Titans Training Camp Mailbag - August 4, 2013

Time for some training camp questions! Be sure to send me questions either on the training camp recap threads or on twitter via @SportsBySharona. This mailbag comes from some great twitter questions.

@SportsbySharona Is Verner looking like a starting corner or is he playing in the nickel still? Campbell sounds like he is doing well at CB

They are moving Verner around a bit although I personally have yet to see him at free safety as they indicated in OTAs. Verner is a solid corner but I think they would like to see what Campbell can do. He has shown flashes and of course his height cannot be discounted. Campbell has made some nice plays against the taller wide receivers.

Second year man Coty Sensabaugh has gotten some second team reps on the outside. He of course had a solid rookie season after overtaking Ryan Mouton for the nickel spot. I am a big fan of Sensabaugh but he is struggling a bit. I have seen him, Verner and BW3 both in the nickel.

The defensive back competition is definitely one to watch as I don't think the Titans have committed to who will start opposite Jason McCourty or who will be in the nickel slot. I think the right cornerback position will come down to a competition between Verner and Campbell.

@SportsbySharona How did CJ look?

Chris Johnson has looked good overall. I don't see any ill effects from his injury. He didn't miss any time and got some good snaps in the scrimmage yesterday.

Also, CJ is getting some nice looks in the passing game. I think it's safe to say the Titans are going to use him out in space more and take advantage of his speed. The Titans have publicly said they are going to try to run the ball more this year and obviously CJ will be a huge part of it.

It's a good question. I was concerned when Marc Mariani spent the large part of a practice limping and looking limited. After resting for a day, he came back out and practiced. In yesterday's mock game or "scrimmage" he looked very quick and didn't show any limitation.

There is obviously a big competition for the return job and for the 5 and 6 wide receiver spots. Mariani is very well liked in town but that won't help him win the job over other more qualified candidates. Damian Williams also looks good in the return game. Which one adds more value as a wide receiver? I think it's very close.

Hunter is still learning the playbook and is adjusting to the speed of the NFL. Will that limit his playing time early on? It's a fair question. I say no and for 2 reasons.

First, Hunter still has some time before the first game against Pittsburgh to knock the rust off (he missed most of OTAs) and to continue to learn and grow. Despite the hiccups, the talent is unquestionable.

Second, while he did struggle in yesterday's scrimmage but learning by fire isn't a bad thing. I think the only way to let Hunter adjust and learn is through playing time and preseason is a good time and place for it. I see no downside to giving him playing time and letting him make those adjustments and learn from it.

Thanks again for all the great questions! There are 5 more days of open practices and I hope to answer more great questions from you. Once again big thanks to Brian Hill for allowing me to use his photography in my articles! You can find his fantastic work here.