NASHVILLE – Mike Vrabel likes to say that there is competition for every spot on the Tennessee Titans’ roster.
It’s a nice idea, but it’s not true. Players like running back Derrick Henry, safety Kevin Byard and quarterback Ryan Tannehill are locked into their spots with no one behind them to provide an immediate threat. Many others can look ahead to the 2022 season with reasonable certainty about their roles.
One spot that very much is up for grabs, though, is left guard.
That position opened when Rodger Saffold was released in March to create salary-cap space. Saffold arrived in 2019 as a high-priced, high-profile free agent and for the most part did what was expected of him. He missed just three games in three seasons and teamed with left tackle Taylor Lewan to become the dominant side of the offensive line.
Tennessee’s financial situation was so dire that Saffold was released with no obvious succession plan in place. The Titans have drafted one guard in the last six years, Nate Davis, and he already is a starter on the right side.
With training camp underway, the choice is now between two players, Aaron Brewer and Jamarco Jones. Brewer has spent two seasons with Tennessee after going undrafted in 2020, and Jones was a low-cost free agent addition this summer who was has started seven games at four different positions in a four-year career.
“I think until somebody absolutely solidifies that, you know, (Jones) and (Brewer) will work,” Vrabel said.
Here is a look at the two candidates and how their battle shapes up:
BREWER
Why he can win it: He has done the job. In his two seasons with Tennessee, he has started six games, three each at left guard and right guard. The Titans are 3-3 with him in the starting lineup, including 2-1 with him at left guard. Between his starts and the times he stepped in for an injured starter, he played more than 43 percent of the offensive snaps in 2021. Brewer made the 53-man roster in 2020 as an undrafted rookie out of Texas State and has maintained the trust of the coaching staff since.
What’s working against him: At 6-foot-1, 295 pounds, he is unusually small by modern offensive lineman standards. While he overcomes his stature with athleticism and a competitive spirit, it is possible that coaches would have to gameplan in a way that would protect him from unfavorable matchups with some oversized defensive linemen.
Vrabel said: “He's explosive. He's quick. He’s tougher than $2 steak. He understands the angles and trying to get the guys, and understands pad level and technique. And those are a lot of things that he can do that somebody that's bigger can't, just the way that he moves. I just like the way he competes. I like the way that he shows up to work every day and is willing to compete.”
JONES
Why he can win it: Franchise officials like him enough that they signed him to a two-year, $4.8 million deal at the start of free agency. Unlike Brewer, he was drafted into the NFL (Seattle took him in the fifth round in 2018). Even before that, he was considered an elite player, one of the top 60 national recruits and one of the top five offensive linemen. At 6-foot-4, 293 pounds, he actually has slimmed down some during his NFL career in order to take better advantage of his athleticsm.
What’s working against him: He never has established himself as a force in the NFL. After spending all of his rookie season on injured reserve, he has started seven games but never more than two in a row. His greatest asset is his versatility. His seven starts have been at four different positions (both tackles, both guards), which suggests a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none résumé.
Vrabel said: “Well, again, new system. I think there's a little bit of things that have to continue to get ironed out and that we're teaching him that he's been working on through the offseason. He's got good quickness, good size. And again, he's played. In his opportunities that he had to play in this league, he did a nice job. So other than just some minor details that are different, maybe a way we're asking him to do certain things or taking a landmark that's a little different, I think that he's going to be in a position to compete and try to help us.”
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