Category: Latest News

Titans sign WR Cameron Batson to one-year extension

The Tennessee Titans have signed wide receiver Cameron Batson to a one-year extension.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver, Cameron Batson, will return to Nashville for another season.

According to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online, Batson has signed a one-year contract extension that will keep him in the two-tone blue for 2020. Prior to signing this deal, Batson was set to be an exclusive rights free agent come March.

The 2019 season was a lost one for Batson, who was placed on Injured Reserve and missed the entire campaign after suffering an injury during training camp.

Batson’s injury, along with the trade of fellow wideout, Taywan Taylor, opened the door for wide receiver Kalif Raymond to make the team’s 53-man roster.

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Raymond made the most of his opportunity, as he proved to be a valuable deep threat, both in the regular season and in the playoffs. The Holy Cross product also handled punt and kick return duties.

Batson last appeared in a game for the Titans in 2018 when he played in 11 contests and finished with eight receptions for 82 yards. The undrafted Texas Tech product also saw limited action as a punt returner that season.

Batson figures to have a chance to make the Titans’ 53-man roster in 2020. Wide receivers A.J. Brown, Corey Davis and Adam Humphries are locks to occupy the first three spots on the depth chart, and Raymond is also likely to factor into the equation.

Wideouts Tajae Sharpe and Darius Jennings remain unsigned, and the subtraction of either of those two would only increase Batson’s chances of making the roster out of camp. Batson is also aided by the fact that he can contribute in the return game.

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Watch: Joe Burrow’s focused on his rookie season, not proving himself in draft process

Joe Burrow’s using leverage, all right.

The word “leverage” created a maelstrom of speculation when it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow atop the 2020 NFL draft.

Despite leverage simply meaning basic things Bengals fans should be encouraged about, the national narrative ran wild.

But a full video of a post-ceremony interview in Fort Worth further expands on Burrow’s mindset heading into the combine.

He told CBSDFW the following:

“All these awards are nice. But this is February now. It’s time to start the new year and I’m in a pretty unique spot that I can focus solely on the season and now have to prove myself, you can go watch the film and see all that. I’m solely focused on this season and trying to be the best player I can be.”

The whole video is below but observers get the point: Burrow’s leverage is against the rest of his draft class. He knows he’s No. 1 and his focus is on the upcoming season and being the best rookie player he can be.

And if you’re the Bengals interviewing him at the combine? That’s just what you want to hear.

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Patriots QB Tom Brady ‘not as good as Ryan Tannehill right now’

The Tennessee Titans are one of those teams considered not likely to be in the running — largely because it’s simply not in their best interest.

Nearly every team in the NFL could stand to benefit from the addition of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to the roster, but that possibility is much more realistic for some teams in comparison to others.

The Tennessee Titans are one of those teams considered not likely to be in the running — largely because it’s simply not in their best interest.

And what Chris Simms seems to believe.

…I’m sick of it. I hear it too much right now. ‘Oh, Tom Brady, Tennessee Titans, yeah.’ You’re crazy. Tom Brady is not as good as Ryan Tannehill right now,” Simms said on NBC Sports. “I’m just sorry. I know Tom Brady is arguably the greatest quarterback ever, certainly the most accomplished, but that doesn’t mean he’s the best in 2020. Ryan Tannehill was great last year. I don’t think the Tennessee Titans would have had the same results if Tom Brady was in the game for the Tennessee Titans. The Titans weren’t a team where we were going, ‘Oh, they got weapons galore.’ They didn’t have great weapons, too. We didn’t really know about A.J. Brown until Ryan Tannehill got in there. How many times did we make tapes and talk about where guys weren’t open and Tannehill was just hitting the bullseye forty years down the field, thirty years down the field? Then, of course, his athleticism to go with it. He was arguably, other than Derrick Henry — he would be the second guy you would say would’ve been the MVP of the team. So I just don’t understand that.”

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Simms makes a decent point.

Tannehill is roughly 11 years younger than Brady, meaning he’s got more life left in him, and led the league in multiple catgories this season, finishing out with the best passer rating (117.5)

He also led in yards per attempt (9.6), adjusted yards gained per pass attempt (10.2), yards per completion (13.6) in 2019.

The Titans have plenty of options to explore at quarterback before a new season, but don’t consider replacing Tannehill with Brady to be one of them.

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PFF predicts Titans CB Logan Ryan will land with Giants

Ryan upped his game in 2019, as his 4.5 sacks and his consistent presence around the football didn’t go unnoticed.

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Several Tennessee Titans players are set to hit free agency soon, and the team won’t be able to hold onto all of them.

The two priority players for the Titans to either franchise tag or sign to a multi-year deal are quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry.

But what about cornerback Logan Ryan?

Ryan upped his game in 2019, as his 4.5 sacks and his consistent presence around the football didn’t go unnoticed.

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Ryan had four interceptions after not having one in the two previous seasons, and more than doubled 2018’s total of pass breakups with 18 this season.

He’s a player the Titans would almost certainly like to hold onto, but it’s simply not realistic for the team to keep everyone on board.

Pro Football Focus has predicted he will land with the New York Giants ahead of the 2020 season.

“Bringing back Logan Ryan with Tannehill, Conklin and Henry seems to be a pipe dream,” the network wrote. “Ryan is by no means an elite slot corner — in fact, he surrendered over 1,000 yards in coverage in 2019 and was constantly picked on. That being said, he’s still an average player at the position — he was the 48th most valuable corner in 2019. His projected contact might be a bit steep, but Ryan could be a big improvement for a team that had a liability defending the slot for them in 2019, such as the Giants. Ryan spent the first four years of his career on the same team as Giants coach Joe Judge and could reunite in New York.”

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It will be interesting to see what happens for Ryan with free agency looming near, and we should expect to see continued upward momentum from him, regardless of where he plays.

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Mel Kiper Jr. doesn’t see the Joe Burrow pick changing in his mocks anytime soon

The Bengals go the obvious route in Mel Kiper’s new mock.

The latest mock draft from ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ahead of the 2020 NFL draft keeps it short and sweet at No. 1 — Joe Burrow to the Cincinnati Bengals.

At this point, a mock draft’s pick at No. 1 isn’t as interesting as the content of the writeup itself.

And Bengals fans will like the writeup from Kiper:

1. Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow, QB, LSU

I don’t see this changing over the next two months, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter has already reported that the Bengals have no intention of trading down. The Heisman Trophy winner will immediately become the face of the franchise. It’s time to move on from Andy Dalton — could they get back a draft pick in a trade? — but Cincinnati stills needs to put some more pieces around Burrow, starting with franchise-tagging or extending A.J. Green. The Bengals also have to draft an impact player with the first pick of the second round.

Lots to chew on when it comes to the Bengals these days. Does the team get anything in return for Andy Dalton? Does the team go ahead and slap a franchise tag on A.J. Green?

Perhaps the best part of the writeup though is the note about the Burrow pick straight-up not changing. It’s got to be reassuring to hear it from someone else like Kiper given his expertise and connections.

The current national Burrow narrative is wrong — and Kiper’s latest mock tends to agree.

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Titans WR Corey Davis may have played through injury at beginning of 2019

Davis is basically playing second-fiddle to A.J. Brown, who just finished out his rookie season, at this point.

The Tennessee Titans will have to make decision on Corey Davis’ fifth-year option, and there’s a lot that’s going to factor into that.

Davis is basically playing second-fiddle to A.J. Brown, who just finished out his rookie season, at this point.

But there’s something that could have been hindering Davis toward the beginning of the season.

“CD (Corey Davis), shoutout,” left tackle Taylor Lewan said on he and Will Compton’s Bussin’ With The Boys podcast. “For those of you who do not know, Corey Davis had a turf toe early in the year. I mean, he’s not the hero we deserve but he’s the he’s the hero we got working through that turf toe.”

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The turf toe was never listed on the injury report, though he was listed as OUT with a hip injury back in Week 10.

So what does this all mean in terms of injury history and his future in Tennessee?

“The 6’3″, 209-pound wideout has had moments of brilliance over the course of his three-year career and is often involved in blocking up some of running back Derrick Henry’s biggest chunk plays,”  A to Z Sports’ Buck Reising wrote. “What Davis possesses is outstanding potential. Robinson’s task will be to decide exactly how much the hope trafficking is worth.”

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It will be interesting to see what type of decision the Titans ultimately come to with Davis, who reeled in 43 receptions for 601 yards and two touchdowns in 2019.

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Bengals players aren’t happy with team’s portrayal in the media right now

Tyler Boyd, Joe Mixon and others spoke out.

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Cincinnati Bengals fans haven’t been given much of a fair shake lately as the combine and draft nears.

Which means players haven’t either.

The national spotlight on the Bengals has been notably harsh, as has the speculation that Joe Burrow might not want to play for the team — which is blatantly false as of this writing while missing important quotes that suggest otherwise.

Fans have hit back on the coverage plenty and now players have joined the fray too via social media.

Tyler Boyd, the team’s No. 1 wideout over the past two years who signed an extension to stay in town, kicked things off before Joe Mixon and others joined in:

 

Understand Bengals fans and players alike know all too well the team has to play better to change the narrative and earn respect.

But when it feels like much of the coverage has merely lazily glossed over past successes of the franchise and when it feels like the coverage tries to influence what happens at No. 1, this is the result.

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Mel Kiper mock draft 2.0: Ravens continue history at LB

The Baltimore Ravens finally find C.J. Mosley’s replacement in the 2020 NFL Draft, Mel Kiper has them selecting LSU Patrick Queen at No. 28

The Baltimore Ravens come into the offseason with not a ton of huge needs. While the needs that exist are big ones, the Ravens are coming off a 14-2 season with a young roster that has a ton of talent, so they aren’t in rebuild mode in the 2020 NFL Draft. The potential exists that Baltimore will see a top player fall right into their laps at one of their major needs. According to ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper, that’s exactly what happened.

In Kiper’s second mock draft, he has the Ravens selecting LSU linebacker Patrick Queen in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

“I love the fit with Queen in Baltimore, which lost C.J. Mosley in free agency last offseason and could replace him a year later with a sideline-to-sideline run-and-hit inside linebacker. This is one of the NFL’s best rosters — look no further than the Ravens putting 12 players in the Pro Bowl — so it’s tough to find a position outside of middle linebacker that could see a rookie come in and start on day one. Keep an eye on a possible trade-down situation here with teams trying to trade into Round 1 to get their guy.”

As Kiper said, Queen would be a great fit for the Ravens and one that fits in their history at the position. He’s got the speed to handle this era’s style of play that will see him often running around in coverage while being a big thumper when asked to come down and hit a running back.

Over the last two seasons at LSU, Queen has 125 total tackles, 17 tackles for a loss, four sacks, one fumble recovery, one interception and two passes defended. Kiper has Queen as the second-best inside linebacker in this draft class behind Kenneth Murray, who he had mocked at No. 19 to the Las Vegas Raiders.

While Queen would make a ton of sense for the Ravens at No. 28, they have bigger needs at pass rusher if they can’t re-sign Matthew Judon and potentially inside offensive lineman if Marshal Yanda retires this offseason. Penn State EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos and guard Cesar Ruiz were still available on Kiper’s mock draft, which could be potential options for Baltimore as well.

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Mel Kiper Jr. comes to defense of Bengals fans over Joe Burrow

Here’s a breath of fresh air for Bengals fans.

Cincinnati Bengals faithful have unexpected allies in Mel Kiper Jr. and Stephen A. Smith.

If the last few weeks have felt demoralizing for Bengals fans thanks to the Joe Burrow speculation, the NFL draft pioneer himself stepped in to shut down some of the noise.

Kiper fought back in favor of the Bengals on a recent edition of First Take:

“Well first of all, the bashing of the Bengals…the Bengals have been to the Super Bowl. Four teams in the NFL have never been to the Super Bowl…they had success with Carson Palmer, they went to the playoffs, he got hurt in the playoff game. And then Andy Dalton went to the playoffs…This notion the Bengals have been just horrible…is ridiculous.”

Kiper also made it clear he thinks the Burrow will indeed be the pick and he’ll play there. And at the end of the clip, Stephen A. Smith isn’t too thrilled with the narratives either.

Speaking of narratives, we broke down all that has actually been said about the Burrow situation and why the national perspective has it wrong.

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Titans RB Derrick Henry: ‘why wouldn’t we want Ryan Tannehill back?’

The Tennessee Titans have a lot of decisions to make ahead of free agency, with quarterback being a primary issue of concern.

The Tennessee Titans have a lot of decisions to make ahead of free agency, with quarterback being a primary issue of concern.

For a lot of teams needy at the position, the free agency period and the 2020 NFL Draft present a lot of talent and opportunity to find a franchise signal-caller.

But the Titans are likely more concerned with keeping Ryan Tannehill on the roster after he finished out the best season of his career with the No. 1 passer rating in the NFL (117.5).

And why wouldn’t they?

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That’s what running back Derrick Henry – who Tennessee will also be focused on holding onto – has to say about it all.

With New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady set to hit free agency, many are concerned with where the Titans stand in pursuing him.

It’s doesn’t look realistic for a team to take Brady unless it’s willing to go all in and break the bank, which may not be in the Titans’ best interest as they try to retain some important players set to hit free agency.

[Brady] still can play,” Henry said, on Will Compton and Taylor Lewan’s Bussin’ With The Boys podcast. “Obviously, age doesn’t matter for him, he’s still playing at a high level, but my question would be: Why ain’t Ryan good enough, you know? . . . Speaking for everyone on the offense, we fed off of him . . . Ryan Tannehill is our quarterback and went to the AFC Championship, why would we not want Ryan back?”

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Tannehill recently switched agents, now represented by CAA Sports, who also reps Titans general manager Jon Robinson.

There’s no telling what this means for the Titans, although it’s important to note the team has been working on contract negotiations for some time now.

The Titans have no shortage of options at quarterback, but expect keeping Tannehill on board to be at the top of the list.

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