Facing a crowded depth chart and veteran competition, the undrafted lineman relies on career-long resilience to anchor Tennessee’s overhauled offensive line and protect a developing young quarterback.
The Tennessee Titans made two big changes to their offensive line from last year.
The first was releasing center Lloyd Cushenberry to make cap room for free agency. Then, free agency came and went, and the Titans decided not to re-sign right guard Kevin Zeitler.
Tennessee had to find replacements for both of those players, with a young quarterback like Cam Ward who needs better protection than he had in 2025. The Titans allowed the sixth-most sacks in the NFL last season, which isn't a stat you want to continue.
General Manager Mike Borgonzi went to work in free agency, bringing in former New York Giants center Austin Schlottmann and former Cincinnati Bengals guard Cordell Volson.
Borgonzi also picked two offensive linemen in the 2026 NFL Draft. He selected Arkansas guard Fernando Carmona and Indiana center Pat Coogan on Day 3 of the draft.
Both Carmona and Coogan are expected to compete for starting jobs this season, according to the Titans GM.
After all those moves, it looks like we have a real offseason position battle at center. However, the Titans weren't done yet.
They added another center off waivers, bringing in Andre James from the Los Angeles Chargers. James is very experienced, playing in 106 games with 61 starts since 2019.
With Schlottmann, he is definitely behind the eight-ball compared to James. However, this is nothing new to him, as we learned back in June. Schlottmann spoke to the media and said he's already faced adversity in his NFL career.
"My whole career has been that, basically," said Schlottmann. "(I) went to Denver in 2018 as an undrafted free agent with a super long shot of making it, stuck around on the practice squad, and then the next year you compete for a spot on the roster. And every year after that, they are bringing guys in to replace you, and you have to compete and try and make the team, who has played in 85 games, with 18 starts, in seven NFL seasons. "(I) went to Denver in 2018. So, I think throughout my career I have learned how to do that. So, I think the best way to do it is just focus on yourself. Just try and get better every day and work. Be the best version of you every day."
Schlottmann went undrafted out of TCU in 2018 and was signed by the Denver Broncos. He spent that year on the practice squad but then competed for the starting left guard job the following season.
He started four games for the Broncos from 2018-2021, but was later released and joined the Minnesota Vikings in 2022. He started four games at guard but then suffered a fibula injury and was placed on injured reserve.
He played in Minnesota for another year before joining the Giants on a two-year deal. He finally played a 17-game season last year and started four games for New York.
To his credit, in those four starts he looked good. He only allowed three quarterback pressures, zero sacks and was flagged three times.
He definitely has his work cut out for him in this offseason center battle.
James has much more experience as a starter than he does, and Coogan is no slouch either. Coogan has five years of college football under his belt.
Like many times in his NFL career, Schlottmann isn't going down without a fight. Expect the center competition to be very close this offseason.
