By: Justin Melo | Broadway Sports Media
As Dalyn Dawkins gets ready to join the Titans for his third professional training camp, he understands the challenge ahead. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Titans back in 2018, Dawkins has had his fair share of ups and downs.
Dawkins initially made the 53-man roster last season and was elevated to the active roster on numerous occasions during the year. Throughout the highs and lows, Dawkins has found a way to remain humble while focusing on the task ahead. He knows that nothing will be handed to him this summer, even if he’s more of a familiar face this time around.
Dawkins plans to approach this training camp like the ones before it. To take every day as a chance to make an impression, and to prove his worth to the team. He’s done it before, and he’s planning to do it again.
Dawkins recently spoke with Broadway Sports about the uncertainty of training camp, his fondest memory of last season and which of his teammates he can’t wait to do battle with.
JM: As you get ready to head to Nashville for your third professional training camp with the Titans, what’s your mindset like during this strange time?
DD: I’m just really focused right now. I’m trying to visualize what I see myself doing over these next few weeks. I’m visualizing myself having a very successful few weeks of practice. I’m getting ready to get back to playing at a high level.
JM: You made the final roster last season, and you were first elevated to the active roster in late October. That must have been a rewarding experience for you.
DD: It was very rewarding. It was such a great experience for me. It was so important for me to finally get that game-day experience. To actually get on the field and play in a regular season game, you can’t put a price on that. It felt great. It helped me become a better player.
JM: You had a great preseason in 2019. What are some of the challenges of trying to make a roster while the league is dealing with a ton of uncertainty due to this pandemic? It seems we will not have a preseason at all.
DD: It’s been a very challenging time. Anybody out there that’s fighting for a roster spot, it’s going to be a challenging affair. I won’t shy away from that. When I was a rookie coming in, those preseason games were the reason why I made it. Even looking back at last year, I would credit the preseason as to why I initially made the final roster. Having those preseason games was such a big deal.
