Position Battle Spotlight: In The Middle And Behind The Line

While the Tennessee Titans likely have one inside linebacker set, there appears to be good competition between multiple players for the other spot on the inside for the defense.

Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

NASHVILLE -  Azeez Al-Shaair, joined the Tennessee Titans as a free agent and has settled into a role as one of the two likely starters at inside linebacker this season. However, there is solid competition between multiple players to join the former undrafted free agent from Central Michigan.    

Monty Rice, the former Georgia standout, who the Titans selected in the third round of the 2021 draft, and Jack Gibbens, who was signed as a free agent in 2022 after his career at the University of Minnesota, have each seen reps with the first unit through the first two days of practice that have been open to the media.     

Gibbens took most of the snaps with that first unit on Friday, while Rice took most during the team's portion on Saturday. 

THE CANDIDATES  

Monty Rice: Rice entered the offseason as the presumed leader to land the spot beside Al-Shaair, but he has had a stuff challenge and must continue to work and improve to make those predictions a reality.  

Jack Gibbens: The man they call Dr. GIbby, is just one of those guys who might not be the biggest, fastest, or strongest, but he is a throwback, old-school, hard-nosed player who has a nose for the football and understands defense. 

Following Saturday's practice, I spoke with Al-Shaair about the competition to join him in the starting lineup.

"I think it's been good rotating many different guys," said Al-Shaair. "Everybody's getting some work, and we're all competing, and this is only our third day of practice, so it's early on, so there's no real depth chart or anything like that."

"We're just trying to get better, and I challenge the guys every day, like focus on one or two things that you messed up on the day before, and make that your key focus, start you a list, move on to the next day, and by the time you've filled all these blocks you'll be ready for the season."    

While not likely factoring into the competition for a starting spot, at least at this point to join Al-Shaair, Luck Gifford, Chance Campbell, Otis Reese, and Thomas Rush are all competing for a place on the 53-man roster. 

Gifford is likely set, as he was signed as a free agent because of his ability on special teams. Meanwhile, Campbell, a favorite of some of the coaches, will continue to compete with Reese and Rush, with the latter two most likely looking for a place on the practice squad. However, that could change as we move forward, depending on how they perform throughout training camp.   

Related stories on training camp

• TRAINING CAMP TIDBITS FROM FRIDAY: Here are some tidbits of day three of Titans training camp. CLICK HERE
• POSITION BATTLE SPOTLIGHT AT RIGHT TACKLE: Who stepped into the opening at right tackle in the wake of the six-game suspension of Nicholas Petit-Frere? CLICK HERE
• HAROLD LANDRY 'EXCITED FOR SURE' TO BE BACK ON THE PRACTICE FIELD WITH THE TITANS: Harold Landry was visibly excited when speaking with the media on Friday. That excitement comes from his return to the field after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. CLICK HERE