Titans’ Jackson Slater To Compete At RG
The Titans are returning three-fifths of their starting offensive line with left tackle Dan Moore Jr., left guard Peter Skoronski, and right tackle JC Latham returning to their 2025 posts.
Gone are center Lloyd Cushenberry and right guard Kevin Zeitler, leaving two major holes in front of second-year quarterback Cam Ward.
Austin Schlottmann is likely atop the depth chart at center. He signed a two-year, $7MM deal to come to Tennessee this offseason from New York, where he played under Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll for the past two years.
Right guard is less clear. The Titans signed former Bengals starter Cordell Volson in free agency, but all 48 of his career starts came at left guard. He also did not play in 2025 due to season-ending shoulder surgery.
The only returning Titan who took any right guard snaps last year is Jackson Slater, a 2025 fourth-round pick. The 22-year-old played more than 95% of his college snaps at Sacramento State at left guard, but he played on both sides in the preseason and right guard for his lone regular season appearance.
Head coach Robert Saleh said (via veteran Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky) that Slater would be competing at right guard this year as well, indicating the second-year lineman has a path to the starting job opposite Skoronski.
Titans’ OL Far From Set
The Titans’ offensive line is most likely set on the outside with right tackle JC Latham and left tackle Dan Moore Jr. returning from last year’s starting lineup, and they’ll be joined by left guard Peter Skoronski, who had a breakout 2025 campaign. After the Titans released center Lloyd Cushenberry III and allowing veteran guard Kevin Zeitler‘s contract to expire, though, the other inside spots are far less secure at this point.
According to ESPN’s Turron Davenport, former Bengals starter Cordell Volson and 2025 fifth-round pick Jackson Slater will battle for the starting right guard job. Volson presumably has the inside track on the job after spending nearly three years as a starter on the left side in Cincinnati. He shouldn’t have any issue switching sides since he started games at left tackle, right tackle, and right guard in his college years at North Dakota State.
Slater’s collegiate experience at Sacramento State came all on the left side, as did his only snaps on offense for the Titans in his rookie year, which all came in a meaningless Week 18 matchup. Davenport believes Day 3 additions from this year’s draft — fifth-round Arkansas guard Fernando Carmona and sixth-round Indiana center Pat Coogan — could also factor into the competition of this battle. Carmona started three years at left tackle in Fayetteville before making the move to left guard for the Razorbacks, and Coogan started a year at left guard for Notre Dame two years before transferring to the Hoosiers.
Tennessee also signed interior swingman Austin Schlottmann back in early March, but he appears to be the favorite to win the starting center job — even though he has never held an NFL role as a full-time starter. Over his eight years in the league, Schlottmann has only started 18 of 85 game appearances. He started six games at right guard and one at center over three years in Denver, seven games at center over the next two in Minnesota, and four games at center for the Giants last year after only appearing in one game in 2024.
Schlottmann’s competition for the center job is currently former Bengal Trey Hill and Coogan. Hill, originally a sixth-round pick himself, hasn’t started an NFL game since his rookie year in 2021 and has only appeared in one game in the past three seasons — a three-snap special teams appearance in 2024. Coogan is joining his third team in as many years after transferring from Notre Dame to Indiana for a championship run last year. Following his season at left guard, Coogan started a season at center for the Fighting Irish before snapping the ball for a year to the Heisman-winning No. 1 overall pick, Fernando Mendoza.
Despite Coogan’s success on paper, he was a Day 3 pick for a reason. With his general size and strength, he looks the part of an NFL center, but he projects as a backup early on, until he can be a bit more disciplined with his pad level. Hill has been relegated to a practice squad role in recent years, and it’s hard to picture him making Week 1 his first start in five years. The job appears to be Schlottmann’s at the moment.
The inside tracks for Volson and Schlottmann could be altered if the roster continues to change, and it doesn’t sound like the team is done making adjustments. Following the draft, Titans assistant general manager Dave Ziegler told the press (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk), “There’s a level of competition that’s still going to be taking place there…we’ll continue to look to improve. Free agency is over and the draft is over, but there’s still an element of different areas of the team we will continue to add competition to. Offensive line will be one of those positions.”
Having seen so little of a new group that has such limited experience, OC Brian Daboll is far from making any decisions. While he claims to like what he’s seeing from the guys that have come in and gotten to work so far, he knows they’re far away from playing meaningful football in pads, and they’ll learn more when those days come along. For now, they’ll continue to develop and compete, but concerning the starting five, “all that will play itself out come training camp,” as Daboll puts it.
AFC Contract Details: Titans, Hawkins, Ravens, Flacco, Bengals, Browns, Broncos, Colts, Patriots
Here are the latest details from contracts agreed to around the AFC, with many coming out of Nashville:
- Daniel Bellinger, TE (Titans). Three years, $24MM. Bellinger secured $14MM guaranteed at signing, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. This covers $4.91MM of Bellinger’s $5.94MM 2027 base salary, per OverTheCap.
- Jaylinn Hawkins, S (Ravens). Two years, $10MM. Hawkins landed $5MM guaranteed at signing, per Wilson. None of Hawkins’ 2027 compensation is guaranteed.
- Jacob Martin, DE (Titans). Two years, $9MM. Tennessee authorized $4.5MM fully guaranteed, Wilson tweets. None of Martin’s 2027 compensation is guaranteed.
- Jordan Elliott, DT (Titans). Two years, $8MM. The Titans authorized a $3.24MM guarantee at signing for the former Browns and 49ers D-tackle, Wilson tweets. None of Elliott’s 2027 compensation is guaranteed.
- Austin Schlottmann, OL (Titans). Two years, $7MM. The veteran interior offensive lineman received $2.99MM guaranteed at signing, Wilson tweets. None of Schlottmann’s 2027 compensation is guaranteed.
- Joshua Williams, CB (Titans). Two years, $6.75MM. Like Elliott, Wilson adds Williams secured $3.24MM guaranteed at signing. One of several Chiefs DBs relocating this month, Williams will not see any 2027 guarantees on this deal.
- Joe Flacco, QB (Bengals). One year, $6MM. Flacco’s contract contains $4MM guaranteed, SI.com’s Jay Morrison notes. Generally against void years, the Bengals included two in this contract. Flacco’s cap hit will check in at $3.3MM as a result. Due to the void years, Flacco not being re-signed before the 2027 league year begins will result in a $2.7MM dead money charge. There are $3.5MM in incentives here, Morrison adds. Among the bottom-tier bumps in play, Flacco would see $1MM if he plays 60% of Cincinnati’s offensive snaps in a playoff season. If the Bengals do not make the playoffs and the 19th-year QB plays 60% of the snaps, he would see $250K. More notably, any Bengals win in which Flacco plays at least 60% of the snaps will bring $125K; this incentive has an eight-game cap.
- Durham Smythe, TE (Ravens). One year, $3MM. The former Dolphins and Bears tight end secured $2MM guaranteed at signing, Wilson tweets.
- Daniel Thomas, S (Browns). Two years, $3MM. Thomas landed just more than $1MM fully guaranteed, according to Wilson. No guarantees are in place for 2027.
- Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB (Colts). One year, $2.73MM. This contract includes $1.5MM fully guaranteed, Wilson adds.
- Mo Alie-Cox, TE (Colts). One year, $2.59MM. Like the Lions’ Malcolm Rodriguez deal, this contract is a four-year qualifying offer. It will come with $2.19MM fully guaranteed, Wilson adds. Because this is a four-year qualifying contract, Alie-Cox will count just $1.4MM toward the Colts’ cap.
- Tony Adams, S (Titans). One year, $2.14MM. Among the many former Robert Saleh-era Jets joining the Titans this offseason, Adams will see $1MM fully guaranteed on this deal (via Wilson).
- Kalia Davis, DT (Browns). One year, $2MM. The veteran interior D-lineman secured $1.75MM guaranteed at signing, according to Wilson.
- Corey Bojorquez, P (Browns). One year, $2MM. Bojorquez will see $938K guaranteed at signing on his third Browns contract, according to Wilson.
- Tycen Anderson, S (Broncos). One year, $1.5MM. The only outside Broncos free agent signing thus far, the veteran special-teamer received $650K guaranteed, 9News’ Mike Klis notes.
- James Hudson, T (Patriots). One year, $1.4MM. The Giants jettisoned Hudson’s two-year, $12MM deal months after benching him in Week 2. The New England swing tackle secured $538K guaranteed at signing, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss tweets.
Titans To Sign CB Joshua Williams, Re-Sign LS Morgan Cox
The Chiefs’ three-pack of 2022 cornerback draftees has now departed. After the Trent McDuffie trade and Jaylen Watson defection (both are now Rams), Kansas City will lose Joshua Williams.
Williams is on his way to the Titans, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. For the time being, Williams will rejoin former Chiefs teammate L’Jarius Sneed in Tennessee. Sneed is a release candidate, however, as Williams has agreed to a two-year deal. GM Mike Borgonzi was in Kansas City when the Chiefs drafted Williams in the 2024 fourth round.
Additionally, the Titans have another deal in place with long snapper Morgan Cox. A 16-year NFL veteran, Cox is one of the most accomplished long snappers in NFL history. The 39-year-old specialist is a five-time Pro Bowler. Tennessee has also agreed to terms with veteran interior O-lineman Austin Schlottmann, according to Pelissero. The veteran interior swingman, who played for Brian Daboll with the Giants, is joining Robert Saleh‘s team on a one-year deal.
McDuffie and Watson worked in front of Williams over the past two seasons, but the Steve Spagnuolo piece still played regularly — though, not so much last season. After logging at least a 31% snap share on defense from 2022-24, Williams saw only 17 defensive snaps last season. Even with McDuffie landing on IR late in the year, Williams remained a special-teamer.
Pro Football Focus ranked Williams as a top-25 option at corner in 2023, when he helped the Chiefs (with Borgonzi in the front office) win Super Bowl LVIII. Williams, who intercepted a pass during the 2022 playoffs, played behind McDuffie and Sneed primarily from 2022-23. He did start 12 games over his first three seasons, and the Titans will take what probably amounts to a flier here.
Williams is by far the lowest-profile player among the three corners Tennessee agreed to add Monday. The cap-rich Titans agreed to terms with Alontae Taylor and Cordale Flott. The team did not see its previous expenditures at corner — Sneed, Chidobe Awuzie — pan out, but neither Borgonzi nor Saleh was there for those misses. The contracts given to Taylor and Flott point to a Sneed cut, and the Titans — should the former Super Bowl starter pass a physical — will save more than $13MM in cap space.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/28/24
Saturday’s minor moves, including gameday elevations for Week 17:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: RB Michael Carter, S Andre Chachere
Atlanta Falcons
- Placed on IR: S Antonio Hamilton
- Signed to active roster: LB Josh Woods
- Elevated: CB Lamar Jackson, OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: S Lewis Cine, WR Tyrell Shavers
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: DB Chau Smith-Wade
- Signed to active roster: RB Mike Boone, QB Jack Plummer
- Elevated: DT DeShawn Williams
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: WR CeeDee Lamb (story), CB Amani Oruwariye
- Activated from IR: T Asim Richards
- Signed to active roster: LB Darius Harris
- Elevated: CB Troy Pride Jr., OL Dakoda Shepley
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: S Omar Brown
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: C Erik McCoy, G Lucas Patrick
- Signed to active roster: OL Kyle Hergel, LB Isaiah Stalbird
- Elevated: T Austin Deculus, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: S Raheem Layne (story)
- Activated from IR: OL Austin Schlottmann, DL Armon Watts
- Elevated: OLB Carlos Basham
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: K Greg Zuerlein
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from IR: WR Kameron Johnson, S Jordan Whitehead
- Signed to active roster: P Jack Browning
- Elevated: LB Deion Jones, QB Michael Pratt
- Waived: LB Vi Jones
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: G Arlington Hambright, LB Raekwon McMillan, K Matthew Wright
- Elevated: T Chandler Brewer, DB Gervarrius Owens
- Released: DB Tre Avery, DB Gabe Jeudy-Lally
It was already known Lamb would be out for the remainder of the year, but the same will now be true of Oruwariye. The latter made seven appearances in 2024, his debut Cowboys season. That included four starts and a defensive snap share of 62%, making him a notable contributor on a Dallas defense which has dealt with a number of injuries. Oruwariye, 28, is a pending free agent.
McCoy and Patrick suffered injuries during the Saints’ Week 16 loss, and today’s move confirms they will both miss the remainder of the season. New Orleans’ offensive line has been dealt a number of blows in 2024, and that will continue through the final two games of the season. McCoy appeared in just seven games this year, but plenty of term remains on his pact. Patrick, by contrast, is set to hit the open market this spring.
Whitehead returned to practice earlier this week, so it comes as no surprise he will be available to the Buccaneers tomorrow. He will be expected to reprise his role as a defensive starter as Tampa Bay looks to seal the NFC South over the final two games of the campaign. Bringing back Whitehead and Johnson will leave the team with two IR activations.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/11/24
Wednesday’s minor roster updates:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed to active roster: RB Carlos Washington Jr.
- Placed on IR: RB Jase McClellan
Buffalo Bills
- Designated to return from IR: DT Dawuane Smoot, LB Baylon Spector
Chicago Bears
- Signed off Packers’ practice squad: DT Jonathan Ford
- Placed on IR: WR DeAndre Carter
Cleveland Browns
- Designated to return from IR: DT Mike Hall Jr.
Los Angeles Rams
- Reverted to season-ending IR: G KT Leveston
Miami Dolphins
- Designated to return from IR: WR Grant DuBose
New York Giants
- Signed off Cardinals’ practice squad: CB Divaad Wilson
- Designated to return from IR: OL Austin Schlottmann
- Placed on IR: S Tyler Nubin
New York Jets
- Signed off Colts’ practice squad: CB Jaylin Simpson
- Placed on IR: WR Irvin Charles
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated to return from IR: CB Artie Burns, S K’Von Wallace
It’s unfortunate news for the rookie second-round safety, Nubin. After starting the first 13 games of his first season in the NFL, the top-drafted safety in the 2024 NFL Draft will end the year on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Nubin had graded out as the 34th-best safety in the league, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), before the injury.
Charles will miss the remainer of the season, as well, and perhaps some of next year. The former undrafted receiver will be undergoing surgery for a torn ACL.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/29/24
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed from practice squad: LB Krys Barnes
- Placed on IR: CB Elijah Jones
Carolina Panthers
- Signed from practice squad: TE Jordan Matthews
- Placed on IR: DL Jaden Crumedy
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: RB Trayveon Williams
- Placed on IR: DT McKinnley Jackson
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: T Chuma Edoga (story)
Denver Broncos
- Signed: LB Kristian Welch
- Waived: LB Levelle Bailey
Detroit Lions
- Placed on IR: DL John Cominsky (story)
Green Bay Packers
- Removed from IR via injury settlement: CB Brandon Facyson, RB Jarveon Howard
Las Vegas Raiders
- Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Elerson Smith
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: RB Jaret Patterson
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: OL Conor McDermott
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LS Blake Ferguson
- Placed on IR: S Patrick McMorris
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Curtis Bolton, FB Jakob Johnson
- Placed on IR: OL Austin Schlottmann
- Removed from IR via injury settlement: WR Dennis Houston, OL Jalen Mayfield
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: DT Marlon Tuipulotu
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Julius Welschof
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Kalen DeLoach
Tennessee Titans
- Removed from IR via injury settlement: WR Kyle Philips
Washington Commanders
- Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Keandre Jones, S Ben Nikke
Schlottmann suffered what Brian Daboll called a long-term injury. Elaborating on the injury Schlottmann suffered in practice Wednesday, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes the veteran backup O-lineman will rehab a broken fibula. The injury is expected to shut down the free agency addition for at least two months. No surgery is on tap for Schlottmann. The Giants considering him for activation may depend on their injury situation, as teams only have eight regular-season IR activations. The Giants have seven presently, as they used a summer IR designation on linebacker Matthew Adams on Tuesday.
Giants To Sign Aaron Stinnie, Austin Schlottmann
After signing Jon Runyan Jr. to work as one of their starting guards, the Giants are bringing in options for the other post. Losing 2023 starter Ben Bredeson to the Buccaneers, the Giants will add an ex-Tampa Bay cog.
Aaron Stinnie and Austin Schlottmann are joining the Giants, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. Both players have been spot starters and would stand to represent depth for a Giants team that was decimated up front last season. Schlottmann agreed to a two-year deal.
Stinnie, 30, mostly worked as a backup during his six-season Bucs tenure — save for his work in place of then-starter Alex Cappa during the team’s Super Bowl LV run — and went down with a season-ending injury before the 2022 regular season. Last year, however, the veteran interior lineman started 11 games and was in the lineup for both Bucs postseason contests. Stinnie took over for Matt Feiler; Pro Football Focus placed him in a tie with Runyan, at 47th, among guards last year.
Schlottmann, 28, has made 14 starts over a five-year career spent in Denver and Minnesota. He filled in at center for Garrett Bradbury late in the Vikings’ NFC North-winning 2022 season and started three games last year.
The Vikings would seem to have a combination of five starters comprised of non-Stinnie/Schlottman parts. Of course, it will depend on what the Giants see from Evan Neal. The former No. 7 overall pick has struggled throughout his young NFL career, and rumblings about a move to guard have surfaced. Neal at guard would allow the Giants to play Jermaine Eluemunor — given a two-year, $14MM contract — at right tackle. But if the team is intent on keeping Neal at tackle, Eluemunor would join Stinnie in a potential guard competition.
Vikings Re-Sign OL Austin Schlottmann
The Vikings are bringing back Austin Schlottmann. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the Vikings are re-signing the offensive lineman. Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that Schlottmann will be signing a new one-year contract.
Schlottmann, a 2018 UDFA out of TCU, turned into a dependable backup lineman for the Broncos. He started seven of his 42 games for Denver between 2019 and 2021, and he also contributed a bit on special teams.
The lineman joined the Vikings last offseason and proceeded to appear in 16 games for his new squad, starting four. A broken fibula ended his season in Week 17 and kept him off the field for the postseason. He didn’t grade out all that well from Pro Football Focus, the third-straight season that he’s rated as a bottom-of-the-league lineman.
Apparently, the Vikings saw enough out of Schlottmann to keep him around for another year. Fellow Vikings offensive lineman Oli Udoh is also a free agent, but the team is otherwise looking to return much of their depth from 2022.
Vikings Place RT Brian O’Neill, OL Austin Schlottmann On IR
JANUARY 4: O’Neill is believed to have suffered a partially torn Achilles, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The fifth-year tackle will miss the rest of the season. The partial tear is in addition to the calf injury O’Connell confirmed he sustained, per Andrew Krammer and Randy Johnson of the Star Tribune. O’Neill will undergo surgery.
Coming into this year, O’Neill had never missed an NFL game due to injury. He appears likely to miss some of the Vikings’ 2023 offseason program as well, with O’Connell adding he is hopeful a recovery before the start of next season will commence.
JANUARY 3: The Vikings lost two offensive line starters during a blowout loss to the Packers on Sunday, and both may be done for the season. The team placed right tackle Brian O’Neill and interior O-lineman Austin Schlottmann on IR on Tuesday, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets.
O’Neill left Sunday’s game due to a calf injury Kevin O’Connell called “pretty significant,” while Schlottmann — who had been filling in for injured center Garrett Bradbury — suffered a fractured fibula, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. While it can be safely assumed Schlottmann is done for the season, Tuesday’s transaction will sideline O’Neill for at least four games. Only a Vikings Super Bowl LVII trip could extend the veteran tackle’s season.
The team added former Rams guard Bobby Evans to the practice squad and signed veteran center Greg Mancz to its 53-man roster, but the losses of two starters — particularly O’Neill, who has been a Vikings first-stringer since the early part of his 2018 rookie season — stands to sting for a team that has relied on close wins to reach this perch. The Packers preyed on the Vikes’ vulnerable front in Week 17, a result that knocked the Vikings off their long-held No. 2 spot in the NFC. Minnesota now holds the conference’s No. 3 seed.
Minnesota’s offensive line features five homegrown first- or second-round picks, separating it from the rest of the league this season. Only one of those players, however, is signed to a long-term veteran contract. The Vikings extended O’Neill in 2021, giving the former second-rounder a five-year, $92.5MM extension. He has been a key part of Minnesota’s surge this season. Pro Football Focus rates both Vikings tackles — O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw — in the top seven at the position this season. O’Neill, who has started 75 games, checks in at No. 7.
Signed as a free agent after beginning his career in Denver, Schlottmann has become a key presence in Minnesota since Bradbury’s injury. Schlottmann started each of the Vikes’ past four games, matching his career-high total. Losing both he and O’Neill in the same game forced major adjustments to a line that had been healthy for most of this season.
A lower-back injury has sidelined Bradbury. While the former first-round center missed two games due to the injury sustained on the field, a December car accident affected his recovery. Bradbury said the minor accident caused his back to tighten up. O’Connell said Bradbury’s earliest return window will be in the playoffs, via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert (on Twitter). Bradbury has not practiced since the Dec. 17 crash.
For now, offseason addition Chris Reed — a former Colts spot starter — is set to snap to Kirk Cousins. Fourth-year blocker Oli Udoh, a full-time guard starter for the 2021 Vikings, slid to tackle to replace O’Neill in Green Bay. A 2019 third-round pick, Evans made 12 starts for the Rams on his rookie contract. But the team did not view him as a regular option; its slew of O-line injuries this season led to four Evans starts. The Rams waived Evans this season. Mancz has made 32 career starts, most of them coming with the Texans.