Defensive back Shyheim Carter has been released seven times by NFL teams, and in the three seasons since he completed his college career at Alabama, he has not played in an NFL regular-season game.

But Carter hasn’t given up. He’s been with the Tennessee Titans throughout their offseason program and training camp this year and likely will be on the field in Saturday night’s preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings.

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“Just trying really to create a role on the team for myself,” Carter told Turron Davenport of ESPN this week. “Just trying to figure out a role for myself on this team. Whatever they want me to do, I can do it.”

Carter came to Alabama as a prep cornerback and, in 50 games and 23 starts with the Crimson Tide, mainly played the star position, a hybrid spot that’s something like a strongside linebacker who can cover wide receivers.

Carter tries to maintain that versatility value in the pros at safety, slot corner and even outside corner.

“It’s just a different view of it all,” Carter said, “but I done been in that position before, been in that situation before so it just all come back natural.”

But Carter faces another uphill climb to make the Titans’ regular-season roster. The depth chart lists him as third team at safety, with five players shown as first- or second-teamers.

In Tennessee’s 23-17 loss to the Chicago Bears in the preseason opener last week, Carter led the Titans with five tackles while playing the second-most defensive snaps at 39. He also was on the field for 10 special-teams plays.

“Just dependable,” Tennessee defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said of Carter this week. “I think he tried to play physical on Saturday, tried to show up in the run game. Got to clean up some tackling stuff with him. Just a little bit undersized guy going in there to tackle at times comes into play, but the ability to show up, get out of the post and show up on plays.”

Carter entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie with the New York Jets in 2020. After being waived by the Jets at the end of training camp, Carter spent seven weeks on the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad during the 2020 season.

In 2021, Carter went to the Houston Texans’ rookie minicamp as a tryout player and earned a contract with the team. The Texans released Carter at the end of the preseason, then re-signed him for their practice squad, where he spent the first five weeks of the season.

Carter joined Tennessee for the first time on Dec. 30, 2021, and stayed on the practice squad for a week. He returned to go through the offseason program, training camp and preseason with the Titans in 2022 before being waived on Aug. 22.

Carter rejoined Tennessee on Oct. 4 for a six-week stay as a practice-squad member, then returned to that status for the final week of the season.

On Jan. 10, Carter re-signed with the Titans for another NFL opportunity.

Tennessee and Minnesota square off in an NFL preseason game at 7 p.m. CDT Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.