George Walker IV/The Tennessean via AP, Pool
The battle for No. 3
As we already mentioned, the Titans have to figure out who will be the first man off the bench at outside linebacker when Dupree and Landry need a breather. Competing for that role will be Weaver and Adeniyi.
A 2021 fourth-round pick, Weaver flashed his pass-rush skills during the preseason last year, notching 1.5 sacks against the Atlanta Falcons.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see much more of Weaver, as he suffered a broken fibula that limited him to just two games. Weaver has been hard at work since and received praise for it by outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow.
“He became a student of the game,” Crow said of Weaver, via Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “We stayed in touch, and he was in and out of the building and we were able to watch cut-ups and send him cut-ups and just talk through some things. It was actually very beneficial because some of the stuff that’s not scheme-related, not talking about game plan, just stuff that he can focus on kind of as a young player of how to develop that he’s brought now that he’s back on the field.”
In Florida Straight To The Work!! @Bud_Dupree @RashadWeaver pic.twitter.com/fGIgIQtStY
— Coach LaAllan Clark (@LC_SUTrenches) July 13, 2022
On the other side of the battle is Adeniyi, who is better known for his work on special teams. However, Adeniyi did flash as a pass-rusher in 2021 with 2.5 sacks.
Adeniyi has the advantage in experience here, but Weaver figures to present more upside as a pass-rusher, although the jury is still very much out on him. We believe Adeniyi could see more snaps early on, but Weaver should supplant him at some point.
Will there be a No. 5?
If we had to guess, we’d say the Titans will carry four outside linebackers, which means guys like Lawler and Anenih are battling for a spot on the practice squad.
If the Titans do carry a fifth, Lawler is the favorite to grab that role over Anenih thanks to his experience, but Anenih is no slouch after having finished his collegiate career with 20.5 sacks over five years.
Both players will have to show out on special teams if they want to grab one of the last remaining spots on Tennessee’s 53-man roster.
