Game Week: Here Come The Tigers

Game week is here, y’all.

Ed Orgeron’s first Eating with Ed presser will be around noon time today, and I would expect to get something of an official depth chart — complete with lots of -OR- co-starter types, so not exactly the best primer for what the Tigers’ opening day depth chart might look like on Sunday. Here’s our best guess, along with a few notes on some of the key position battles.

Notes:

• I’ll be very curious to see if Orgeron actually announces Joe Burrow as the starter — and I do believe Myles Brennan has made a competition of it — or tries to leave it to the imagination. Again, I don’t think he came here to sit on the sidelines.
• Running back will be a relative deal. Clyde Edwards-Helaire seems like the best bet to get most of the work but that will also include returns and passes. Don’t be surprised if Nick Brossette or Chris Curry take up a lot of carries. Especially if things are going well.
• Right tackle may take a few more weeks to settle out once the action is live, but for now, I think James Cregg starts out with the veteran hand in Adrian Magee. Although I would guess Austin Deculus and/or Badara Traore get some rotational snaps.

• This group is healthy and, as far as I have been told, free of any rumored suspensions.
• Bit of a surprise to hear that Michael Divinity has held off Ray Thornton as the starting F-linebacker, but I do think both will rotate often. Don’t be surprised if Thornton generally plays in the F-role as a defensive end in the “Peso” nickel package.
• Newly eligible Kristian Fulton should step right in as the starting corner, pushing Kelvin Joseph to his more natural fit at nickel. Watch for Terrence Alexander to get quite a few snaps as well to give a veteran hand.
• With all of the reports of Dave Aranda working more schemes and sets into his defense, don’t be surprised if we see some unusual packages at safety, possibly with Eric Monroe or Todd Harris rotating in at nickel, or possibly even Jacoby Stevens. This is Aranda’s first truly hand-picked defense, and most of the players here, even younger ones, are very well-versed in his terminology and reads. So he has a real chance to get weird.