Austin Schlottmann signed a three-year, $7 million deal with the Titans after two seasons in New York and is now pushing for the starting center job while camp also features competition at right guard.
Austin Schlottmann walked into Tennessee carrying the weight of a familiar lesson: every offseason brings new bodies, and every year forces him to fight for his place.
The Titans brought him into the fold in the offseason with a three-year. $7 million contract. reuniting him with Brian Daboll. who will serve as the team’s offensive coordinator. and Carmen Bricillo. who will coach the offensive line. Schlottmann spent two years with them in New York. and now he’s hoping that continuity can turn into something more immediate—starting center snaps—without turning his expectations into certainty.
Schlottmann is approaching the Titans’ center race the way he’s handled roster battles throughout his pro career. “My whole career has been that, basically,” he said, via Jim Wyatt of the team website. “I went to Denver in 2018 as an undrafted free agent with a super longshot of making it. stuck around on the practice squad. and then the next year you compete for a spot on the roster. And every year after that they are bringing guys in to replace you. and you have to compete and try and make the team.”.
He followed that with the core message he wants to carry into training camp: focus on what he can control. “So, I think throughout my career, I have learned how to do that. So, I think the best way to do it is just focus on yourself. Just try and get better every day and work. Be the best version of you every day.”.
That mindset lands in a Titans camp where the center job isn’t a given and the competition doesn’t stop there. The team heads into training camp with a battle for the center position and also competition for the right guard spot.
Schlottmann’s experience matters in that context. Across seven NFL seasons, he has appeared in 85 games with 18 starts. His resume includes more game work than rookie sixth-round pick Pat Coogan. but less than veteran Andre James. who has played 106 games with 61 starts. The difference in starts underscores why the competition is so central to Schlottmann’s mindset—he’s not treating the move as a landing spot. He’s treating it as another test.
Inside the building, though, his tone is noticeably upbeat. “The room has been awesome,” Schlottmann said. “We’ve had a good time, and we’ve kind of jelled together quickly. We are pretty tight. We hang out inside the building. outside the building. and I think the group is eager to improve and eager to be a great unit. I think everyone collectively has that same feeling.”.
For Schlottmann, the next stretch comes down to what happens when the job is on the line. He’s arrived with familiarity—Daboll and Bricillo. plus two seasons of shared work in New York—and with a clear target. But the Titans’ training camp competition will decide how quickly that target becomes reality. starting with the center job and extending to the right guard battle as well.
Austin Schlottmann Tennessee Titans Titans center job training camp competition Brian Daboll Carmen Bricillo offensive line Pat Coogan Andre James NFL offensive line
Center job? I mean he’s basically already the starter right? Titans gonna Titans.
3 years $7 million sounds like a lot until you remember NFL money is fake lol. Also bringing more guys every year is just how the league works, no one ever gets comfy.
Wait so he played with them before in New York and now he’s “reuniting” with Daboll? Doesn’t that mean they already know him and should just give him the job? Confusing how they keep saying competition if they already chose him.
I read this like 3 times and I still can’t tell if Austin is fighting for center or right guard or both. Like it says center race, then mentions competition at right guard. Also training camp articles always say “focus on what you can control” like that’s not what everyone says every year. Still, $7M for center… hope he can snap the ball without making it weird.