More Reinforcements Added to Offensive Line

The Tennessee Titans sign two blockers and a tight end. One Ross Reynolds, is on his third NFL team in a week.

NASHVILLE – Mike Vrabel said Thursday that the Tennessee Titans started training camp with more offensive linemen than usual.

The decision to carry a couple additional players at those spots was easy to make. Tackles Taylor Lewan and Ty Sambrailo are on the mend from reconstructive knee surgery, and left guard Rodger Saffold and center Ben Jones each have at least a decade of experience in the league. That means all of them need – or at least will get – opportunities to rest during training camp.

Even so, it turned out not to be enough.

Thursday, the Titans signed two more offensive linemen, Brent Qvale and Ross Reynolds. They also signed tight end Donnie Ernsberger and placed two others, offensive lineman Spencer Pulley and defensive back Greg Mabin, on injured reserve. Pulley was signed just six days earlier to help buffet the offensive line.

On top of that, Tennessee swapped quarterbacks. Matt Barkley was signed, and DeShone Kizer was released.

“We knew we had some guys that were working their way back, (Lewan) and (Sambrailo),” Vrabel said. “We also knew that we had some veterans like (Saffold) and (Jones) who were going to need some days. Unfortunately, that is the group that has gotten hit the worst and hit the hardest. I think they are battling, I do. There has been some really good effort up front.”

And plenty of guys have gotten a chance.

Qvale (6-foot-7, 315 pounds) is on oft-used backup tackle who entered the league in 2014 as an undrafted rookie out of Nebraska. He has started at least one game each of the last six years but never more than six in any season. In all, he has played 77 games and has made 18 starts.

He has spent six years with the New York Jets (2014-19) before he spent last season with Houston Texans.

Reynolds (6-foot-4, 300 pounds), a guard, is on his third team in a week. The Miami Dolphins waived him on Saturday, and the Washington Football Team claimed him the next day. Washington waived him three days later.

The 25-year-old has been in the league since 2019 (he originally signed with San Francisco) but has yet to appear in a regular-season game.

Ernsberger (6-foot-3, 241 pounds) played two games for Tampa Bay in 2018 as an undrafted rookie. He spent time last season with Jacksonville and most recently played in the XFL.