3 initial 53-man roster Titans who could be sacrificed for waiver claims

The Tennessee Titans named their initial 53-man roster on Sunday evening. Among the bigger surprises, veteran guard Cordell Volson and wide receiver Bryce Oliver got cut. Fan favorite Xavier Restrepo was among the inclusions, and defensive end Truman Jones was another surprise.

The roster isn’t finalized. The Titans own the fourth spot in the waiver wire priority. Transactions will be processed on Monday at 12 noon ET. We’ve identified three Titans players at risk of immediately losing their roster spot.

Titans fans were disappointed to see Austin Deculus make the initial roster. The veteran swing tackle was absolutely dreadful throughout training camp and the preseason. Despite playing against backups, Deculus allowed three sacks and was terrible in pass protection. Imagine if he had to play against regular-season starters. The Titans desperately need to find an upgrade via the waiver wire process. Former Titan Oli Udoh and Tank Lichtenhan qualify as potential options.

Analyzing the entire 53-man roster, Garrett Dellinger is arguably the biggest surprise inclusion. He garnered little-to-no fan hype during training camp and the preseason. The Titans even kept him over Volson, who plays the same guard position and had guaranteed money on his contract. It’s a heartwarming story for Dellinger, but the Titans could be considering him a placeholder for an upcoming waiver claim at cornerback. Do they need him, Jackson Slater, and Pat Coogan? Probably not.

Jerrick Reed II was among the slightly surprising defensive backs. He made the roster over guys like Keydrain Calligan, Mario Goodrich III, and Bishop Fitzgerald. Kendell Brooks was waived-injured, and could have taken this roster spot if he was healthy. Reed is an experienced special teams player, and he’s currently the fourth safety. We might be wrong by including him on this list. Perhaps Mike Borgonzi will identify a safety upgrade via waivers.