Category: Latest Titans News

WATCH: Titans’ WR Tyler Boyd climbs the ladder in dazzling training camp catch

Tyler Boyd had the catch of the day in Titans’ training camp.

When training camp first opened, wide receiver Tyler Boyd talked at length about adjusting to a new team. It’s safe to say that he is feeling at home with the Tennessee Titans.

The 29-year-old had the catch of the day on Wednesday on a deep ball from quarterback Will Levis. Boyd climbed the ladder to grab the football over cornerback Roger McCreary and came down with it, much to the delight of his teammates and coaches.

Here is the clip that everyone was talking about:

If that is a preview of things to come, the Titans’ receiving group should be in much better shape than they were in the last couple of years.

Boyd figures to be a big piece of that group after spending the first eight years of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, during which he totaled 6,000 receiving yards on 513 catches and 31 touchdowns. He recorded career-bests in catches (90) and receiving yards (1,046) during the 2019 season.

The former University of Pittsburgh standout’s production dropped off over the last couple of seasons as Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow leaned more and more on star wideout Ja’Marr Chase.

However, Boyd will be entering a similar situation in his first season with the Titans, as DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, and Treylon Burks will all command playing time.

Shane Ray thankful for opportunity with Titans

Titans LB Shane Ray is making the most of his opportunity.

Tennessee Titans linebacker Shane Ray has been patiently waiting for an opportunity since his last NFL snap in 2018.

As a former first-round pick of the Denver Broncos, the 31-year-old had aspirations of a long playing career. However, injuries limited his playing time to just 19 games, including seven starts, over his last two seasons in the league.

As a result, the Broncos declined Ray’s fifth-year option, and he was free to sign wherever he felt was the best next step. However, NFL teams were not exactly all jumping to commit a long-term contract to the linebacker.

Although the Baltimore Ravens signed him in May 2019, he was released before the season began. Following this, Ray spent two seasons in the Canadian Football League, but his second year was cut short due to a torn bicep.

In an attempt to secure another NFL contract, he participated in the Buffalo Bills’ minicamp tryout in May 2023 and was later signed, only to be forced off the roster due to another injury.

Still determined to play, Ray dedicated himself to getting healthy and into football-playing shape so that he would be ready if a team did call.

“I put myself in a routine and a schedule of just training like I was in the NFL, even though I wasn’t, at the time,” Ray said via Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “I was just dedicating myself to the game: waking up every day, going to the gym, working out, running, working on my hands, working on my pass rush, and making sure that I was still in this type of shape. That was my life for four years straight, so this opportunity coming, I’ve been prepared for this for a really long time.”

The Titans brought Ray in for a tryout during the team’s rookie minicamp in May. Already familiar with him and needing to bolster the position, Tennessee signed him earlier in training camp.

However, neither he nor the Titans knew potentially how impactful the signing would be.

Following the news of Arden Key’s six-game suspension, Ray is already looking at an expanded role with the team. Given his injury history, the Titans may opt to look externally, but Ray could be a significant contributor to the Titans’ pass rush if he can stay healthy.

In his first two seasons in the league, he amassed a combined 68 tackles, including 20 for loss, 28 quarterback hits, 12 sacks, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.

While it would be easy to envision himself back in a starting role, given how things have played out recently, Ray knows that it’s been a process to get to this point. He needs to continue focusing on the next day of staying healthy and putting in the good work in camp and preseason.

“For me, it’s been one step at a time,” he said. “Training, training, training, and talking to my agent, praying to God: is there something? Is there something available? Does somebody want to bring me in? Is there an opportunity? Those moments were highs and lows because sometimes it was like, ‘Hey, we might have something,’ and other times like, ‘Hey, man, we got to go train for another five, six weeks.’

“So, for me, the call itself was amazing. Then, walking to the building was amazing, meeting the coaches was amazing, and having my first minicamp workout back was amazing. Every step that I’ve taken up to this point is another milestone that, for a long time, I just dreamed about it, and prayed about it, and worked for.”

Titans star Jeffery Simmons apologizes for incident with Nashville radio host

Jeffery Simmons takes full accountability for Wednesday’s incident.

Tennessee Titans star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons spoke to the media Wednesday at training camp. He apologized for the incident with Nashville radio host Buck Reising after Tuesday’s practice.

Here’s our recap from Tuesday’s incident:

Things changed after practice, though. Tennessee cornerback Roger McCreary headed to an interview with local radio host Buck Reising. Reising works for 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, when all of a sudden, you could hear shouting in the background. Reising responded, “Jeff, do you want to sit down? We can talk whenever you want to talk.”

Reising responded, “We’re on the air right now,” and Simmons continued to shout at him.

“You do a lot of talking on social media,” Simmons could be heard saying. “I don’t want to talk to you. You’re a p—y.”

Reising responded, “We’ll deal with that later.”

Simmons was criticized for his handling of the incident. Before Wednesday’s practice, he was caught on camera speaking with Reising.

After practice, Simmons spoke and apologized.

“A lot of y’all have been here since I’ve been here, and y’all know me,” Simmons said. “That’s not who I am; that’s not who I want to be seen as. I talked to Buck, we have an understanding. He has an understanding of where I’m coming from; I have an understanding of where he’s coming from. He has a job. I have a job.”

Simmons ensures no similar incidents will happen again.

“At the end of the day, I take full accountability of my actions on the field,” Simmons said. “That’ll never happen again with me.”

Titans rookie CB avoids serious injury in second padded practice

Tennessee Titans rookie cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. looks to have avoided a serious injury during Wednesday’s padded practice.

Tennessee Titans rookie cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. looks to have avoided a serious injury during Wednesday’s padded practice.

Brownlee went down on the field during the team period after colliding with wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine at the top of the route.

After a visit with the training staff, Brownlee walked off under his own power, holding the right side of his back. However, he put his helmet back on and jogged over to the sideline to join his teammates, reports AtoZ Sports.

While padded practices are an exciting point in training camp, you always fear about injuries occurring.

Brownlee has been getting first-team reps with Chidobe Awuzie nursing a calf injury. He has been one of the stand-out performers in camp thus far, especially since the pads have been put on.

On Tuesday, he had a couple of pass break-ups on wideouts Kearis Jackson and Tyler Boyd. The rookie defensive back followed that up with a break-up on Calvin Ridley in 1-on-1 dills on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old has been a perfect fit in defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson’s aggressive scheme after being selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft.

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Titans cornerback Caleb Farley shines during first day in pads

A good start to training camp for Caleb Farley.

Tennessee Titans cornerback Caleb Farley enters a make-or-break season in 2024. Not only is the 2021 first-round pick playing for his future in Tennessee but also in the NFL. Sure, Farley will receive another chance if things don’t work out with the Titans, but it could be his last shot to prove he’s a starting-level cornerback.

This offseason, the Titans hired a brand-new coaching staff that didn’t select Farley. Additionally, Tennessee added two starting cornerbacks to significant contracts: L’Jarius Sneed (via trade) and Chidobe Awuzie (free agency).

In three NFL seasons, Farley has played in only 12 games with two starts. He did not play last season. Farley has dealt with multiple major injuries and the tragedy of losing his father in 2023.

Farley is healthy now. On Day 4 of Titans’ training camp, Farley displayed the length and athleticism that made Tennessee use a first-round pick on him.

Here is Farley in 1-on-1s against star wideout DeAndre Hopkins.

And here is Farley breaking up a pass:

Can Farley remain healthy through camp? If he can, there is no way he won’t make Tennessee’s roster. Right now, he can take advantage of Awuzie’s absence.

It’s never been about ability for Farley. It’s all about health. If Farley can make it through this summer healthy, Tennessee could trade him. There is always a lack of long, athletic cornerbacks across the NFL.

Regardless, these next few weeks are the most critical of Farley’s four-year NFL career.

Former Titans’ TE Anthony Firkser signs with Jets

Former Tennessee Titans tight end Anthony Firkser has a new home.

Former Tennessee Titans tight end Anthony Firkser has a new home. The 29-year-old has signed with the New York Jets, as first reported by Adam Schefter.

Firkser initially signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent out of Harvard in 2017 but was waived prior to the start of the season. He also spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs before the Titans signed him in May 2018.

In Tennessee, Firkser saw the field quite a bit over the next four years. He amassed 106 catches, 1,107 receiving, and five touchdowns, including a career-high 39 receptions and 387 yards during the 2020 season.

Following the 2021 NFL season, Firkser signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons, but he could not match his product with the Titans. He had just nine catches for 100 yards in 11 games played, including one start.

Firkser will look to stick with the Jets in a backup capacity or on special teams.

Titans star Jeffery Simmons goes off on local radio host during training camp

Jeffery Simmons was caught on air shouting at a local Nashville radio host.

It was an eventful day for Tennessee Titans star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. On Tennessee’s first practice in pads for this training camp, Simmons was part of a scuffle that involved first-round pick JC Latham.

That happens in almost every training camp every summer. No big deal.

Things changed after practice, though. Tennessee cornerback Roger McCreary headed to an interview with local radio host Buck Reising. Reising works for 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, when all of a sudden, you could hear shouting in the background. Reising responded, “Jeff, do you want to sit down? We can talk whenever you want to talk.”

Reising was talking to Simmons, who continued to shout at him.

Reising responded, “We’re on the air right now,” and Simmons continued to shout at him.

“You do a lot of talking on social media,” Simmons could be heard saying. “I don’t want to talk to you. You’re a p—y.”

Reising responded, “We’ll deal with that later.”

Simmons continued shouting, to which Reising kept telling him they could sit down and talk, and Simmons was having none of it.

What was this about? No one knows.

At 10:27 a.m., Reising tweeted the following due to the aforementioned skirmish.

The question is, how did Simmons know this was said so quickly after practice?

Tuesday was not Jeffery Simmons’ best day.

Tempers flare during Titans’ training camp with star DT Jeffery Simmons involved

The Titans are in pads for the first time on Tuesday and tempers flared.

Football is back once the pads come on. The Tennessee Titans returned to the practice field Tuesday, and it was the first time since training camp opened last week that the team was in pads.

Of course, when the pads do come on, tensions rise. So, it’s no surprise that a scuffle breaks out on Tennessee’s first day in pads.

Star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and offensive tackle JC Latham were among the first players involved in the first fight of training camp.

According to Turron Davenport of ESPN, “Jeffery Simmons and JC Latham locked up for a few minutes after a snap. Next rep Simmons bull rushed Peter Skoronski to the ground and Tyjae Spears ran by the pile. Arden Key and Leroy Watson threw a couple of punches in a small scrum.”

The fight didn’t last long, though, as head coach Brian Callahan quickly intervened and earned applause from those in attendance.

Football is indeed back.

Titans LB Arden Key facing six-game suspension

Tennessee Titans LB Arden Key is facing a six-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Arden Key is facing a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drugs policy, as first reported by Paul Kuharsky.

Key, a third-round draft pick in 2018, originally signed a three-year contract in free agency before last season after spending his first five seasons with Oakland/Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Jacksonville.

The 28-year-old enjoyed a breakout year in his first season in Nashville, recording 30 tackles, including four for loss, 12 quarterback hits, 6.0 sacks, two passes defensed, and two forced fumbles while playing in all 17 games, including nine starts.

Key was expected to be a pivotal contributor to the Titans’ pass rush this season, in addition to the likes of Jeffery Simmons, T’Vondre Sweat, and Harold Landry. Now, he will miss one-third of the season.

Assuming Key’s suspension holds at six games, he will be eligible to return for the Titans’ Week 8 matchup in Detroit. 

It would seem that Tennessee is now in the market to pick up a free-agent pass rusher prior to Week 1.

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WATCH: Titans’ LB Harold Landry returns to practice

Harold Landry is back!

Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Harold Landry participated in practice for the first time this training camp on Tuesday after missing the start due to an illness.

Following Saturday’s practice from Nissan Stadium, head coach Brian Callahan noted that Landry was likely to return this week.

The 28-year-old is coming off a big year in which he accumulated 70 tackles, including 14 for loss, 21 quarterback hits and 10.5 sacks while playing in all 17 games, including ten starts.

Here are some of Landry’s highlights in the Titans’ first padded practice on Tuesday: