Tennessee Titans' Kevin Winston Jr. tabbed as DROY candidate
The Tennessee Titans went heavy on the offensive side of the ball during the 2025 NFL draft, adding multiple potential playmakers to the roster. That doesn't mean they ignored the defense. They used two premium picks on that side of the ball and added players who can potentially make an impact in Femi Oladejo and Kevin Winston Jr.
Both Oladejo and Winston have a chance to compete for playing time. However, Winston has been limited due to his medical issues as he continues to rehab his knee after suffering an ACL injury early in 2024. That doesn't stop Jacob Infante from naming Winston his choice as the Titans' Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate.
Tennessee Titans: Kevin Winston Jr.
The Tennessee Titans took just one defender in the first five rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. Almost by default, Kevin Winston Jr. seems like their top contender for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
As a third-round safety, his odds of winning DROY aren't incredibly high. That said, he's a hard-hitting defensive back with a high football IQ. If he gets the right opportunity, he could surprise some people.
His selection of Winston appears to be by default, after glossing over the Titans' second-round selection of Oladejo. There is no doubt that Winston could make an impact in 2025 if healthy. He is a complete safety prospect with the traits needed to succeed in the defense, but his biggest question will be his availability as he returns from injury.
While Winston could make an impact, Oladejo has a more straightforward path to playing time early in the season. Oladejo may be inexperienced and raw on the edge, but he brings solid athleticism and an infectious attitude to the table, and comes complete with tremendous upside. With Tennessee needing increased production from the position, Oladejo may get an opportunity early on to impress.
While it is likely that both players will see significant playing time, the Titans also added a veteran during the offseason at their respective positions, making training camp crucial for both young players to establish themselves.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bills Fans All Saying Same Thing About Josh Allen And Dalton Kincaid
Bills Fans All Saying Same Thing About Josh Allen And Dalton Kincaid originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid had one of the more impressive rookie seasons of the 2023 draft class. His 73 receptions and 673 receiving yards showed promise of a young star in the making. Advertisement But Kincaid saw noticeable regression in 2024. While he missed four games with injury, he only had 44 receptions for 448 yards. In that same vein, he and Allen lacked the same electrifying connection put on display in his rookie season. Now the reigning MVP is plenty capable of uplifting the receiving corps around him. However, the Bills need more from Kincaid to maximize the potential of this offense. Joe Marino touched on these struggles on a recent episode of the Locked on Bills Podcast, urging the importance of these two rekindling their connection. At the same time, he expressed some optimism for a rebound year on Kincaid's part. 'That doesn't mean it doesn't need to improve and it doesn't all have to come together this year but you should be able to understand it.... Year three has been a great year for a lot of Bills players. Advertisement 'The guys have got to get on the same page and we need more consistency when Allen targets Kincaid for whatever reason it is,' Marino said. 'I'm sure it's a little bit of everything.' Kincaid will have more eyes on him this season on his path to remind fans why Buffalo spent a first-round pick on him. The good news for the young tight end is that he has time to figure it all out again and should enter the season at 100%. Bills fans have high expectations once again and their hopes of getting over the hump in the coming months hinge in part on this duo bouncing back. Related: Are Bills NFL's Most Entertaining Team? Related: Bills' Super Bowl Pressure Meter Reading High In 2025 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bills MVP Josh Allen Looking To Improve in One Tricky Area
Bills MVP Josh Allen Looking To Improve in One Tricky Area originally appeared on Athlon Sports. There is a reason why Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen won the league's MVP award in 2024. Buffalo's All-Pro signal-caller carried the organization to the AFC Championship Game for the second time while improving his touchdown-to-interception ratio along the way. This all came without a 1,000-yard receiver and a defense that struggled mightily during the regular season. Advertisement And yet ... As great as Allen was last year, there are still things that the signal-caller believes he can improve on, though. Speaking via the team's website this week, Allen made it clear that he was focused on improving one area of his game the most. Pre-snap reads. "Pre-snap is what we're looking at right now, just trying to help me identify what I'm seeing," Allen said. "Better with my footwork in certain routes and certain combinations, making sure that within the offense I'm doing a good job of setting the protections the right way, knowing where my answers are." Allen - at 6-5 and 240 with a rocket arm and ball-carrying skills - is among the most gifted athletes the league has ever seen, especially at quarterback. If he can match the mental part of his game to the physical, it won't be long before the MVP hoists a Super Bowl trophy over his head. Advertisement Those things take time, though. Buffalo is trying to find a way to knock off other top contenders in the AFC, like the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. All three teams are also trying to knock off the Kansas City Chiefs in the conference. Allen has played well in almost each playoff game against Buffalo's conference rivals but has yet to walk off victorious. That is why he believes his work on pre-snap reads could be an essential addition to his game. Related: Bills Fans All Saying Same Thing About Josh Allen And Dalton Kincaid Related: Bills' Super Bowl Pressure Meter Reading High In 2025 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
ESPN Announces Twisted News Contract Update For Bills and James Cook
ESPN Announces Twisted News Contract Update For Bills and James Cook originally appeared on Athlon Sports. As the days get closer to the start of training camp, the Buffalo Bills know they have one lingering question regarding their championship-caliber roster. Advertisement James Cook, Buffalo's former second-round running back, is looking for a new deal as he enters the final year of his current rookie contract with the team. He has not received the kind of offer he has hoped for over the last few months - and surely nothing like the $15 million APY he has suggested for himself. While Cook has been present during Buffalo's offseason workouts - he opted against a holdout from mandatory work, he half-joked, because "I like my money'' and missing is a fineable offense - there is some concern that the league leader in rushing touchdowns last year may choose to sit out at the start of camp. Despite the concern, one analyst notes that the team still has time to get a deal done with their star runner. Advertisement "I still think the door is open," said ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler on One Bills Live. "That's one I haven't checked on today, necessarily, but last I checked, there wasn't a lot of progress, but there was still like some optimism in the big picture that maybe they could figure something out, and they have four or five weeks to do it, whatever it is, before training camp, and then you still have camp. "That doesn't have to be a deadline." Fowler, to be frank, has a reputation for throwing stuff against a wall in Bristol to see what sticks. To wit ... On the one hand, he is announcing a tale of "some optimism.'' Advertisement And on the other, he is suggesting a lack of "progress.'' That's sort of twisty in the area of "news reporting.'' Now about that "deadline'' ... There doesn't have to be a deadline, as Fowler says; an agreement could come tomorrow or at the start of camp or during the season or never at all, which would launch Cook into free agency, where he can find out if any other team wants to pay him like he's "Saquon Barkley/Christian McCaffrey Lite.'' But it's clear that what Buffalo may want with Cook is not what they will get. The Georgia running back has had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons and has been the Bills' most consistent offensive weapon outside of MVP Josh Allen. He has earned the right to negotiate for a long-term extension. Advertisement That $15 million seems bloated. But his present salary of $5.19 million is obviously a bargain. The longer the team waits, though, the longer Cook may opt to try and gain any kind of leverage possible for the upcoming season. And that might mean sitting out of more than just practices. ... which is the sort of thing that can derail a club that harbors legit Super Bowl hopes. Related: Bills Fans All Saying Same Thing About Josh Allen And Dalton Kincaid Related: Bills' Super Bowl Pressure Meter Reading High In 2025 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
