Inside the AFC South: Best Camp Battles
Every Saturday, reporters covering the AFC South teams for SI.com’s NFL community will weigh one aspect of the division as it relates to each of the franchises, the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans.
This week we look at each team’s most important training camp battle.
TENNESSEE
There is no doubt that there will come a time when first-round draft pick Isaiah Wilson is the Titans’ starting right tackle. The question is whether that time is now.
If the 29th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, a 6-foot-6, 350-pound mountain of a man, is to claim the job this season he will have to get past Dennis Kelly, a veteran backup who – at 6-foot-8, 321 pounds – occupies quite a bit of space in his own right. An eighth-year veteran Kelly has been a versatile and valuable reserve for virtually all of his career, including the past three seasons with the Titans.
Kelly agreed to a three-year, $17.25 million extension in March with the idea that he would replace free agent departure Jack Conklin at right tackle. The deal, however, is constructed so that the team can cut himafter one season. After the draft, it became clear that re-signing Kelly was a hedge against the possibility that Wilson did not last until Tennessee picked and immediately general manager Jon Robinson declared the two “will battle it out” this year.
It is clear that Wilson has significant upside but at 21 years old, he is still relatively young. Kelly, at 30 years old, is who he is as an NFL player. It remains to be seen whether that is enough for him to be a starter – for one year, at least.
-- David Boclair, AllTitans
INDIANAPOLIS
The free-agent departure of ninth-year defensive end Jabaal Sheard translates to an open starting spot with five Colts candidates vying for snaps: Denico Autry, Kemoko Turay, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Ben Banogu, and Tyquan Lewis.
When padded practices begin at training camp next week, the Colts have roughly one month to sort this out. The hunch is Autry (pictured) will slide outside from defensive tackle on run downs because the Colts traded for All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to play the three-technique position and will want a run-stuffing nose tackle next to the newcomer.
Autry, who has had 12.5 of his career 23 sacks in the past two seasons with the Colts, would then move inside in pass-rush situations to allow Turay, Muhammad, Banogu, or Lewis to be edge rushers. Turay is the most accomplished pass rusher of the four, although he suffered a broken ankle in Week 5 last year and is on the injury list for now. How quickly the third-year pro heals will factor into how this rotation plays out.
Muhammad had three sacks last season, the first of his three-year career, and he played in all 16 games with four starts. Banogu, a 2019 second-round selection, had 2.5 sacks and just 11 tackles as a rookie. Lewis has been unable to stay healthy for two seasons with 15 games missed due to injuries.
The good news is everyone will get a chance. At the very least, a player has to earn a spot in the position rotation or else.
-- Phillip B. Wilson, AllColts
JACKSONVILLE
With one of the league's youngest rosters entering the 2020 season, the Jaguars have a number of position units that are set to see fierce competition for snaps. Can Chris Conley fend off Laviska Shenault at wide receiver? Who will be the backup quarterback? Will DaVon Hamilton or Abry Jones start at nose tackle?
But the one position battle that surpasses each of these in importance is that of left tackle. Jacksonville has faced inconsistency at the position since the days of Eugene Monroe (2009-12), and the two latest attempts to find a long-term solution at the blind side are fourth-year pro Cam Robinson and third-year veteran Will Richardson.
Robinson played a big role in Jacksonville's run to the AFC Championship in 2017, starting 15 games at left tackle and helping pave the way for what was of the league's best rushing attacks and red zone offenses that season. But in 2018, Robinson tore his ACL in Week 3, resulting in a lost sophomore season. He returned in Week 3 in 2019 and then started the rest of the year at left tackle, but he had more struggles than bright spots.
In an effort to push Robinson, the Jaguars have moved Richardson from right guard over to left tackle. Richardson started two games there in 2019 and impressed in his limited snaps, but he has spent most of his football career playing elsewhere on the offensive line.
The odds are Robinson will win the job early on, but it remains to be seen who takes control of the position and holds onto it for the rest of 2020. It truly could go either way, making this a position battle worth watching.
-- John Shipley, JaguarReport
HOUSTON
The Texans are heading to camp with plenty of positions sorted out, but the point of emphasis will be on a tight end group with four players that belong on a 53-man roster in the NFL.
The top two, Darren Fells and Jordan Akins, return, last year's third-round selection Kahale Warring also is back and potential-laden Jordan Thomas is looking to bounce back from injury.
With all four bringing something different to the table, the Texans are hoping to avoid the injury bug to force themselves to make a tough decision at the end of training camp.
Fells in the Texans best in-line blocker, Warring needs a shot to get on the field, Akins last season had a quiet but reliable season, and Thomas showed during camp last year that he can dominate in the passing game.
If all four make it to cut day, the Texans will have a tough situation, especially with roster changes upcoming with the COVID situation around the league. Fells is assured of a roster spot, but the rest of the group is up for grabs.
-- Patrick D. Starr, State of the Texans
