Tennessee

Titans

Jim Wyatt reports Willis “has improved, and he looks more comfortable than he’s ever been in the NFL.” The problem is, Rudolph has apparently been “remarkably accurate in the first seven practices of training camp.” The reality is, Rudolph was always going to be the favorite and would have to create an opening for Willis to walk through. Thus far, he has not. These are two players for whom the preseason will be key, but a lack of Rudolph playing time early would confirm he more or less has the job wrapped up.

Diggs can earn up to $5 million on his new contract and rejoins former Seahawks teammate Jamal Adams in the Music City. Last season, Diggs totaled 95 tackles, one interception, and five pass breakups while starting all 17 games he appeared in. Diggs has played in and started every regular-season game over the last four seasons and earned a PFF coverage grade of 55.4 on over 1,100 defensive snaps.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, a source told him Hopkins’ four-week absence is likely but not guaranteed, indicating that he could miss more time. Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky reported earlier this week that Hopkins “could miss four to six weeks,” which appears to be in line with the team’s thinking. In his first season with the Titans, Hopkins posted a receiving line of 75-1,057-7 while averaging 14.7 YPR — the third-highest average of his career. His absence could make life tough for Will Levis in what’s expected to be a revamped passing attack in 2024, but he still has Calvin Ridley, who could absorb a significant target share if Hopkins misses time in the regular season.

Petit-Frere was placed on the PUP list before the start of camp while rehabbing a knee injury. The 2022 third-rounder is expected to compete for the Titans’ starting right tackle job, a position he manned for all 16 games he appeared in as a rookie. An injury and suspension limited Petit-Frere to just three games last season, but he started in two of the three games he appeared in, with both starts coming at right tackle. Fourth-year tackle Dillon Radunz figures to have the inside edge on Petit-Frere at this time, but there’s still plenty of camp left to go.

This is a tough blow to the Titans receiver room, as Kuharsky reports Hopkins “could miss four to six weeks” with his recently sustained injury. That would put him at risk of potentially missing the team’s Week 1 opener against the Bears. According to Kuharsky, Hopkins left the practice field late on Tuesday with the Titans’ top medical guy and didn’t return to the field. He was spotted with a wrap on his knee during Thursday’s portion of practice but didn’t appear to be running at top speed in a short video posted to social media. Hopkins caught 75 passes for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns in his first season with the Titans and is an intriguing fantasy option playing in his first season under head coach Brian Callahan, who should move the team away from their old run-heavy ways under Mike Vrabel. Hopkins profiles as a high-end WR2 in the Titans offense if Will Levis can take a leap in his second year as a starter.

Sneed played in 16 of a possible 17 regular season games for the Chiefs last season and played in all of the team’s postseason games despite a nagging knee injury that landed him on multiple injury reports. The veteran corner signed a four-year, $76.4 million deal with the Titans this offseason after being traded from the Chiefs and downplayed any concerns over his knee injury at his introductory press conference in April. Sneed is among the league’s top corners and totaled 78 tackles and two interceptions last season while earning a PFF coverage grade of 71.9 last season. He did not allow a receiving touchdown on any of the 81 targets that came his way and limited receivers to 9.7 YPR.

Ray spent last offseason with the Bills, working with them throughout training camp before being cut during the roster’s trim down to 53 players. A former first-round pick of the Broncos back in 2015, Ray hasn’t played a regular-season snap since 2018 and also spent time in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts (2021-2022). He’ll be a long shot to make the Titans roster, but he should have ample opportunities to make an impression throughout camp and the preseason.

The Titans have a revamped backfield following Derrick Henry’s departure, with free agent signing Tony Pollard coming in next to second-year back Tyjae Spears. Titans head coach Brian Callahan discussed how the backs will be used for the team’s website. He said, “Maybe they both play at the same time, maybe one gets hot and you let him run, maybe we just rotate back and forth... they are both going to play quite a bit of football for us, and I don’t view either one of them as a starter or a back-up.” It is getting clearer that the Titans would like both backs to see opportunities. Spears will stay involved with his pass-catching and burst while Pollard leads the way an additional year removed from a fractured fibula. Both will get opportunities, though Pollard is the pre-season preference, being the veteran free-agent signing who has seen a large opportunity share before.

Titans tight ends focused on their physiques this offseason; Wyatt reported in June that Chig Okonkwo likewise worked to improve his stability, in order to improve his cutting ability. A wise move, given Whyle’s incremental encroachment on Okonkwo’s 2023 role before a Week 13 knee injury landed Whyle on injured reserve. Okonkwo remains the team’s No. 1 tight end but Whyle did perform more efficiently last year, earning targets at a 25.9 percent rate while averaging 1.62 yards per route run. Okonkwo finished respective per-route averages of 18.4 percent and 1.31. Whyle will have to fully unseat Okonkwo to become re-draft relevant but should be safely stashed on dynasty benches in the meantime.

Adams, 28, was released by the Seahawks at the end of the 2023 season. The former First-team All-Pro played in 34 of a possible 67 regular season games during his four-year tenure with the team and has played in just 10 games over the last two seasons. A myriad of injuries have plagued Adams in recent years, with a quad tear ending his 2022 season in Week 1, and a concussion and knee strain limiting him to nine games in 2023. Adams earned a PFF coverage grade of 50.7 while playing on 287 coverage snaps. The former do-it-all safety, who once racked up 9.5 sacks in a season, hasn’t recorded a sack since 2020 and is far from the player he once was. Despite this, he should have plenty to offer a Titans secondary that’s undergone a major overhaul this offseason.