After initially making four roster moves on Monday, one obvious to-do item remained for the Tennessee Titans. They claimed Owen Pappoe (LB), Melvin Smith (CB), and Nazir Stackhouse (DT) off waivers, and signed veteran safety Terrell Burgess. To make room, they waived Mo Diabate (LB), Erick Hallett II (CB), Jerrick Reed II (SS), and Xavier Restrepo (WR).
Fans quickly noted the lack of a swing tackle, which everyone believed would be Mike Borgonzi’s biggest priority. The other shoe eventually dropped. Making a fifth move, the Titans signed offensive tackle James Hudson and waived Austin Deculus.
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Deculus struggled mightily throughout the preseason, allowing three sacks to backups. He was passed over on the depth chart by sophomore UDFA Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson. Now, Deculus is off the roster altogether, making room for Hudson.
Hudson previously played for Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll with the New York Giants. His position coach was Titans OL coach Carmen Bricillo. He was even teammates with new starting center Austin Schlottmann. At least Hudson will be familiar with the scheme.
Hudson played just 85 offensive snaps last season. He last played meaningful snaps in 2024, earning 207 reps at left tackle. Hudson wasn’t credited with allowing any sacks, but he did give up 15 pressures while earning a pass-blocking grade of 40.2 (PFF).
The sample size was significantly larger in 2023, earning 493 snaps at right tackle. The former fourth-round selection out of Cincinnati forfeited five sacks and 36 pressures en route to a pass-blocking score of 48.4. He’s known as a powerful run blocker, but his pass-blocking grades have been better than Deculus’ (33.1 in 2025).
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Hudson represents an upgrade from Deculus, but the Titans’ offense could still be troublesome if he had to play meaningful snaps. At least Hudson has played both tackle positions, and knows Daboll/Bricillo from his past. The Titans still have a long-term problem, but at least he’s better than Deculus.
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