NASHVILLE - When the Tennessee Titans selected Cedric Gray in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the former UNC Tarheel was viewed as a candidate to start for the Titans at inside linebacker.
With Azeez Al-Shaair leaving in free agency after posting 163 tackles in 2023, the Titans were motivated to find new starters in Dennard Wilson's defense.
On paper, Gray has everything the Titans are looking for at the linebacker position. He is very instinctive and athletic. He's a hard-hitter than fits run gaps and delivers punishing blows to ball carriers while covering ground rapidly.
However, the start of Gray's NFL career has been far less perfect than his fit on paper. Gray was surprisingly low on the Titans' unofficial depth chart and the rotations during training camp practices have reflected as much. Not only was Gray not with the starters, he wasn't even with the second-team defense. Chance Campbell and Garrett Wallow both got opportunities before him.
There was a brief moment in time where it looked like things were opening up for Gray to climb the ladder. Wallow tore his pectoral muscle and was placed on Injured Reserve, ending his 2024 season. JoJo Domann suffered a back injury that was expected to keep him out of camp for a chunk of time.
But as the dominoes fell, Gray went down with them. The rookie left a training camp practice with a shoulder injury a few weeks ago and has not been seen on the field since. He missed the first two preseason games while Campbell, Otis Reese IV, and fellow rookie James Williams have capitalized on their opportunities.
The Titans are going to have some tough roster decisions to make at inside linebacker and Gray's status is in question now more than ever. Titans head coach Brian Callahan didn't shy away from that in his press conference on Sunday.
"It's not good when you miss that amount of time. Can you make up the ground? Sure. It's not impossible. But yeah, there's a point where you'd like to see...you've got to get out there and play," said Callahan.
"I think one of Cedric's (Gray) strengths is that he's instinctive and just playing football is something that he's good at. To miss two opportunities in the preseason to see that, I think is tough for him," the Titans' first-year head coach added. "You can't do anything about the injury, it's not his fault. That's just the nature of training camp and the nature of football is that sometimes an injury can hold you back and guys like James (Williams) and Chance (Campbell) are getting a lot of opportunities to show that they're up to the task as well. So, I wish we had a chance to look at him, but that's just the nature of it."
That's some brutal honesty from Tennessee's head coach. As much as I loved the prospect Gray was coming out of UNC, he hasn't really given the Titans a reason to keep him on the 53-man roster yet.
It's going to be important for Gray to get back this week and perform well in the preseason finale against New Orleans. Gray has ground to make up and can only do so if he's on the field. In my eyes, Campbell has earned his spot on the 53 and from what I can tell, Tennessee's coaching staff is bullish on James Williams and Otis Reese IV as well.
At the end of the day, Gray is still a fourth-round pick. It would be a shock if he got cut after his first NFL training camp. His college tape got the Titans excited, but his college tape alone will not get him on a 53-man roster. The mission is simple...show enough and make up enough ground.
No. 51 is definitely one to watch for Titans fans this week. He has got to do something to save his job.
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