Titans flex their waiver wire position on defense: the four most likely placeholders for the final 53-man roster

Roster cutdown day in the NFL is this Tuesday, August 26th. The deadline for the Tennessee Titans to choose the 53-man roster they want to enter the season with is 3:00pm CST that afternoon. If you missed the offensive edition of my final roster prediction, you can read it by clicking here. In this article, you'll find every last insider nugget I've gathered from training camp on who will make Tennessee's defensive and special teams active roster:

Ground Rules

• Boldedplayers are roster locks
• Italicized players are "placeholders": Mike Borgonzi is actively looking for somebody on the waiver wire to replace you with
• Players in standard text aren't placeholders... but the front office is flipping through the brochure of options to replace you with once or twice anyways
• Listed order in each room is roughly the projected Week 1 depth chart order unless otherwise specified
• The number of potential practice squad inclusions exceeds the 16 spots you get to fill. I won't pretend to know exactly how that part is going to shake out, especially since a number of the guys who end up on it are liable to be from other teams' cuts. So I'm just mentioning anybody I have reason to believe could get a spot.

Defensive Line

1. Jeffery Simmons
2. T'Vondre Sweat
3. Sebastian Joseph-Day
4. James Lynch
5. Carlos Watkins

Let me begin by saying that the defensive side of this roster projection is a whole lot harder than the offensive side. That's primarily because, frankly, the depth on this side of the fence is pretty brutal. Of the 25 offensive players I included in my final prediction, 21 of them are roster locks. Of the 25 defensive players we're about to talk about, only 16 of them are locks. that means by my count, nine defensive roster spots are pretty replaceable. And as explained in the ground rules above, I see a couple of these roster spots as mere "placeholders". I count four, to be exact. And all of them are on the defensive side of the ball.

Simmons, Sweat, and Joseph-Day are no-brainer locks. They are your starters in an odd-man front. James Lynch played honorably in 2024, and has endeared himself to this staff. I expect him to make the team as DL4, though he could possibly be replaced. And Carlos Watkins probably sticks around initially as well, though I think they'll actively look for viable DL depth for that spot on the waiver wire.

If I'm wrong about DL5 or they end up keeping a DL6, keep an eye on rookie UDFA Cam Horsley. He's had himself a good camp, and they seem to see a role for him. He'll end up on the practice squad at least, and I think fellow rookie UDFA Isaiah Raikes was playing well enough to join him before getting hurt last weekend.

Edge Rusher

1. Dre'Mont Jones
2. Arden Key
3. Femi Oladejo
4. Jihad Ward
5. Ali Gaye

Outside of the Titans top three EDGEs, I see everybody as replaceable here. Jihad Ward was added in the middle of August, and Ali Gaye is quite the useful special teamer but doesn't bring a ton as a rusher. I think they end up keeping five in this room, but I won't buy who the depth is until opening day. They need upgrades here, somehow, someway. Gaye would make a nice special teamer if cut, and Desmond Evans is the other player I could see them keeping there.

Linebacker

1. Cody Barton
2. James Williams
3. Cedric Gray
4. Curtis Jacobs

All four of the "placeholder" spots on the 53-man roster are in the defensive box, with the last one being LB4. I think the latitude in this room is four or five linebackers on the initial roster, but I'm predicting they'll just keep four. The reality of this room for a couple weeks now has been Cody Barton, James Williams, Cedric Gray, and then a bunch of roster churn. Nobody competing for that fourth or fifth linebacker spot seems to be anything more than a special teams impact.

I think Curtis Jacobs is who ends up getting the initial nod from that group competing for LB4, but I could see them liking newly-acquired Brian Asamoah as well. This is one of the positions on this projection I feel the least confident about. I considered putting [READERS CHOICE] in that spot, but where's the fun in that? Please just know that it's how I feel. Either Jacobs or Asamoah could make good practice squad additions, should they fail to make the roster. This is another spot I definitely think they'll comb the waiver wire for.

Cornerback

1. L'Jarius Sneed
2. Jarvis Brownlee Jr.
3. Roger McCreary
4. Marcus Harris
5. Darrell Baker Jr.
6. Gabe Jeudy-Lally

I count four locks in the cornerback room: the three starters, and rookie 6th Round draft pick Marcus Harris. Harris has come along nicely the past couple weeks, which is fantastic news for a Titans secondary that desperately needs depth. Darrell Baker Jr. has been the presumed backup option behind L'Jarius Sneed for some time, after playing a lot in his stead last season. But he's waned near the end of camp, and while I do expect him to make this team, I can't quite call him a lock any longer.

Then there's CB6, which is a position I'm not even sure they'll keep on the initial roster. If the do keep a sixth, though, I think 2nd year UDFA Gabe Jeudy-Lally will get the nod. He's been the direct backup to Roger McCreary in the slot this month, and I thought he played pretty well in Atlanta. He could be a roster math casualty in the end, though, in which case I'd expect him to land on the practice squad. I also think it's dealers choice between the three UDFA rookies in this room who've shown flashes in camp when it comes to practice squad picks: Clarence Lewis, Jermari Harris, or Davion Ross could wind up getting that call.

Safety

1. Amani Hooker
2. Xavier Woods
3. Quandre Diggs
4. Kevin Winston Jr.
5. Mike Brown

This is a position I think you'll see some serious disagreement on amongst those of us covering the team. Particularly, what do we make of Quandre Diggs' standing on this roster? Some think he's just around as a public tryout or as a favor, to check up on his little cousin Cam Ward before landing with another team in an elevated role. Diggs was a starter last year before getting hurt, after all. And once rookie Kevin Winston Jr. gets back up to speed, he'll likely fall to S4 on the depth chart.

But clearly, I do not think he's going anywhere. Diggs was brought in as Winston insurance once they shut him down for ACL recovery management, and that's why I have Diggs ahead of Winston on the depth chart for the time being. This will change once Winston comes back and gets going, because he's the future at this position in Tennessee. But in the meantime, Diggs will be very useful. And, as one coach put it to me this month, safeties always get hurt. Diggs' presence keeps the team from being one injury away from meaningful reps from players primarily on the roster to play special teams.

Mike Brown is one such player, who I believe will make this roster for his usefulness as the personal protector on punt team amongst other roles. Behind him, Kendall Brooks and Julius Woods could wind up on the practice squad.

Specialists

• LS Morgan Cox
• K Joey Slye
• P Johnny Hekker

Morgan Cox isn't going anywhere. I don't think Slye or Hekker are either... but I'm not ruling it out. Especially at the kicking position, I'm going to keep a keen eye on the losers of some active kicking competitions around the league next week. I believe the Titans will be doing the same.