Titans look set to open at guard with Fernando Carmona, while other AFC South camps sort out line, depth and roles

The AFC South camp story taking shape out of Nashville centers on Tennessee’s offensive line, where the Titans appear ready to hand right guard duties to fifth-round rookie Fernando Carmona. Pro Football Rumors, citing ’s Turron Davenport, reports Carmona has won the right guard battle and will open the year with Tennessee’s first-string offensive front.

That matters because Tennessee’s right side is often where quarterback protection and run-game timing are tested early in the season. With Carmona positioned as the starter at right guard, the Titans are indicating a willingness to build continuity around a rookie in a spot that can dictate both inside-out pass protection and gap integrity on early downs.

Carmona’s rise comes with a parallel resolution at center. The same report indicates Austin Schlottmann won Tennessee’s center battle, giving the Titans a first-string interior that, at least in the early phase of the year, will feature new starters at both right guard and center rather than relying strictly on veteran continuity.

In the Colts’ camp, the AFC South notes also flag roster attention around a player referred to as Pierce, as Indianapolis continues sorting out roles and depth ahead of Week 1. The Texans and Jaguars notes similarly reference Bowser and other position work as each team tries to finalize its best combinations while keeping enough flexibility to adjust to injuries and matchup-specific needs once the schedule tightens.

Taken together, the AFC South’s offseason-to-camp throughline is fairly consistent: teams are looking to turn early competitions into stable starter plans, but they are still in the process of confirming who belongs where once practices become faster and game-week preparation begins. For the Titans, the interior-line decisions are among the most consequential because they influence both the pocket’s structure and the offense’s ability to stay on schedule with standard down-and-distance play-calling.

What to watch next is whether Tennessee’s projected starting interior holds as camp progresses and whether the scheme emphasizes the same protection and run concepts that would justify Carmona’s role so early. For the Colts, Texans and Jaguars, the key next step will be clearer confirmation of what those camp references mean in practice, specifically how the units settle into opening-day rotations and what the coaching staffs prioritize when they begin tightening the depth chart.