Titans Insider Dives Into Biggest Training Camp Battle

The Tennessee Titans are going into training camp with eight inside linebackers: Cody Barton, Cedric Gray, James Williams Sr., Otis Reese IV, Curtis Jacobs, Anfernee Orji, Amari Burney and David Gbenda.

However, Barton is the only one guaranteed a starting spot on the defense. The rest will be fighting it out for reserve roles and special teams spots in the final few spaces on the 53-man roster.

Team reporter Jim Wyatt looks into the competition for the second starting spot next to Barton, which prominently features Cedric Gray, James Williams Sr. and Otis Reese IV.

"A fourth-round pick of the Titans in the 2024 NFL Draft, Gray missed a good chunk of time last year with an injury," Wyatt wrote.

"A highly productive player in college at North Carolina, he's motivated to earn a starting job this fall, and he should get noticed when the pads come on. But, Gray has competition. Reese missed time during the offseason with an ankle injury, which hurt his chances. Williams, meanwhile, has made strides. ... Meanwhile, Orji was a nice addition who is in line to make the roster, and help on special teams."

It's hard to tell if there is a favorite going into training camp for the spot. Perhaps Gray would be considered that as he was taken in the fourth round compared to a seventh-round selection in Williams and an undrafted free agent in Reese.

However, Williams showed promise in his rookie season and played more than Gray, while Reese has been in the NFL the longest with two years under his belt compared to one.

This will be a true test between those three and the one who earns the starting job will likely be the one who performs the best during training camp.