Titans fans may be in for big surprise when this player ends up making the 53-man roster, setting up potential a trade

Roster projections before training camp can be tricky. What you think you know about a unit, or a pecking order, or how a coaching staff feels about a player can change in a hurry. And when I review my initial 53-man roster projection from before Tennessee Titans mandatory minicamp, there are a couple of things I feel need changing. Most surprising of which happens to be in the tight end room.

A Surprise Inclusion

Last year, the Titans kept a whopping five tight ends on their initial 53: Chig Okonkwo, Josh Whyle, Nick Vannett, Thomas Odukoya, and David Martin-Robinson. It was a surprising move at the time, and it ultimately proved fruitless. Odukoya and Martin-Robinson were weekly scratches from the gameday roster, and with the Titans special teams struggles early on, it was fair to wonder if those spots would’ve been better used on players who could’ve helped in that department.

This year, the top 3 tight ends seem pretty obvious. Chig Okonkwo and Josh Whyle are still around, and draft pick Gunnar Helm is a roster lock. But this is where I’ve changed my mind on who I think will also make this team: Thomas Odukoya.

The Titans had Nick Vannett involved regularly on offense last year despite being TE3, and it was because he played the inline blocking role for them so well. Tennessee only kept nine linemen on their initial roster last year. Going light at OL, having serious issues in pass protection, and running a relatively diverse run scheme led to them leaning on Vannett’s dirty-work role pretty often.

I think they’re going to want that kind of player again in 2025. And Okonkwo, Whyle, and Helm are all receiver types first. I think there was once a time that there was hope for Whyle to become a more balanced, traditional “Y” tight end. But I think that hope is gone with the coach and GM who picked him in the first place.

Thomas Odukoya is the best option in that room to fill that role right now. And for that reason, I think he makes this team. Now the question becomes, is it as the 3rd or the 4th tight end?

A Whyle Trade?

I’m not predicting this happens, per se. But the fact of the matter is that the Titans have three pass catching tight ends and could afford to move one. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Mike Borgonzi move a depth veteran option like Whyle in a like-for-like trade with another team to acquire depth they need at another position. Just something to keep an eye on…