The Tennessee Titans added some depth to their offensive line on Wednesday after agreeing to terms with swing tackle Ty Sambrailo.
While it wasn’t the big splash Titans fans have been waiting for, he’s still an important addition.
Here are three things to know about the newest Titan.
College and pro career
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound swing tackle played his college ball at Colorado State. After redshirting as a freshman in 2010, he started in 42 of the 48 games he played in over the next four years.
He became the Rams’ starting left tackle in 2013 as a Junior and was voted second-team All-Mountain West. Sambrailo improved upon that in 2014 by being voted first-team All-Mountain West.
Sambrailo was drafted in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, where he played in 13 games (seven starts) over two seasons. He was later traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a fifth-round pick in 2017 and played in 44 games (six starts) over three seasons there.
The next Dennis Kelly?
Dennis Kelly has been the Titans’ primary backup offensive lineman for the past four years, with his ability to play anywhere upfront proving invaluable. Now that he’s going to be a starter in 2020, the Titans needed to fill that void.
Sambrailo should be able to get it done. During his NFL career, the veteran has played at both left and right tackle, as well as guard.
And, the big man also showed his impressive athleticism and solid set of hands with this sweet 35-yard touchdown reception he recorded in 2019.
Sambrailo truly checks all the boxes that Kelly did as a backup offensive lineman, and his athleticism is a great fit for the Titans’ zone-blocking scheme.
Familiarity
Sticking to the “we like guys we know” philosophy that head coach Mike Vrabel has used a lot recently, the Titans’ coaching staff is already familiar with Sambrailo.
Offensive line coach Keith Carter was the Falcons’ running backs coach in 2017, so he knows a thing or two about Sambrailo. On top of that, the Colorado St. has experience playing in a zone-blocking scheme.
