Despite a dominant 164-tackle breakout season, Tennessee’s rising star vanished from ESPN’s latest rankings. Discover why this productive defender remains overlooked as Robert Saleh’s defense takes shape.
If you're a fan of the NFL, you know how brutal the break until training camp is each offseason.
For fans of the Tennessee Titans, there's a lot of anticipation for the season to start, with the franchise's new head coach, Robert Saleh, on the cusp of beginning his first year in Music City.
Training camp doesn't really begin until July 28, when the veterans all report. The rookies are scheduled to arrive at camp on July 23, five days before. Fans can attend open practice on Aug. 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 17, 21 and 27.
Two of the three joint practices for the Titans will be in Nashville. On Aug. 21, the Titans have a joint practice with the Seattle Seahawks and have another on Aug. 27 with the Chicago Bears.
The Titans' first joint practice will be on the road in Santa Clara, California, with the San Francisco 49ers on Aug. 11.
We are still around two weeks away from training camp. To pass the time, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler has posted several articles with anonymous NFL executives, scouts, and coaches ranking the top 10 players at each position.
So far, the rankings have covered quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen, defensive tackles, edge rushers, cornerbacks, safeties, and off-ball linebackers.
The off-ball linebacker is typically covering tight ends and receivers. Fred Warner, Roquan Smith, Carson Schwesinger, Zack Baun and Jack Campbell were among the top off-ball linebackers.
One player who wasn't even mentioned on the list, let alone as an honorable mention, was Titans linebacker Cedric Gray.
The Titans' linebacker room is in an interesting spot, as it includes Cody Barton, Gray, and rookie Anthony Hill Jr. It's too early to tell where Saleh will use Gray, but he has a good chance to be one of the starters.
As of Thursday, Ourlads.com lists Gray as the starting Will linebacker, meaning he'll be away from the line of scrimmage more often than not. However, it still counts as an off-ball linebacker.
Plus, Gray is coming off a breakout season in 2025. I think he deserves more respect than he's getting, even if he's still mostly unproven.
The Titans took Gray in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of North Carolina. He was a rotational player as a rookie and only played in seven games due to a nerve-related shoulder injury.
He recorded 22 total tackles as a rookie, but then had a breakout year in 2025. He finished with 164 total tackles, seven TFLs, one sack and two fumble recoveries. He was very involved on defense and was second in the NFL in solo tackles (97), behind just Jordyn Brooks (99) of the Miami Dolphins.
Gray also came in second to Brooks (183) in total tackles in the entire league. Brooks made the top-10 off-ball linebacker list, so why can't Gray get the same recognition?
Gray excelled in Dennard Wilson's 3-4 defense, which had its fair share of issues. The Titans ranked 18th in rushing yards allowed (114.59), seventh in passing yards allowed (248.3) and fifth in points allowed per game (28.1).
One of the bright spots on defense, besides Jeffery Simmons, was definitely Gray, and now he's learning a new 4-3 system under Saleh.
Like Simmons, Gray could be in for another monster season. Hopefully, he'll earn more respect from around the league.
