What can Nate Davis do to help Titans' offensive line?

The answer is the Titans won't know until they see their third-round pick in a game, which could be soon

Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today Sports

Change is coming to the Tennessee Titans’ offensive line. The question is, when?

It is certain that Taylor Lewan’s four-game suspension ends after Sunday’s game at Atlanta and that he will reclaim his spot at left tackle beginning next Monday.

This week, though, coaches will consider whether they could and/or should make a switch at right guard, where Jamil Douglas struggled to such a degree last Thursday at Jacksonville that he was pulled in the second half.

Aaron Stinnie, an undrafted free agent in 2018, replaced Douglas against the Jaguars. Nate Davis, a third-round selection in this year’s draft, will get serious consideration this week.

“I would say that he’s going to have every opportunity to continue to develop, and we’ll see where he’s at at the end of the week,” coach Mike Vrabel said Wednesday when asked about this year’s 82 overall selection.

The Titans expected Davis, who is 6-foot-3, 316 pounds, to compete for the job in training camp. He was injured at the end of the first week, though, missed the entire preseason and only recently returned to full activity.

He has yet to play in the regular season.

So it’s fair to wonder how much he has learned, how refined is his technique at this point and how much – if at all – he can help things for an offensive line that has allowed more sacks (17) than any other and has the second-lowest yards-per-carry average among the NFL’s top 12 rushing offenses.

Even those in charge can’t say for sure.

“The only way that you can see … was the [preseason] games,” Vrabel said. “In some of these practices, there’s one padded practice a week. Those are difficult things. So, we’re going to have to try to get him ready to go as soon as we possibly can, and I’m hopeful that that’s this week.”

If it happens (or if anyone other than Douglas is at right guard for the first snap Sunday in Atlanta) this will be the fourth time in five years the Titans have made one or more changes – for whatever reason – along the offensive line within the first four games.

Last season included a different starting five in each of the first three games. In 2016, Josh Kline took over for Chance Warmack at right guard in Week 3 and in 2015 a change in Week 3 (Jamon Meredith for Warmack at right guard) was the first of many during a season in which the Titans started three different players at center, left guard and right tackle an two each at right guard and left tackle.

“Nate is going to continue to work,” offensive lineman Arthur Smith said. “There’s a plan in place for him. … Hopefully, Nate continues to have progress and we’ll see when the time is right.

“(He) has missed a lot of time. It’s unfortunate and you have different moving pieces. … As we get going, as Nate works himself back in we’ll see. It all could change week to week.”

And this could be the week the changes start.