Titans face a make-or-break week for RB Julius Chestnut, leading into preseason roster cut

Tennessee’s preseason slate is entering the tightest stretch, and for reserve running back Julius Chestnut it is beginning to look like the same question as last year and the year before: does he have enough to earn one of the remaining roster openings when the Titans trim to 53 players? Ahead of the club’s first official roster finalization, the Titans will stage back-to-back evaluations against the Chicago Bears, starting with a joint practice on Thursday and followed by the preseason finale on Saturday.

The timing matters because it compresses what Tennessee can realistically learn before roster decisions harden. A joint practice gives coaches an extra look at assignments and situational reps against live opponents, while the preseason game functions as the next, more formal step to separate the players who can execute plan details under game timing from those who are still developing timing and consistency.

According to Yahoo Sports, Chestnut is once again “battling for a 53-man roster spot,” which frames his role as more than a fringe tryout. In an NFL backfield competition, the finalists for the roster tend to be the players who offer the best combination of run production, pass protection reliability, and the ability to contribute on special teams. In that sense, a player can show up in the game plan in multiple ways, but the margin for error is small when the staff is trying to make the roster fit the team’s overall needs.

Tennessee’s front office stake is also unusually direct in this moment. The Yahoo report places general manager Mike Borgonzi in the roster finalization window about 24 hours after the preseason finale, meaning the coaching staff’s last evaluations and internal recommendations are expected to quickly translate into the team’s first cut decisions. That sequence can affect how much time certain bubble players receive in the game and how often coaches route them through different situational packages.

The opponent adds another layer. The Titans and Bears will be facing each other twice in roughly 48 hours, which can reduce the uncertainty of how a prospect will perform against unfamiliar looks. For coaches, it can also clarify whether a player’s preseason performance is tied to a scheme matchup or whether it holds up when an opponent has had a chance to adjust to the player’s tendencies across practice and game reps.

For Chestnut specifically, the report’s focus suggests he remains on the roster bubble entering the final week of evaluation, rather than being an established depth option whose roster spot is effectively locked. Even when a player earns value in stretches of preseason play, NFL teams must still decide whether they prefer that player’s specific skill set over other available options, especially with roster spots limited and roster construction balancing offense, defense, and special teams.

What to watch next is straightforward: his snap share and usage in the preseason finale, whether he is trusted in key downs, and how his reps look in areas that often decide roster placement for depth running backs, particularly pass protection and involvement in special teams. If Tennessee continues to deploy him in a meaningful way through the game, it would indicate the staff views him as more than a camp body. If his workload is restricted, it would suggest the decision may lean toward other candidates once Borgonzi finalizes the 53-man roster the following day.