Tennessee Titans Make Changes on OL in Wake of Injuries, Dillard Back to LT
The Tennessee Titans offensive line has been a revolving door for most of the year. Whether you want to look at that as analysis on the injuries or the blocking, the analogy still holds. That will be the case again in Week 12 as the Titans will re-make their starting group again, with little chance it is an improvement.
According to head coach Mike Vrabel, with starting right tackle Chris Hubbard expected to be out for the foreseeable future, the Titans will put Andre Dillard back at left tackle and move Dillon Radunz to right tackle.
Radunz has played all over the line, but after injuries to Dillard himself and Nicholas Petit-Frere, Radunz has been playing on the left side. Radunz getting bumped to right tackle though is a way to keep him in the starting lineup for the rest of the season.
Expect Peter Skoronski at left guard, Aaron Brewer at center, Daniel Brunskill at right guard and Radunz at right tackle. That leaves out left tackle though, which could and should be more interesting.
As mentioned before, Andre Dillard, who has been out with a concussion, is expected back in practice and at left tackle this week, but should that mean he gets his starting left tackle job back? I say not so fast.
Dillard is currently the worst starting offensive lineman in the NFL if you subscribe to Pro Football Focus' data. Dillard has allowed the most sacks in the NFL(10) and allowed the second-most pressures(36) He has been the biggest weakness on the line all season.
In his place, the Titans should be turning to rookie Jaelyn Duncan. Duncan was drafted in the sixth round out of Maryland in this year's NFL draft and was expected to be a development project. However, Duncan played reasonably well against Jacksonville when injuries forced him in at right tackle.
Duncan played 25 snaps and gave up zero pressures and zero sacks. He didn't have a ton of opportunities and only had a handful of isolated pass-blocking assignments, but still held his own. Something we know Dillard can't do.
If the Titans were wise, they would prioritize their future and let Duncan get a chance the rest of the way. Dillard is a sunk cost and a lotto ticket that didn't hit. While Duncan's play may not be an improvement, it is hard to do worse than Dillard has so far this season.
Titans-Jaguars Related Stories
- CHRIS HUBBARD INJURY: The Tennessee Titans offensive line has been a major weakness all season, but it just got worse. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, starting right tackle Chris Hubbard will be out the rest of the season with a biceps injury. CLICK HERE
- VRABEL CALLS JAGS BETTER TEAM: The Tennessee Titans took an embarrassing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday and it seems head coach Mike Vrabel decided to state the obvious on Monday, admitting the Jaguars are the better team with better coaching. CLICK HERE
- TITANS LOSE 34-14: The Tennessee Titans continue to look like one of the worst teams in the NFL each week with their most recent letdown coming in a 20-point loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11. CLICK HERE
