The New Pantheon.

[Soapy]

Rookie Zach Rice earns himself some reps with the starting unit following debut
You probably didn't notice center Zach Rice in the preseason opener against the Detroit Lions and for a rookie offensive lineman, that's as good as it gets.

Rice, the Titans' top draft pick this past offseason, played 35 snaps with the second team and didn't surrender a pressure. On Monday, veteran Garrett Bradbury was the first one out there at center with Cam Ward and the rest of the first team offense but Rice, for the first time, rotated in with the first team as well.

Titans head coach Steve Jackson said that onlookers shouldn't look too closely at rotations this early in camp but did note that Rice's performance was promising.

"We don't play [Chargers] for another month," Jackson said of the depth chart, "Where you are today and where you are when we play [the Chargers] are two different things so right now, it's just about being consistent, getting better and making the most of your opportunities when you do earn them."

The third round pick is an impressive athlete whose physical body type stands out in comparison to Bradbury and Jon Gaines, the other centers on the roster. Rice is six-foot-five and listed at 320 pounds compared to Bradbury, one of the lighter centers in the league.

Bradbury was signed in free agency after the Titans traded away Lloyd Cushenberry and entered camp as the presumed starter and a bridge until Rice is ready as the prospect of a rookie center, the nucleus of an offensive line, might be unnerving.

The Titans have a young offensive line with a first time starter at left tackle (23), a fifth-year player at left guard (26), a second-year starter at right guard (23) and a fourth-year starter at right tackle (24). Bradbury brings that veteran experience but if Rice keeps up this play, he might be undeniable.

[Captain Canada]

Don't think I'll truly ever like the Titans jersey. Thought Jefferson might rectify that but, nah.

[redsox907]

Don't think I'll truly ever like the Titans jersey. Thought Jefferson might rectify that but, nah.

I'm with you. Just off jerseys all together.

Respect to feeding your boy X to keep him

[ShireNiner]

I'm different, I like the jerseys. I like the light and dark blue mix.

[djp73]

Hard to beat a young, good offensive line

[The JZA]

Jayden about to crash out Calm down, it's just the preseaon bro

[Soapy]

Don't think I'll truly ever like the Titans jersey. Thought Jefferson might rectify that but, nah.

I'm with you. Just off jerseys all together.

Respect to feeding your boy X to keep him

I'm different, I like the jerseys. I like the light and dark blue mix.

They definitely give FUBU/Ross vibes but they've grown on me, especially the light blue

Hard to beat a young, good offensive line

idk about good but certainly young. we'll see how Rice does with some first team reps

Jayden about to crash out Calm down, it's just the preseaon bro

he took FLIGHT! he needs to make that roster

[Soapy]

Riley Patterson denies Titans comeback victory with walk-off field goal as Cardinals escape
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Darian Mensah rushed for nine yards and threw for 23 yards in less than twenty seconds as the Cardinals held off the Tennessee Titans' comeback efforts, setting up Riley Patterson's game winning 57-yard field goal as time expired to win 40-38 on Friday.

The Titans had rallied from a 21-0 deficit after a slow start from both their offense and defense, including a fumble from Ja'Kobi Lane and an interception from Cam Ward that resulted in a touchdown. Ward was able to engineer a touchdown drive on his final drive, aided by a 51-yard completion to Xavier Restrepo who caught a two-yard touchdown on the very next play to make it 21-7 and begin the Titans' comeback efforts.

Ward finished the game 7 of 14 for 135 yards with a touchdown and interception apiece. Murray threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns with the aforementioned interceptions.

The comeback, which peaked with Alonzo Barnett's touchdown run in the fourth with twenty seconds left to take the lead, was aided by a few splash plays like Roger McCreary and Jermaine Matthews each intercepting Kyler Murray in the second quarter and a 52-yard touchdown from undrafted rookie Jaivian Thomas, who would later fumble the football which was returned for a touchdown.



A mixed bag for the rookies
Zach Rice got some run with the first team offensive line, coming in on the third drive of the game before leaving with an upper body injury. In his snaps, Rice was solid, especially in the running game where there was a noticeable improvement in his ability to move defenders compared to the smaller Garrett Bradbury.

Injuries also played a factor for undrafted free agent Jayden Gibson who, when Justin Jefferson left with an apparent chest injury, it was Gibson who replaced him with the first team offense. Gibson practically played the whole game, leading the way with 59 snaps. While Jefferson's injury was minor, the fact that Gibson got in so early and was kept in is a good sign for his chances to make the roster. Gibson had three catches for 51 yards and continues to impress.

An injury to Josh Conerly Jr, which is also not expected to keep him sidelined, also saw Malik Agbo play a lot of snaps at left tackle although to varying success. It's clear that the 285-pound rookie is not ready to be an every down player currently and will benefit from a redshirt year.

Someone that might not have that luxury is Rasheem Biles who continues to struggle as he makes the transition to safety. Biles played more snaps at linebacker in the second half, especially when Whit Weeks exited the game with an ankle injury and he had two pass breakups, a tackle for loss and a sack so ideally, that might be where he should play but he also struggled against taking on blocks when asked to play in the second level so the experiment at safety is likely to continue.

Injury report could mean a dud of a finale
Titans head coach Steve Jackson seemed confident that the slate of injuries picked up against Cardinals were of the minor variety with Jefferson, Weeks and Conerly all remaining in pads and being back on the sideline. Still, several players were dinged up and with the regular season opener rounding the corner, we could see a more conservative approach to Thursday's preseason finale against New Orleans.

A few players that might be slated for some R&R this week include running back Jam Miller (chest) who had a nice showing, leading the team in rushing as Mark Fletcher had the night off. Receiver/return specialist Deion Burks left the game with an apparent ankle injury which for roster purposes could be one to watch. Burks, along with Restrepo and Gibson, are fighting for that sixth receiver spot and while Gibson and Restrepo lead the team in receiving, Burks has yet to catch a pass. If he misses the finale, while Gibson and/or Restrepo shines, it's yet another case for them to make the roster over him.

[djp73]

Always intriguing juggling those last 6 or 8 roster spots