Titans Veteran Praises Young LBs

The Tennessee Titans have young linebackers earning respect from their veteran leader.

Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Cody Barton removes his jersey after OTAs. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Titans have an incredibly young and inexperienced linebacker room, but there is one veteran leading the way.

The Titans signed seventh-year pro Cody Barton to a three-year deal this offseason, and he has been penciled in as the starting linebacker for the team.

The rest of the linebackers are fighting for a chance to start alongside Barton, who has praised the efforts of the younger players in the position group.

“The room is full of good young athletes," Barton said via Titans insider Buck Reising.

"You know, they're young guys. They're still learning. And, you know, it's actually helped my game too, because while I'm learning the defense, they're helping me learn the defense, and I'm also helping them learn the defense from my perspective, you know, because I've been in some different schemes. It's a lot of back and forth in the room, helping each other. And as young as they are, they're picking up things quick, and they're, as a whole group, moving, we're all moving the right way.”

Those competing for a spot in the starting lineup are James Williams Sr., a 2024 seventh-round pick that played mostly on special teams last season, Otis Reese IV, a third-year pro with five starts through his first two seasons, and Cedric Gray, a fourth-round pick from last year's draft looking to bounce back from injury.

Training camp will serve as an arena for those three to compete for a spot in the starting lineup, though there is a chance the Titans could sign a veteran to give them a little more stability at the position.

For now, Barton and the Titans appear confident in the youth at the linebacker spot, but that potential will have to turn into something tangible between now and the start of the season.

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