Category: Latest Titans News

Titans believe LB Kenneth Murray Jr. can take defense to another level

Kenneth Murray Jr. is fired up and ready to “wreck s–t” with the Titans in 2024.

Kenneth Murray Jr. looked like a future star after his rookie season for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020. The first-round pick started all 16 games and recorded 107 tackles, and looked like a potential franchise cornerstone.

Things began to trend downward in 2021, with Murray suffering an ankle injury that ruined his season. Over the next two seasons, Murray only missed two games but was far from a dominant presence on the Chargers defense.

Los Angeles declined Murray’s fifth-year option in 2023, and he’d have arguably his best NFL season. Murray tied a career-high with 107 tackles and also had three sacks and an interception. However, with the Chargers hiring a new coach, Murray would headed elsewhere.

Tennessee signed Murray to a two year deal worth $15.5 million contract in the offseason. If Murray becomes the player Tennessee believes he can be, that could prove to be a bargain.

What does Titans inside linebackers coach Frank Bush think Murray will bring to the defense?

“What we’re going to allow him to do is just turn himself loose within the system,” Frank Bush said via John Glennon of Nashville Post. “I mean, there are guys all around him, so that he doesn’t have to be a hero. You got Jeffery Simmons in front of you; you’re going to be okay. You can just be free to flow and do some of the things we do.”

Murray never played behind someone like Jeffery Simmons. When you add in massive rookie T’Vondre Sweat, Murray could have a career year. Remember, Murray is only 25 years old.

Murray is excited about his role with the Titans.

“Honestly, when you just know they’re putting you in a position to go down and just wreck stuff and wreck s–t, that’s what I love,” said Murray. “I definitely felt they put me in that position, and I’m definitely coming in with the mindset of trying to prove s–t. I’m trying to get s–t done. I love it. Love the way they’re calling it so far and look forward to getting better every day.”

The Titans made a lot of offseason changes, but Murray could prove to be one of GM Ran Carthon’s more shrewd additions.

 

Former Titans’ DE Denico Autry suspended six games

Autry spent the past three seasons with the Titans.

Former Tennessee Titans defensive end Denico Autry has been suspended by the NFL for the first six games of the 2024 NFL season for violating the league’s performance enhancing drugs policy, as first reported by Ian Rapoport.

Autry, 34, who signed a two-year deal in free agency with the Houston Texans, is set back a pretty penny. The former Titan will lose $1.5 million of salary, $500k of signing bonus, and $177k of per-game bonus. Additionally, the full guarantee for his remaining $3M of 2024 salary has voided.

Despite being suspended, Autry is maintaining his innocence, indicating, “It was important to me that the NFL know that I did not intentionally or even knowingly ingest a banned substance.“

Here is his full statement:

Autry enjoyed a career revival in Nashville after spending the first seven years of his career in Oakland and Indianapolis. In three seasons with the Titans, Autry amassed 108 tackles, including 30 tackles for loss, 54 quarterback hits, 28.5 sacks, 14 pass deflections, and four forced fumbles.

Last year alone, he established career highs in tackles (50) and sacks (11.5) and matched previous career bests in pass deflections (4) and forced fumbles (2).

As the saying goes, “the best ability is availability,” and Denico Autry will not provide that for his new team. The Titans will see the Texans for the first time in Week 12 in Houston. Autry will make his return to Nissan Stadium in Week 18.

Titans’ Will Levis confirms he’s dating ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ star

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis confirms he’s dating former “Bachelor in Paradise” star Victoria Fuller via Instagram.

Will Levis joined the Tennessee Titans after they selected him in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft. He became the backup for Ryan Tannehill, and when Tannehill went down with a high ankle sprain in 2023, Levis took over and never looked back.

Now Tannehill is gone and Levis has become “the guy” the Titans will rely on in 2024.

As such, Levis has been going out of his way to step up as a leader in the locker room and earn the respect and loyalty of the Titans fanbase. In an effort to do that, he spent almost 45 minutes signing autographs for fans after practice on Saturday.

But that wasn’t the only surprise Levis had for everyone this weekend. His new girlfriend attended practice at Nissan Stadium, and she is none other than a former participant on “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelor in Paradise,” Victoria Fuller.

Fuller actually won “The Bachelor in Paradise,” but she split with Johnny DePhillipo after being accused of cheating with Greg Grippo, who she then split with this past spring.

Drama.

On Monday morning, Levis added a photo to his Instagram story depicting himself and Fuller, confirming suspicions that the two are dating.

Last season, Levis completed 149 passes for 1,808 yards and eight touchdowns. He also threw four interceptions and was sacked 28 times in nine games, an average of just over three sacks per game.

If Levis can avoid getting sacked multiple times a game this year, the Titans will be poised to have a much better season than 2023. And he’s clearly poised for a better one off the field.

Bazinga.

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Titans’ Treylon Burks: ‘I’m just here to prove myself right’

Tennessee Titans WR Treylon Burks has heard the critics, but his new physique isn’t about proving anyone wrong, only proving himself right.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks was selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. The 18th overall pick, Burks hasn’t quite produced what the Titans hoped he would over the last two years.

This year, though, Burks is motivated to do more, even sending a photo to the Titans as proof he’s been putting in the work.

“I feel terrific,” Burks said after Saturday’s practice at Nissan Stadium. “I just dedicated myself to it, and just wanted to grind. It’s just something different that I wanted to try, and obviously it has helped a lot since we started camp. I started doing it at the end of OTAs and I kept it going all the way through. I wanted to change my body drastically, and I’ve done that.”

On top of feeling terrific, Burks has received a ton of praise this offseason for how hard he’s worked. It’s still hard to tune out the critics, but Burks isn’t trying to prove anyone wrong.

Burks has to prove himself to keep his spot on the team, though, with DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, and Tyler Boyd poised to be a three-headed monster for the Titans this season.

But having those stars on the field also opens up opportunities for Burks. When other players are double-teamed, he should see more open seams and grass to make plays.

In the third year of his rookie contract, Burks needs to perform this season. Not just to keep his current spot with the Titans, but to show the entire NFL that he’s a capable receiver who contributes on the field and deserves a future in the league.

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Titans land stud O-lineman in way-too-early 2025 NFL mock draft

In a way-too-early 2025 NFL mock draft from Bleacher Report, the Tennessee Titans land their starting right tackle of the future.

The 2024 regular season is still more than a month away but some NFL analysts are already looking ahead — far ahead.

Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report recently released his way-too-early 2025 NFL mock draft and in it, he has the Tennessee Titans landing a stud tackle to pair with JC Latham, whom they grabbed with the seventh overall pick back in April.

11. Tennessee Titans: OT Emery Jones Jr., LSU

The Tennessee Titans offensive line should take a significant step in the right direction during the upcoming season. But it’s not enough.

After fielding the league’s worst front five, the organization signed center Lloyd Cushenberry III to a four-year, $50 million free-agent contract. General manager Ran Carthon also drafted Alabama’s JC Latham with the seventh overall pick to man left tackle. Most importantly, offensive line coach Bill Callahan joined his son, Brian, as part of the Titans new staff.

The group being better than last year’s feels like a foregone conclusion. The unit isn’t complete, though. The right side remains questionable.

LSU’s Emery Jones is a natural right tackle who entered the Tigers lineup as a true freshman. He and Latham can give the Titans a young and exciting tackle tandem to keep Will Levis (or whomever) upright for the next decade.

The Titans have spent an extensive amount of resources in an effort to upgrade their offensive line, including the additions of Latham and the aforementioned center Lloyd Cushenberry III.

However, there remain questions at right tackle with that battle at the forefront in training camp. Nicholas Petit-Frere was believed to be the early favorite but John Ojukwu has earned from first-team reps in practice with NPF on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

Regardless of who starts in 2024, adding a right tackle like Jones Jr. next year wouldn’t be the worst idea.

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Titans linebacker Harold Landry expected to return this week

The Titans are expected to get their top edge rusher back this week.

The Tennessee Titans should get a big piece of their defense back this week for the second week of training camp.

Head coach Brian Callahan said after Saturday’s practice at Nissan Stadium that linebacker/edge rusher Harold Landry should return for the second week.

Landry hasn’t practiced yet as he’s been dealing with an undisclosed illness.

Tennessee’s defense has looked strong early in training camp. Anchored by a strong interior led by Jeffery Simmons, Sebastian Joseph-Day, and rookie T’Vondre Sweat, the Titans have an opportunity to have a special defense in 2024. In addition to selecting Sweat in the NFL draft, Tennessee brought in cornerbacks L’Jarius Sneed, Chidobe Awuzie, and safety Jamal Adams this offseason.

Of course, Landry is Tennessee’s top edge rusher. Last season, Landry finished with 10.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and 21 quarterback hits.

Titans QB Malik Willis is off to a strong start in his third training camp

Malik Willis is off to a strong start in training camp. He believes the best is yet to come.

Many Tennessee fans were ready to move on from Malik Willis after his rookie season. A third-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft from Liberty University, Willis appeared in three games for the Titans, completing 31 of 61 passing attempts for 276 yards and three interceptions.

Willis did not look ready to compete in the NFL. In fairness to him, going from Liberty to the NFL is a significant jump and would require patience.

In 2023, it looked like the Titans were prepared to move on from Willis, too, using a second-round pick on quarterback Will Levis. It was Levis who Tennessee turned to replace Ryan Tannehill.

When new coach Brian Callahan took over this offseason, it was clear the plan was to build around Levis. Willis’ future became even murkier when the Titans signed veteran Mason Rudolph, but Callahan made it clear that Rudolph and Willis were on equal footing for the backup job.

“It’s a competition,” Callahan said last month. “They’re going to both get a fair shake at the two-job.”

During Saturday’s practice at Nissan Stadium, Willis had a terrific practice. Callahan was impressed.

“Really pleased with Malik,” Callahan said. “I think both those quarterbacks have really done a nice job. Malik came out and had a nice day with some aggressive throws. He’s really done a nice job knowing what to do, where to go with the football. And, really pleased with how he played today. It was a good day for Malik.”

After Saturday’s practice, Sam Phalen of AtoZSports caught up with Willis, who feels like the first two years of his career have prepared him for where he is now.

“This is my third offense,” Willis said. “I’ve been able to retain the information from all three and learn the entire process. I’ve made my mistakes, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot, and I just feel more comfortable making certain decisions.”

Willis then said no one knows what he’s capable of because he simply hasn’t played enough at this level.

“Y’all haven’t seen much,” Willis told Phalen. “You can see what you can and you can make your best narrative, or best decision on what it was…But at the same time, I haven’t played a lot of football at this level.”

It remains to be seen if Callahan is being honest about Willis legitimately competing for the No. 2 job. Rudolph has looked solid, too. While it’s early, Willis looks like a much different player.

Titans WR Calvin Ridley injures ankle but returned to practice

Ridley suffered an ankle injury on Saturday, but Brian Callahan said he’s fine.

The Tennessee Titans have big plans for wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Tennessee signed Ridley to a four-year, $92 million contract in the offseason to serve as its No. 1 wide receiver.

Ridley suffered an ankle injury during the Titans’ open practice at Nissan Stadium on Saturday. The good news is that he returned to practice.

After practice, head coach Brian Callahan gave an update on Ridley:

“Calvin Ridley had a little slight ankle issue, he was out for a little bit,” Callahan said. “He came back; he was fine.”

That’s excellent news for Tennessee, which has avoided injuries during the first week of camp, outside of cornerback Chidobe Awuzie.

The Titans need Ridley on the field as he works on developing chemistry with Ridley. Levis threw his first interception of training camp on Saturday in a pass intended for Ridley. It was terribly underthrown. Ridley initially had his man beat but had to stop and wait on the football.

2 Titans named to PFN’s Top 100 NFL Players of 2024 list

Two members of the Tennessee Titans have been named to Pro Football Network’s list of the Top 100 NFL Players of 2024.

NFL Network continues to slowly release its list of the Top 100 Players of the 2024 Season as voted on by the players themselves. Thus far, only one member of the Tennessee Titans — defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons — has made the cut.

On Saturday, Pro Football Network countered with their own Top 100 Players of 2024 list and two Titans had their names appear.

Simmons, of course, was one of them.

81) Jeffery Simmons, DT, Tennessee Titans

Although he missed the final five games of the 2023 season with a knee injury and ended the year with just 5.5 sacks, Jeffery Simmons remains one of the NFL’s most fearsome interior defenders.

A bully on the interior, Simmons earned back-to-back second-team All-Pro nods for the Titans in 2021 and 2022.

If not for missing games a season ago, it’s a safe bet that Simmons would have appeared much higher on this list.

Next up for the Titans is their prized offseason addition, acquired via trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.

50) L’Jarius Sneed, CB, Tennessee Titans

One of the more versatile corners in the NFL, L’Jarius Sneed spent most of his time in the slot early in his career before playing almost every snap on the perimeter in 2023.

The transition took, as Sneed didn’t allow a receiving touchdown in his coverage area until the Buffalo Bills’ Khalil Shakir scored on him in the Divisional Round. Can he remain a lockdown CB1 after joining the Tennessee Titans this offseason?

There’s no doubt the Titans will rely heavily on Sneed this season and have high expectations after inking him to a four-year, $76.4 million contract.

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WATCH: Titans QB Will Levis throws a dime to RB Tony Pollard

Will Levis and Tony Pollard connect for a big play on Day 3 of training camp.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis is having a strong start to his second NFL training camp. Every move the Titans made this offseason, from head coach Brian Callahan to adding multiple talented playmakers on offense, was with Levis in mind.

One of those new weapons is running back Tony Pollard. The sixth-year running back is a Tennessee native and returned home this offseason, signing a three-year, $21.5 million contract with the Titans in March.

Pollard went over 1,000 yards rushing in each of his final two seasons with the Cowboys. But, in Tennessee, he could have a chance to use his skills as a receiver more. Pollard did catch a career-high 55 passes in 2023.

During Day 3 of Titans’ training camp on Saturday, fans got to see a sample of Levis throwing the ball to Pollard. And this was not a dump-off either.

Check it out:

What a throw from Levis. This tells us two things: Pollard will be a legitimate threat out of the backfield this season, and Callahan will be aggressive.