NASHVILLE – The Titans will face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2 of the preseason on Saturday night at Nissan Stadium.
Here are six things to look out for in the competition:
Willis will get his biggest chance of the offseason on Saturday night when he steps in as the team’s starter. Willis worked at the 2s in parts of practice against the Seahawks and will get a chance to start the game as the team rests its starters, including quarterback Will Levis. Willis was the third QB to play in the season opener last week, and he completed 5 of 7 passes for 38 yards while running four times for 42 yards. In 11 training camps, Willis has completed 74 of 116 passes (63.8%), with three interceptions. While Willis has shown progress, Mason Rudolph has been even better, completing 106 of 131 passes (80.9%) with two interceptions in practice. Can Willis shine against Seattle?
The Titans have seen a lot of movement during practice as they try to put together a starting lineup. After the (current) first-team offensive line has gotten plenty of work in joint practices, the team’s reserve players will have a chance to prove why they deserve to be on the roster – or possibly in the lineup. Since Dillon Radunz has worked primarily with the 1s in joint practices, I would be surprised if he plays Saturday night. But Andrew Rupcich, who has worked with the 1s at right guard in some practices, will have the opportunity to continue to show his progress.
Third-year linebacker Chance Campbell’s biggest problem so far has been his inability to stay healthy. This offseason, Campbell has stayed on the field and made good plays — Campbell had eight tackles, an interception and a sack in the preseason opener against the 49ers last week and recorded another interception in joint practice against Seattle. Can Campbell continue to catch up and increase his chance of a roster spot, or earn more playing time?
Mason Kinsey, Jha’Quan Jackson et al
DeAndre Hopkins remains out, and Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd won’t play in this game either, so that opens the door for others to shine. Mason Kinsey has been very productive in camp, catching 21 total balls in 7-on-7 and team drills. By my count, only one receiver has more. Jha’Quan Jackson has been on a resurgence of late, while Nick Westbrook-Ikhine remains steady. After a setback on Thursday, Kyle Philips isn’t expected to play. But others, including Kearis Jackson and Bryce Oliver and Sam Schnee, should get plenty of work.
Julius Chestnut has made a living in preseason games in the past, giving him the opportunity to showcase his skills with plenty of playing time. Chestnut will be back in action Saturday night, looking to earn the RB3 job behind Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears. Hassan Haskins also has his sights set on that job, though, and his reputation on special teams is a boost. Meanwhile, former University of Tennessee running back Jabari Small hopes to show off some of his skills in camp.
Titans coach Brian Callahan was pretty open about his plan for the second preseason game. “No, the starters aren’t going to play,” Callahan said. “Maybe a couple that will play. But our starters aren’t going to play. Obviously they’ve got two really hard, physical, heavy days of work ahead of them (this week). No reason to put them in the game. Don’t expect to see many, if any, starters.” The Seahawks are expected to take a similar approach to the contest. That means you’ll see a lot of hungry players on the field at Nissan Stadium, trying their hardest to impress their own teams and everyone else in the league.
