NASHVILLE – The Titans face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2 of the preseason on Saturday night at Nissan Stadium.
Here's a look at six things to watch in the contest:
Malik Willis
Willis will get his biggest opportunity of the offseason on Saturday night when he lines up as the team's starter. Willis worked with the 2s in portions of practice against the Seahawks, and he'll get the chance to start the game as the team rests its starters, including quarterback Will Levis. Willis was the third QB to play in last week's preseason opener, and he completed 5-of-7 passes for 38 yards while running four times for 42 yards. In 11 training camp practices, Willis has completed 74-of-116 passes (63.8 %), with three interceptions. While Willis has shown improvement, Mason Rudolph has been even better, and he's completed 106-of-131 passes (80.9 %) with two picks in practices. Can Willis shine vs Seattle?
Battle Up Front
The Titans have had a lot of movement here during camp while trying to finalize a starting five. After the (current) first-team offensive line got a lot of work in the joint practices, the team's back-ups will have a chance to make a case for why they deserve to be on the roster – or potentially in the line-up. Since Dillon Radunz worked primarily with the 1s in the joint practices, I'd be surprised if he plays on Saturday night. But Andrew Rupcich, who has worked with the 1s in some practices at right guard, will have an opportunity to continue showing the progress he's made.
Chance Campbell
Third-year linebacker Chance Campbell's biggest problem to date has been his inability to stay healthy. This offseason, Campbell has stayed on the field and made plays – Campbell had eight tackles, an interception and a sack in the preseason opener last week vs the 49ers, and he recorded another interception in the joint practices vs Seattle. Can Campbell keep surging, and enhance his chance of making the roster, or earn more playing time?
Mason Kinsey, Jha'Quan Jackson Et Al
DeAndre Hopkins remains out, and Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd won't play in this one either. So that opens the door for others to shine. Mason Kinsey has been very productive in camp, with 21 catches in the 7-on-7 and team drills combined. By my count, only one receiver has more. Jha'Quan Jackson has been surging of late, while Nick Westbrook-Ikhine remains steady. After suffering a setback on Thursday, Kyle Philips isn't expected to play. But others, including Kearis Jackson and Bryce Oliver and Sam Schnee, should get plenty of work.
Back-up Running Backs
Julius Chestnut has made a living in preseason games in the past because he's had an opportunity to showcase his skills with plenty of playing time. Chestnut will be back in the mix again on Saturday night while aiming to claim the RB3 job behind Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears. Hassan Haskins has his sights set on that job as well, though, and his reputation on special teams gives him a boost. Meanwhile, former University of Tennessee back Jabari Small hopes to show off some of the things he's done in camp.
The Hunger Games
Titans Coach Brian Callahan was pretty transparent about his plan for preseason Game No. 2. "No, the starters won't play," Callahan said. "Maybe a couple of guys that play. But our starters will not play. Obviously, two really hard, physical, heavy days of work for them (this week). No reason to put them in the game. You should not expect to see many starters, if any at all." The Seahawks are expected to take a similar approach to the contest. What that means is you'll see a bunch of hungry players on the field at Nissan Stadium, scratching and clawing to impress their own teams, and everyone else across the league.
