Titans Have Question Marks at LB

The Tennessee Titans will be looking a little bit different at the inside linebacker position in the upcoming season.

After the team traded Ernest Jones IV to the Seattle Seahawks before the trade deadline and Kenneth Murray Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys in the offseason, the Titans will have a new look at inside linebacker.

ESPN insider Turron Davenport lays out the changes that will be made to the position during the season.

"The Titans signed free agent Cody Barton to give the inside linebacker position a veteran in the room. Barton posted over 100 tackles in each of the last three seasons with the Denver Broncos, Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks, respectively. He will be one of the starters," Davenport wrote.

"The other inside backer position will come down to a competition among a group of young players looking to break through. Third-year linebacker Otis Reese IV will be in a battle with 2024 draft picks Cedric Gray and James Williams. Collectively, the young trio played 244 defensive snaps last season with 109 of them coming from Williams."

"That number will need to increase dramatically this year."

Barton is in a great position to be the Titans leading tackler this season considering he had more tackles last year than anyone on the Tennessee defense. However, Barton cannot do the entire job by himself. He will need someone alongside him that can also help carry the load.

The Titans were decimated by injuries at the linebacker position last season, giving many people a chance to play, but that also meant a lack of continuity. The Titans hope that there will be some added continuity this season if one player can take claim on the starting job next to Barton and become one of the top tacklers for Tennessee in 2025.