Who will replace Lloyd Cushenberry on the Tennessee Titans’ offensive line?
Tennessee Titans starting center Lloyd Cushenberry exited Sunday’s victory over the New England Patriots with an ankle injury. Paul Kuharsky quickly reported that it was a season-ending Achilles injury. National reporter Jordan Schultz confirmed that report hours later.
#Titans‘ Lloyd Cushenberry Expected Out for the Year With Achilles Injuryhttps://t.co/0bpjNna40D
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) November 3, 2024
It’s a horrific blow to a Titans offensive line that has been performing significantly better in recent outings. Quarterback Mason Rudolph has been sacked just once in consecutive games. Perhaps what’s most concerning is that an Achilles injury can be so severe that it may impact the start of Cushenberry’s 2025 campaign.
The Titans signed Cushenberry to a four-year contract worth $50 million in the offseason. General manager Ran Carthon made him one of the highest-paid centers in the entire league by every metric, including total overall contract value and average annual salary. For the sake of much-needed continuity up front, the Titans need Cushenberry to be healthy in August.
When Cushenberry exited, he was replaced by veteran blocker Corey Levin, who was serving as a standard game-day elevation from the practice squad. There’s an excellent chance that the former Chattanooga standout receives full-time promotion to the 53-man roster once Cushenberry is officially placed on IR. There’s no guarantee that Levin starts at center moving forward though.
Daniel Brunskill started at right guard in place of an injured Dillon Radunz on Sunday. There’s no indication that Radunz’s injury is serious, and he could return versus the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10. If Radunz returns, there’s a decent chance Brunskill starts at center.
Offensive line coach Bill Callahan has viewed Brunskill as his primary interior backup. He’s obviously ahead of Levin in the pecking order, because he’s actually on the roster. Brunskill is a versatile player that can play all three primary positions.
Brunskill last played 20 snaps at center for the San Francisco 49ers in 2022, one season before he joined the Titans as Mike Vrabel’s starting right guard. He logged significant snaps at center for the 49ers in 2020 (546). With Cushenberry on the sidelines for the remainder of the 2024 campaign, expect Brunskill and Levin to conclude the season playing center.