Titans vs. Chiefs: A closer look at Tennessee’s roster
By Matt Conner
As the Tennessee Titans prepare to enter Arrowhead Stadium for Thursday’s final preseason game, we asked Titans experts some roster questions.
The Kansas City Chiefs suit up tonight for their fourth and final preseason game, a home contest at Arrowhead Stadium against the visiting Tennessee Titans that will feature mostly back-ups trying their best to make the final roster cuts for both sides. It should be a spirited contest despite the unofficial nature of it all.
We recently asked two experts from TitanSized, Will Lomas and Matias Wodner, to tell us a bit more about the biggest questions for the Titans this year, some interesting players to watch tonight and whether they can really top the Oakland Raiders to start the season.
What are the biggest questions still to be answered for the Titans in this final preseason game?
Will Lomas: The biggest question left for with the Tennessee Titans roster is on the edge. Kevin Dodd has been one of the biggest disappointments at any position this year and I don’t know if they can justify keeping him on the roster this year if he doesn’t show something on Thursday. Guys like Aaron Wallace, who won’t play but who has likely earned a spot, and Josh Carraway are late round pass rushers from the last two years who look leaps and bounds ahead of him.
Any under-the-radar players we should be watching from the Tennessee side in Game 4?
Will Lomas: Expect the Titans to take a long hard look at Kalan Reed. The 2nd year DB has done really well this preseason in a variety of roles. No. 24 has played corner where he is most natural, but he has also played safety at a decent level. I would think the Titans want to look at him at both spots to see just where he fits best and how much they can rely on him in live action. Reed could be a sleeper to eventually play in some dime packages this season.
What’s the morale for the Titans at this point when considering the AFC South race?
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Matias Wodner: We still believe we’re going to win the division, despite some concerning preseason performances. The AFC South is truly wide open, with all three teams likely to start the season with subpar quarterbacks. The Titans went 9-7 last season with a bare-bones roster, and they’ve added some really nice pieces over the offseason. A record of 9-7 or 10-6 should easily win this division, and there’s no reason to believe the Titans will be any worse than last season. This franchise is ready to take the next step and so are the fans of it.
You open the season against the Raiders. How confident do you feel about pulling out a win in Week 1?
Matias Wodner: The Raiders look primed to contend in the AFC once again, but they’re due for some regression. They won a lot of close games last season and it’s likely they’ll lose a win or two this season because of that “luck” factor. They will still be a tough out for any team, but they probably won’t be as good as they seemed in 2016. A reason for that is their defense, which was leaky last season and has looked even worse this preseason.
Their offense is going to be tough to stop, there’s no doubt about that, but they’re liable to give up a ton of points against any offense. With the Titans’ offense adding a bunch of new weapons and Marcus Mariota heading into his third season, I don’t think the Raiders can do enough to stop the Titans’ hype train come Week 1.