Peter Skoronski's rise to an elite guard prompts the Titans to consider securing their 2023 first-round pick with a lucrative fifth-year option.
Since the Tennessee Oilers changed their name to the Tennessee Titans in 1999, the franchise has drafted six offensive linemen in the first round.
It started with Alabama guard Chance Warmack in 2013. Then the Titans selected Taylor Lewan from Michigan in 2014. There was also Jack Conklin (2016), Isaiah Wilson (2020), Peter Skoronski (2023), and, most recently, J.C. Latham in 2024.
It wasn't the easiest beginning for Latham and Skoronski with the Titans.
Latham started at left tackle as a rookie, a position he didn't play much in college. He was primarily a right tackle at Alabama, and the move was definitely something he wasn't used to.
Latham then settled into right tackle in 2025, but then suffered a hip surgery that forced him to miss multiple games.
Skoronski missed the first few games of his rookie season due to an emergency appendectomy. However, once he recovered, he finished the season and has been a staple on the offensive line ever since.
Luckily for the Titans, they won't have to give the left guard an extension until 2028, when he'll become an unrestricted free agent. However, the team could still decide to pick up his fifth-year option in 2027.
ESPN's Matt Bowen agreed and tabbed Skoronski as a fifth-year option candidate for 2027. Skoronski was taken by the Titans 11th overall out of Northwestern in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Skoronski is slowly turning into a very reliable player for the Titans, making a fifth-year option more likely. His 96% pass block win rate in 2025 capped off an impressive season for the left guard.
"Skoronski's 96.0% pass block win rate ranked fourth among guards, and he has the run-blocking ability to thrive in any scheme," Bowen said. "He could develop into one of the league's blue-chip guards."
According to Spotrac, he is on a four-year rookie deal worth $19.7 million. He has a cap hit of roughly $19 million if the Titans decide to cut him in 2027, but that seems unlikely considering how productive he's been.
The offensive line lost two of its starters from 2025 this offseason.
Tennessee parted ways with center Lloyd Cushenberry and then let Kevin Zeitler leave in free agency. The team signed Cordell Volson and Austin Schlottmann to replace them.
Giving Skoronski a fifth-year option not only seems likely, but it is a great decision, considering how he has blossomed into a staple on the offensive line here in the Music City.
The move is a win-win and one that I foresee the Titans making this time next year.