The fifth-round draft pick defied the odds to beat out a seasoned veteran, setting a new franchise milestone for late-round blockers against a formidable Jets defensive front.
Sunday is going to be a special day for Tennessee Titans rookie right guard Fernando Carmona.
He was one of the surprises of the offseason, beating veteran Cordell Volson for the starting right guard job. Volson had way more NFL experience than Carmona.
He spent four years with the Cincinnati Bengals and has over 40 career starts. However, Volson suffered a shoulder injury at training camp last year, which affected him.
He was still working his way back from the shoulder injury and was not at 100%. Carmona impressed during camp and started to slowly get more playing time as the preseason went on.
He even jumped Volson in the preseason depth chart. Volson was listed as the starting right guard, and Carmona got the first-team snaps over him.
After the preseason concluded, Volson was released, making the Titans' decision well-known.
Now he's in line to make his first start for the Titans in the regular season. Carmona is going to be making some Titans history on Sunday against the New York Jets.
In the entire history of the Titans, there has never been an offensive lineman drafted in the fourth round or later to start in Week 1. Carmona will be the first since the franchise changed its name to the Titans in 1999.
He was taken in the fifth round out of Arkansas in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Titans insider Jim Wyatt spoke with him about the weight of this achievement.
"That's pretty cool," Carmona said. "Yeah, I didn't know that. It's just all hard work at the end of the day. Just putting my head down, grinding, and I'll always be a believer in hard work will take you wherever I wanna go."
Carmona will get to see a former Titan on between the trenches. T'Vondre Sweat is now on the Jets after being traded for Jermaine Johnson in exchange.
Sweat is going to play on the interior of the defensive line, meaning Carmona will have to block him eventually.
Sweat was with the Titans for two years. He played in 29 games with 28 starts and accounted for 85 total tackles, three sacks and eight TFLs.
At the end of the day, he didn't fit what the Titans needed at defensive tackle.
Regardless, it's going to be a fun matchup to see how the rookie handles someone like Sweat.
This is just one of the many exciting things about the game on Sunday. The Titans and Jets open the year at noon CT on CBS.
