The Tennessee Titans have wrapped up their preseason with a 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears on Saturday night and now head into Sunday, when they will cut their roster to 53 players.
Head coach Robert Saleh decided to rest the majority of their starters in the preseason finale, giving extra snaps to some of those players fighting for one of the final roster spots. And that decision proved to be valuable last night.
Here are five takeaways from the Titans' preseason finale against the Bears.
There will be hard decisions at running back
While Kalel Mullings will likely be placed on injured reserve, the rest of the running back room and final makeup will force some tough decisions. Tennessee’s rushing attack looked solid all preseason, and multiple backs have made a case for a roster spot. Tony
Pollard, Tyjae Spears, and Nick Singleton appear to be locks, but between Michael Carter, Julius Chestnut, and D’Ernest Johnson, there are likely at least two of them who will not make the final 53 and have played well enough to make a case. Chestnut seems to have a leg up due to his special teams value, but that is even by a razor-thin margin.
Xavier Restrepo needs to be on the 53-man roster
Restrepo may not add a lot on special teams, but throughout the offseason and in training camp, he has proved to be a viable threat for the offense. Restrepo was arguably the Titans' best receiver against the Bears, leading the team with four receptions for 71 yards, and came up with a play when the Titans’ sputtering offense needed it. Likely competing with special teams standout Bryce Oliver for one of the final spots, he has shown enough in camp to warrant a place on the roster.
Anthony Hill Jr. is the future
Hill ran the show as the Mike linebacker on Saturday and continued to show growth throughout the game, coordinating the defense for Robert Saleh and Gus Bradley. The rookie linebacker flashed both his aggressiveness and athleticism and is a difference-maker, and those traits are worth living with in the lineup as he gains experience. Cody Barton should be worried.
Cornerback depth may be an issue
Tennessee did not play starters Alontae Taylor and Cor’Dale Flott against the Bears, and the reserves look shaky at best. With Joshua Williams (pec) a question mark heading into the regular season, general manager Mike Borgonzi may need to be monitoring the waiver wire to add some depth from outside of the organization.
Was this a Will Levis swansong?
Will Levis started and played the entire first half against the Bears and was inconsistent, finishing 14-of-22 for 143 yards. This was an uneven performance. Levis did show some growth with touch and ball placement, but the offense felt a bit out of sync for most of the half. No one knows how many quarterbacks Tennessee will keep, and those final numbers will be the deciding factor in his future in Nashville. If they decide to keep only two, this was a fitting end to an inconsistent career with the Titans.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: 5 takeaways from Tennessee Titans' 24-15 loss to Chicago Bears
