The Tennessee Titans will have to do without a second straight week of joint practices, understandable considering what Isaiah Bolden and the New England Patriots just experienced, which means less best-on-best work than planned for Mike Vrabel’s team.
That’s not to say key players for the 2023 season are done competing against opposing teams before the Titans open the regular season Sept. 10 at New Orleans. Vrabel suggested outside linebacker Harold Landry, who looks great nearly a year removed from an ACL tear, might even get a few snaps in the preseason finale Friday at home against the Pats. It’s the balance of beneficial work vs. disaster avoidance.
That’s why I’d expect most of the other defensive mainstays and the offensive skill starters to continue to wear baseball caps on the sideline while the No. 1 offensive line gets another series or two.
That group has changed things for the better in two preseason appearances — outside perception and perhaps internal confidence. It’s funny how much better a line can look when it isn’t blocking Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry. That’s not to say anyone is exhaling until the Titans show they can block an NFL defensive front for a whole, real game.
And that’s not the only thing that has changed in four weeks. Witness this latest projected 53-man roster with positional analysis.
