would actually cost $2.5 million more to boot Farley, per Over the Cap, so the Titans might as well give him one more shot to see if he can right the ship.
Another near-lock in my mind is Avery, who proved to be a solid backup in 2022 with his teammates dropping like flies around him. That said, there’s a ton of players vying for spots at this position, so we’ll tentatively place him on the bubble.
Jackson is another player who has an edge over the UDFAs, but he’s not a near-lock. Not only has the Marshall product not played well when called upon, he’s also had injury issues.
The competitions
Battle for CB2
With Fulton locked-in at CB1, the only other outside spot will come down to a battle between Murphy-Bunting and McCreary. I wouldn’t be shocked to see either win the job.
Battle for slot CB
It seems to be a foregone conclusion to many that McCreary will take the slot cornerback role, but I’m not ready to make that prediction as long as Molden is around.
Lest we forget, not only was Molden arguably the best rookie cornerback in 2021 from Weeks 3-17, he was actually on par with some of the better cornerbacks overall.
Here’s the receipts, per AtoZ Sports’ James Foster:
After a terrible start to the season, Elijah Molden has been one of the best DB's in the NFL pic.twitter.com/9GRVMH9kWZ
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) January 5, 2022
Of course, Molden was plagued by injuries in 2022, but it’s hard to believe how overlooked he has been going into 2023. Not only do I think Molden can beat McCreary for the slot job, I think he’s the favorite for it.
Battle for the final spots
The Titans will carry at least six cornerbacks, so there’s at least two spots up for grabs here. The favorites for those two spots are no doubt Avery, Farley and Jackson (and in that order), with Jones Jr. being the favorite to emerge from the group of UDFAs if I had to pick one.
Farley ending up on the PUP list to start the season, which remains a possibility, would be great news for Jackson and the group of UDFAs.
53-man prediction
53-man prediction: Kristian Fulton (CB1), Sean Murphy-Bunting (CB2), Elijah Molden (CB3 — slot), Roger McCreary, Tre Avery, Caleb Farley, Chris Jackson
This is a tough position to project with so many moving parts and versatile players, but I have Fulton and Murphy-Bunting manning the outside spots, with Molden getting the nod inside.
McCreary will still see action thanks to his inside/outside capability, and it wouldn’t be at all shocking to see him surpass Molden or Murphy-Bunting, with the latter being more likely.
On top of that, he’s much-needed insurance for Fulton if his injury woes continue, although there would likely be a drop off in performance from Fulton.
As I suggested in my most recent 53-man projection, the Titans will carry seven cornerbacks and three safeties. But bear in mind, Molden has been getting reps on the back-end this offseason, so he can be an emergency option if Amani Hooker or Kevin Byard get hurt.
In the event that happens, McCreary slides into the slot and, assuming Molden can handle safety, the Titans are still in good shape.
As for Farley, he’ll be buried on the depth chart barring a combined miracle of him greatly improving and staying healthy, leaving him to contribute only on special teams.
Meanwhile, Avery will be ahead of Farley and Jackson on the depth chart and provide solid depth, and Jackson offers another potential safety and nickel option in the event of injury.
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