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One Titans TE is Odd Man Out

The Tennessee Titans might have to say goodbye to one of their tight ends.
Tennessee Titans tight end Josh Whyle goes through drills during minicamp at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Tennessee Titans tight end Josh Whyle goes through drills during minicamp at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

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The Tennessee Titans have six tight ends on the roster, but not all of them will make the team at the end of training camp.

Drake Dabney, an undrafted free agent out of TCU, is expected to be a camp body, but the other five have a chance to make the team.

Titans Wire contributor Mark Mihalko thinks the team will cut third-year pro Josh Whyle, keeping Chig Okonkwo, Gunnar Helm, David Martin-Robinson and Thomas Odukoya on the roster.

"Last season, Tennessee opened the season with five tight ends on the roster, but I don’t see that happening again," Mihalko wrote.

"Okonkwo started to break out down the stretch in 2024 and should build on that this season with improved quarterback play. The Titans drafted Helm in the fourth round to push Okonkwo. He possesses the skill set to make an immediate impact as a rookie and outperform his draft position. Martin-Robinson is a solid blocker and Odukoya a standout special teamer, which gives them a slight edge over Josh Whyle for the final spot."

Whyle, 25, was a fifth-round pick out of Cincinnati in the 2023 NFL Draft. After a very quiet rookie year, Whyle had a bit of an impact for the Titans offense in his second season.

Whyle caught 28 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown with the Titans last season, ranking fifth on the team in yardage behind Calvin Ridley, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, the aforementioned Okonkwo and Tyler Boyd.

While Whyle was one of the top performers in the pass-catching department last season, the arrival of Helm in the fourth round of this year's draft makes his spot on the roster a bit hairy.

Both Whyle and Helm (along with Okonkwo) are pass-catching tight ends. Okonkwo is viewed as the best player in the position group going into the season while the Titans will groom Helm to become his eventual replacement. This could leave Whyle on the outside looking in if he doesn't have a good training camp.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.