Titans Provide Special Teams Stalwart a Change of Scenery
The Tennessee Titans will be more than just a new team for Nick Dzubnar. They will be a whole new experience.
The 28-year-old linebacker was a core special teams player for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers throughout his first five NFL seasons. But Southern California is about all he has ever known.
A native of Anaheim, Calif., the Chargers were the team he followed most closely as a youth. He made their roster for the first time in 2015 as an undrafted free agent out of Col Poly-San Luis Obispo, which was where his father also went to school.
So, his decision to sign one-year deal with the Titans, first reported by NFL.com on Monday, represents a significant departure from the norm.
Under general manager Jon Robinson, the Titans have been willing to carry multiple special team stalwarts on the roster.
In 2017, they added linebacker Daren Bates and safety Brynden Trawick for that role. That season, Trawick led Tennessee with 17 special teams tackles and Bates was second with 16. The next years Bates was second in that regard with 10 and Trawick was third with nine.
Trawick was not re-signed in 2019 but cornerback Chris Milton was claimed off waivers from Indianapolis. Bates led the Titans with 11 special teams stops. Injuries limited Milton to just six games played but he contributed five tackles in the kicking game.
Milton was re-signed earlier this month just prior to the start of the new contract year. Bates is currently a free agent who has yet to sign with any team.
Dzubnar’s addition likely signals the end of Bates’ time with the Titans. Duzbnar is a year younger and – at 6-foot-1 240 pounds – is bigger than Bates (5-11, 225). For his career, he has played 65 games, including all 16 in 2015, 2016 and 2019.
When the Titans defeated the Chargers at Nissan Stadium, Dzubnar was one of three Los Angeles players who logged a game-high 19 special teams snaps. That was the same number Bates played for Tennessee in that one.
