Will Levis completed a clean final audition, Femi Oladejo quietly strengthened his role and more from the Tennessee Titans preseason game vs the Chicago Bears.
The Tennessee Titans closed out their 2026 preseason with a 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears on Saturday night, finishing 2-1 under first-year head coach Robert Saleh. The final score doesn't matter. What does matter is what the last preseason game revealed about the bottom of the roster and which players helped or hurt their chances of making the final 53.
Easton Freeze and I already have our final Titans 53-man roster prediction
published, and honestly, not much from Saturday night moved the needle on who stays and who goes. It did, however, reinforce some convictions about specific players on both ends of the spectrum, especially with most of the Titans' starters sitting out. Here are the final preseason winners and losers.
Freeze: Levis saw a ton of action in this game, and he earned winner status for a simple reason: he did not embarrass himself. He finished 14-of-22 for 143 yards with a passer rating of 82.2. A couple of deep balls were nice enough passes to be caught, and if either or both of those had been hauled in, the stat line would tell a different story. It's hardly anything to write home about, but it was a clean, competent outing.
I'm not sure this is a performance Levis hangs his hat tape-wise to show other teams. But the bigger picture is that this chapter of his life is over. It has been a long, long overdue thing for Levis to get out of Tennessee. I fully expect him to be cut on Sunday and to find a new home. It has long been the case that it would be in the best interest of both parties for him to find somewhere new to start over. From a mindset standpoint, from an opportunity standpoint, there was just nothing working. This has not been working for a long time.
Now is the opportunity for Levis to get his ticket punched in Tennessee and move on to the next stop where he can try to rehabilitate his career. We wish him absolutely the best in doing so . This divorce has been a long time in the making.
Freeze: The Titans' rookie running back returned to action after missing time with an injury, and his presence alone was encouraging. Singleton finished with 26 yards on 7 carries, a 3.7-yard average that is not anything to write home about on paper. But the important thing is that he's back in the mix before the regular season.
Singleton was trending well before his absence as a guy who is not going to break into the top-two rotation but looked like a higher-floor, potentially high-ceiling developmental player at the position. He could position himself this season to be firmly in the picture for the rotation in 2027, after the top two backs on this roster see their contracts expire. Him finishing camp with some live-action production is a good thing, and I'm sure it encourages Tennessee to have him back and ready to go.
Freeze: The first question Restrepo got in the locker room after the game was, "Did you do enough?" I want to be extremely complimentary of Restrepo here, because I'm not sure there's anybody from our media perspective who busted their butt more this summer. From the very first time any players of any kind could show up to this facility for organized practice, all the way through catching a handful of balls in this final preseason game while many of the receivers he has been practicing alongside were in street clothes, Restrepo has been an equal-opportunity taker.
That is something I know his coaches and his executives admire deeply. His teammates love it about him. He is somebody who grinds no matter the spot, no matter the circumstance. He's humble. He's as hungry as it gets. To see that kind of hunger from a guy with real talent, and to watch him improve the way he has improved, is a genuinely encouraging thing.
Restrepo led the team with 4 catches for 71 yards, a strong way to cap off a grinder of a summer. I'm not sure he'll be on the initial 53-man roster, but for the record, I'm not sure he won't be either. I could see it going either way and not be totally surprised. Whether he's on the active roster or the practice squad, Restrepo has solidified a spot and a role on this team . He's somebody who is important to the way Tennessee is built on offense right now, and that is a credit to him.
Stanley:
Femi Oladejo continues to be a quiet winner of this entire training camp. He hasn't flashed or popped in a way that screams productive pass rusher for this defense, but the second-year defender has stacked a solid structural foundation heading into Year 2 in Saleh's scheme.
Saturday against Chicago, Oladejo won on the outside a few different times, drew a holding penalty on the Bears' right tackle early in the game, and finished with four tackles, one sack, and a tackle for loss. He sets up to be a good role player on run downs with some occasional wins rushing the passer on the outside. That's valuable depth in Saleh's defensive front rotation.
Stanley: Granson hadn't done much to truly stand out this summer, but the tight end has been logging more special teams reps over the final preseason games, and he showed his athleticism Saturday with three catches on three targets from Levis for 39 yards. If the Titans keep four tight ends, Granson's combination of receiving ability and special teams willingness makes him a strong candidate to pair with David Martin-Robinson as the second wave behind starters Gunnar Helm and Daniel Bellinger. His maturity and consistency down the stretch of camp earned him this spot.
Freeze: Calligan has been fighting for what appears to be the backup slot corner or nickel safety role behind cornerback Marcus Harris, the Titans' primary inside defensive back in coverage. Early in training camp, Harris said that the players receiving instruction from Tennessee's dedicated slot corner coach were himself and Calligan. That was a month ago, if not longer.
The preseason finale did Calligan no favors. On the very first snap of the game for both teams, Calligan bit hard on a stop-and-go route from Bears wide receiver Xavion Thomas, stumbling while Thomas got wide open by NFL standards. Quarterback Tyson Bagent lofted the ball to Thomas, who took it 97 yards for a touchdown. One play, one catch, one score for Chicago to open the night.
One play is hardly everything, but that is not the look you want when you appear to be on the losing side of the battle for a final roster spot. Calligan is not necessarily out of the running for a practice squad position, and it's possible he makes the 53-man roster regardless. But this game did not help his case.
Joel Wilson didn't do enough to change his outlook. He had one catch for negative-2 yards because fumbled when getting hit and the ball squirted backwards several yards before going out of bounds. When you get limited opportunity, you cannot cough up the football on your lone target. Wilson also failed to show up on special teams during a Bears punt return that went for 39 yards from Xavier Thomas. Go back and watch the replay of that return. Wilson flailed his body toward the returner in what looked more like an attempt to appear as though he was trying to make a diving tackle than an actual effort to bring the guy down. With Granson making plays as a receiver and Martin-Robinson making plays on special teams, Wilson was always on the outside looking in at this tight end room. Saturday confirmed it.
Tyren Montgomery lands on the loser list, and it's unfortunate because the undrafted wide receiver from Division III John Carroll was one of the more exciting stories of this offseason. Montgomery finished the preseason with just two catches for 25 yards total. Saturday he managed one catch for five yards on four targets, and one missed opportunity was a big one.
Late in the first half, Levis threw a nice ball to Montgomery in a quick end zone shot with five seconds left, and Montgomery made a good effort on a tough catch. That's not the play that put him here. The play that sealed his spot on this list was a deep ball from Levis where Montgomery beat his defender down the field, tracked the ball well, and just flat out couldn't bring it in. His hands weren't using the right technique, with about a couple feet of space between them where the ball flew right through without touching him.
As a former basketball player still learning the receiver position, catching technique is everything. With the right fundamentals, you avoid situations where the ball sails clean through your hands. Montgomery didn't take advantage of his opportunity Saturday. Athletically, from what he showed in practice, I think he has enough to hang in the NFL from a pure athlete's perspective. He just needs to continue playing more football, more wide receiver, and getting more reps. What comes next for Montgomery is tough to project.
The preseason is in the books. Roster cuts will tell us everything about how Saleh and general manager Mike Borgonzi view this team heading into Week 1.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: 5 Winners and 4 Losers from Titans Preseason Finale: Will Levis closes chapter cleanly while one roster hopeful unravels
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