The Tennessee Titans beat the Atlanta Falcons, 23-20, in Week 2 of the NFL preseason. It was a nice step in the right direction after a blowout loss in Week 1, and a reminder of the light at the end of the tunnel for impatient fans. Brian Callahan has a lot of work to do with a deeply flawed roster, but there is talent lurking beneath the surface.
While plenty of Titans stood out in a positive light on Friday, from TE Gunnar Helm to WRs Elic Ayomanor and Mason Kinsey, there were also a few notable flops.
At this stage of the preseason, the majority of the players getting reps in these preseason games after fighting for a spot on the roster. In the course of their Week 2 win over Atlanta, these Titans may very well have lost their spots.
RB Julius Chestnut
The overall numbers weren't terrible for Julius Chestnut — four carries for 16 yards — but he lost ground in a tight competition for backfield touches. With Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears clear roster locks, the competition for RB3 boils down to Chestnut, a fourth-year Titan with 114 career rushing yards, and Kalel Mullings, a sixth-round pick hoping to leave an impression.
Mullings did not light the box score on fire with eight carries for 25 yards, but he's such a unique athlete. At 6-foot-1 and 227 pounds, Mullings can bulldoze his way through the defensive line and dominate in short-yardage scenarios. He converted a key fourth-and-one opportunity for the Titans and offers a real situational advantage that Callahan can go to.
Chestnut feels like the potential odd man out. Jordan Mims put up 50 yards on 12 carries and really shined in the second half, so the competition is heating up across the board and Chestnut simply has not done enough to stand out.
WR TJ Sheffield
TJ Sheffield, an undrafted rookie out of UConn, is buried deep in the Titans WR depth chart. That is already an ominous sign when one considers just how bad Tennessee's WR room is right now. Sheffield managed to earn a contract and an opportunity after the Titans' rookie minicamp, but he blew an opportunity on Friday.
Sheffield did not log a single target, as expected. His primary utility, and really his only path to the roster, is special teams. So, when Sheffield fumbled a second-half kickoff and handed possession right back to Atlanta, it felt like the nail in the coffin. The Titans won't need to look hard to find more sure-handed options with the return crew.
WR Van Jefferson
Van Jefferson inked a one-year, $1.7 million contract with the Titans this offseason after a brief but tumultuous stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished last season with 24 receptions for 276 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games, struggling to build a rapport with Russell Wilson. He went catchless on Friday for the Titans, including this brutal dropped pass on a potential touchdown delivery from Cam Ward.
Cam Ward appears to have a bottom-5 group of wide receivers (Ridley aside).pic.twitter.com/w4aOAj4yHv
— Tommy R. Callahan III (@yalltitanup) August 16, 2025
While Jefferson has long felt like a lock to make the final roster — he's a five-year veteran with Super Bowl pedigree, still in the theoretical prime of his career at 29 — it's just not happening on the field right now. Tennessee needs to find weapons for Cam Ward. Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett are both on the wrong side of 30 and Callahan can't afford another muted season from this offense.
Jefferson has lost more than a step over the last couple years and one has to wonder if there's any point to keeping him around. With rookies like Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike making inroads in practice (and in the games, as far as Ayomanor is concerned), the Titans have a couple more youthful options who can develop on Ward's timeline. That feels a lot more valuable than sticking your No. 1 pick with a has-been who can't reel in passes delivered directly to his bread box.
The veteran element is important here, as Jefferson has seniority over his competition, but that cannot be enough for a team in Tennessee's position, especially when winning games is not the No. 1 priority compared to building a sustainable, long-term path for Ward to follow. Maybe, just maybe, the Titans need to consider cutting bait with Jefferson, rather than waiting for him to stink it up in the regular season first.