NASHVILLE – Training camp is officially in the books for the Tennessee Titans.
Yes, the team still has a preseason game to go – on Friday night vs the Patriots.
Yes, it's still over two weeks before the start of the regular season – on September 10 at the New Orleans Saints.
But the Titans have concluded the training camp portion of the schedule, with 13 open practices, two joint practices against the Vikings, and two preseason games, in their rear-view mirror.
Here's a look at five things that I know, and don't know, on August 24, heading into the team's preseason finale:
I KNOW …
-DeAndre Hopkins sure looks like he's capable of playing at a high level. The Titans signed the five-time Pro Bowler before training camp, and the talented receiver has used practices to remind everyone why he's been regarded as one of the NFL's best at his position for years.
-Safety Amani Hooker had the best training camp of his career. Hooker, heading into his fifth season, led the defense with five interceptions in 13 practices, and he was regularly around the football. Hooker's pairing alongside Kevin Byard should be a good one in 2023.
-The defense is poised to have a good year. Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry and Arden Key were disruptive during camp, and the return of Harold Landry makes the unit even better. Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has fit in nicely, and Kristian Fulton and Roger McCreary, in addition to the previously mentioned Hooker, had great camps as well.
-The Titans are going to be good at running back. I'm not going to doubt running back Derrick Henry until he gives me a reason to, and at 29, he's looked like the same guy to me. Also, rookie running back Tyjae Spears has a unique skill set the team can take advantage of.
-The Titans are going to be a physical football team. This is what Mike Vrabel's teams have been about, and new GM Ran Carthon has brought in more players to carry out the mission. We've seen physicality in training camp practices, and we saw it on the practice fields in Minnesota. On both sides of the football, the Titans are built to be bullies.
I DON'T KNOW …
-Who the team's kicker is going to end up being. After giving Caleb Shudak and Trey Wolff a run at the job, the Titans waived both players and signed Michael Badgley this week. Badgley had a bad day on Tuesday, then a good day on Wednesday. His signing came with no roster spot guarantees, however. He needs to make kicks.
-How good – or shaky – the offensive line will be at the start of the season. Let's be honest: The starting group – LT Andre Dillard, LG Peter Skoronski, C Aaron Brewer, RG Daniel Brunskill, and RT Chris Hubbard – hasn't played together a whole lot. Nicholas Petit-Frere's suspension threw a wrench into things, and the group is still building chemistry. The Titans are set to begin the season with four new starters up front. We'll find out a lot more in September.
-If Treylon Burks is going to be ready for the start of the regular season, or exactly what the team's receiving corps will look like for Week 1. The Titans have unfortunately suffered injuries at the position of late, losing Burks and Kyle Philips, and that's complicated things behind Hopkins, Chris Moore and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. It will lead to some interesting roster decisions next week.
-What's going to happen at QB behind Ryan Tannehill. At this point I feel like the Titans are going to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. Malik Willis earned the No.2 reps he got during training camp, but what will things look like moving forward? Because I've also seen improvement from Will Levis as well. The football team has some things to consider here.
-What the 53-man roster is going to look like exactly. The Titans currently have 90 players on the team, and they have to trim to 53 players by Tuesday. Injuries have complicated things of late, along with the play of some surging youngsters (that's a good problem). Still, the Titans have some tough decisions to make between now and then.
