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NASHVILLE — While most of the attention has been on the backup quarterback competition at Tennessee Titans training camp, the more important battle might be happening at inside linebacker where Monty Rice and Jack Gibbens are dueling for the spot next to Azeez Al-Shaair.
Rice is in his third year out of Georgia. He has dealt with some injury issues in the past and is looking to finally take that next step with his consistency. Gibbens was a surprising undrafted free agent rookie out of Abilene Christian in 2022 and is trying to take the spot away from Rice.
The Titans released their first depth chart of the season this week and while unofficial, it did have Gibbens ahead of Rice. However, the war for the spot is far from over and inside linebacker coach Bobby King gave us some insight into how it's looked in camp via ESPN's Turron Davenport.
"It's a competition," King explained. "They're both battling everyday, both getting first-team reps. They're both handling it very well. Neither one of them has really flinched so far. They each kind of have their day and so far it's just been a really healthy competition."
#Titans LB coach Bobby King said Jack Gibbens and Monty Rice have both made cases to be starters. King also compared and contrasted their game. pic.twitter.com/zNwGp1FiRC
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 10, 2023
The race between Gibbens and Rice is interesting on it's own, but what is more interesting is how different they are as players. Showcasing different advantages and skills. King dove in to that contrast as well.
"Obviously the size difference is one thing. Just totally two different body types. One(Gibbens) of them is tall and long, the other one(Rice) is shorter and stockier. They're both solid athletes, Monty runs a little bit better, but yeah it's been a good deal so far."
It isn't like the Titans are getting rid of the "loser" of the competition either. Those different skillsets could allow the Titans to swap the two in and out depending on what they need more that individual week or play.
We will watch these two players intently on Saturday in the first preseason game of the year against the Chicago Bears, but how they are deployed throughout the year is something we should be watching for as well.
Titans Training Camp Stories
- Titans Stadium Video: The Tennessee Titans will be getting a new stadium in the coming years and the team just released an exciting video with new views and renderings of what the project should look like when complete. CLICK HERE
- Titans' D Dominates: The Tennessee Titans' defense continues to dominate training camp and on Tuesday they were able to get two interceptions off of starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill. CLICK HERE
- Fulton Finds Consistency: The Tennessee Titans corner back is looking to develop more on-field consistency by making some changes to his off-field habits. CLICK HERE
More must-reads:
- Three offseason moves the Rams must make
- Jags reportedly mulling extension for Trevor Lawrence, but is that the right choice?
- The 'Super Bowl starting QBs' quiz
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