The Tennessee Titans were the worst team in the NFL last year. With that, they had the first pick in the draft, and the Titans decided to select Cam Ward out of the University of Miami to be their quarterback of the future. Along with that, the Titans made some other key additions to their team.
From a free agency standpoint, Tennessee picked up Xavier Woods (safety), Kevin Zeitler (OG), Dre’Mont Jones (DE), Dan Moore Jr. (LT), and Sebastian Joseph-Day (DT) to be starters at their respective positions.
In the draft, the Titans took Ward, and they filled some roles with Oluwafemi Oladejo (DE), and Chimere Dike (WR). These three players are poised to find some playing time, but will they take the starting spots of some proven veterans?
Ward is going to be a starter in from the get-go, but the other two have some work to do. Still, they have a chance to push a few veterans into a backup role.
Oluwafemi Oladejo over Dre’Mont Jones
Oladejo was Tennessee’s second round pick out of UCLA. He moved to edge rusher when he transferred to the Bruins. In his four years of college football, Oladejo was able to collect 240 total tackles, including 91 his sophomore year at California.
His final season at UCLA saw him record a career-high in sacks with 4.5. He also led the team with 13.5 tackles for a loss in 12 games played. Oladejo may not have had a lot of sacks, but he was constantly in the backfield causing chaos. He has the ability to play linebacker still, but UCLA moved him to the edge position, which is where he will most likely play in the NFL.
That is where he will compete with Dre’Mont Jones.
Jones was brought in to give the Titans a veteran presence on the edge. If the season started tomorrow, he would be the starter. However, there is a lot of time until week one, so Jones will have to earn the starting position.
In his career, Jones has 30.5 career sacks in his six NFL season. Additionally, he has 63 QB hits, 210 total tackles, and 40 tackles for a loss. However, he only started seven games last season, and he has struggled. Per PFF, Jones had a grade of 54.3, which is good for 97th among edges.
He seems to be regressing a bit, so a change of scenery could be good for him. If he continues to struggle, expect Oladejo to get starter reps.
Chimere Dike over Van Jefferson
This is not necessarily a starting spot, but Chimere Dike has the ability to win the WR3 position. If the Titans decide to run the offense with three wide receivers, Dike has the chance to be on the field a lot.
Dike spent his first four seasons at Wisconsin before transferring to Florida. In his final year of college, Dike had a career-high in receiving yards (783), and yards per game (60.2). At the draft combine, Dike ran the third-fastest 40-yard dash (4.34) among wide receivers. He is very quick, and could become a deep threat for Ward — a quarterback that loves to throw the ball downfield.
Van Jefferson, on the other hand, has reached 25 receptions just one time in his career. Along with that, he has just one season with more than 370 receiving yards. The veteran wide receiver is going to be hard-pressed to find consistent playing time in Nashville if he continues to be unproductive.
The only reason Dike will not take Jefferson’s spot is he could become the slot receiver, while Jefferson lines up on the outside. In that case, Dike will compete with Tyler Lockett. No matter the case, expect there to be a lot of competition in the wide receiver room heading into the summer practices.
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