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In consecutive seasons, the Tennessee Titans have seen big changes at the right tackle position. Jack Conklin walked in free agency to the Browns, and Dennis Kelly was one of the more surprising cuts of the 2020 offseason. That leaves a vacancy opposite of Taylor Lewan, who is expected to slide back into his left tackle spot after suffering a torn ACL last season.
To make up for the loss of Kelly, the Titans opted to bring back Ty Sambrailo, who made five starts for the team in 2020 before his season was cut short due to injury. Adding depth and competition will be Kendall Lamm, who comes over from Cleveland.
Lamm signed a two year deal with the Titans worth up to $6.8 million. The 28 year old tackle is now expected to compete for the right tackle spot.
“We like to have guys earn positions and try to make a competition there,” head coach Mike Vrabel said of Lamm. “We’re excited to bring Ty (Sambrailo) back, we’re excited to add Kendall (Lamm) — as guys that have played multiple positions. We like their versatility, can play either tackle, and certainly we’ve seen Ty play more than just the tackle position in the NFL. So I would say two guys that can play both sides, as well as Ty probably kicking inside to play a guard spot.”
Right tackle remains one of the few unknowns on this roster as we get closer to the draft. Cornerback and wide receiver are the other two obvious needs that Jon Robinson will be looking to fill later this month.
Vrabel is notorious for giving minimal details to the media, but they do sound fairly confident in Lamm and Sambrailo competing for the spot during camp. However that shakes out, both players will see the field plenty during the fall, as we saw last season.
For what it’s worth, the team has shown interest in offensive tackles once again, just one year removed from the disastrous Isaiah Wilson selection. Although needs at receiver and corner seem more pressing, we can’t totally rule out a tackle with one of the first few picks.