Category: Titans training camp

Titans’ Jeffery Simmons was involved in dust-up in first practice with Bucs

Thanks to Big Jeff, there will no doubt be some bad blood going into Day 2 of Titans-Bucs joint practice.

Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons was about as dominant as you’d expect him to be during the first joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday.

Big Jeff was a problem for the Bucs, as he blew up multiple plays. Not only did he notch a sack, but Simmons also managed to bat down at least one pass, and he was a force against the run.

Simmons, who was very vocal about the success he was having against the Bucs and was heard yelling “this [expletive] too [expletive] easy,” was almost involved in a fight, also.

According to Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud, Bucs vice president of player engagement, Duke Preston, had a close run-in with Simmons while helping out at practice, and he was none too pleased about it.

During a pass-rush drill between the Titans’ defensive line and the Bucs’ offensive line, Tampa Bay’s vice president of player engagement, Duke Preston, took the shotgun snaps as the mock quarterback.

Preston, who played center for the Bills and Cowboys in the 2000s, was brushed near the neck and head by Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons as Simmons surged past center Robert Hainsey.

Preston then fired the ball at Simmons, and pushing and shoving ensued.

After practice, Simmons spoke about his being vocal after making some impressive plays. The dust-up was not addressed, though.

“Just setting the tempo, setting the tone, and letting them know I’m coming,” Simmons said. “We’re going to play to our standard and we’re going full tilt.”

Nothing says “full tilt” like nearly taking the head off of an executive from another team who is just helping out. It’s clear Simmons wasn’t making any friends on Wednesday; look for that to possibly spill over into Thursday.

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Bucs’ Logan Ryan talks return to Nashville in practice with Titans

Bucs CB Logan Ryan was happy to be back in Nashville for joint practices with the Titans.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Logan Ryan was one of the familiar faces coming back to Nashville on Wednesday during the team’s joint practice with the Tennessee Titans.

Ryan was a total class act and fan-favorite over three seasons with the Titans and was responsible for nabbing the pick-six that helped finish off the Tom Brady era in New England back in 2019.

However, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing with Titans fans since Tennessee decided not to bring Ryan back in 2020, which led to him signing with the New York Giants.

In 2021, the veteran stirred up some controversy after criticizing the Titans’ fan base for being “non-existent,” while also saying “you couldn’t even get fans to the game, you had to put tickets half off to get fans to the game.”

Ryan would later say he “meant no disrespect,” and he even got some support from Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan, but there’s no question the comment left Ryan worse off with Titans fans, many of whom wanted him back in 2020 when he hit free agency.

Ryan’s appearance in Nashville on Wednesday was his first since making the comment. He wasn’t asked about the subject but did say he was happy to be back.

“Yeah, it’s great. I love it here,” Ryan said. “This is where my son was born, and my foundation was born. I have great memories here. They’ve got a lot more buildings now — it’s nice, they’ve got a whole parking deck — so hopefully I was a part of that.

I’m happy for the guys. It’s good to see familiar faces and it was good work today.”

Ryan wasn’t the only notable former Titan in attendance on Wednesday. Wide receiver Julio Jones also made his first appearance in Nashville since being cut earlier this offseason. He didn’t speak with the media following practice, though.

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Titans training camp: Photos from first practice with Buccaneers

Photos from the Titans-Bucs joint practice on Wednesday.

The Tennessee Titans held their 14th practice of training camp on Wednesday when they held a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The session featured a few familiar faces on the other sideline, as players like cornerback Logan Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones made their return to Nashville in a Bucs uniform.

In case you missed what went on during Day 14, you can check out our takeaways article right here. Now, a look at the photos from Wednesday.

Report: Titans CB Chris Jackson’s knee injury isn’t serious

Titans CB Chris Jackson’s MRI reportedly came back clean and he should return in a few days.

Tennessee Titans cornerback Chris Jackson has been sidelined at practice since suffering a knee injury during the team’s preseason Week 1 loss at Baltimore last Thursday.

However, according to Terry McCormick of Titan Insider, Jackson’s MRI came back clean and he’s expected to return to the practice field in the next few days.

Jackson, who had a rough showing against the Ravens in preseason Week 1, can ill-afford to miss practice time, as he’s vying for a spot on Tennessee’s roster.

Meanwhile, the Titans have been busy adding to their secondary in recent days with the addition of Lonnie Johnson Jr. via waivers, and the reported trade for Las Vegas Raiders safety, Tyree Gillespie, two moves that only make things more difficult for Jackson’s chances.

On top of those moves, guys like Greg Mabin and Shakur Brown have been standing out in training camp recently. Jackson is going to have to rebound quickly if he wants to make the cut.

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Watch: Treylon Burks makes sick one-handed catch in practice

Titans WR Treylon Burks made a sensational one-handed catch prior to exiting practice early with an apparent injury.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks had himself a pretty good day during the team’s first joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday.

But the day didn’t come without some bad news, as Burks left the session early due to an unspecified injury. It isn’t clear what injury he’s dealing with or how serious it is, as head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t provide an update.

Shocker…

Prior to exiting, Burks did make a pair of nice plays, including a touchdown catch on a long pass from quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and a sick one-handed grab down the sideline on another pass.

Check out the one-handed catch below.

Hopefully Burks’ injury isn’t serious, but even if it’s minor we expect he’ll sit out a practice or two just in case. Tennessee will return to the practice field on Thursday for its second and final joint practice with the Bucs ahead of their preseason Week 2 contest on Saturday.

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Biggest takeaways from Titans’ first joint practice with Buccaneers

The biggest takeaways from the Titans’ first joint practice with the Bucs on Wednesday.

After an off day on Tuesday, the Tennessee Titans returned to the practice field for their 14th session of training camp, which was also the first joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tennessee and Tampa Bay will return to Saint Thomas Sports Park on Thursday for the second and final joint practice. After that, the two teams will square off on Saturday night in preseason Week 2.

After seeing a ton of fireworks with in-practice fights last year, the Titans and Bucs didn’t have any skirmishes on Wednesday; however, it’s important to note the aforementioned fights last year took place on Day 2.

Tennessee saw a few familiar faces at practice, as former Titans and current Bucs Logan Ryan and Julio Jones were both present. Tampa Bay didn’t have Tom Brady or Mike Evans practicing, though.

Now, here’s a look at the biggest takeaways from the first of two joint practices between the Titans and Bucs.

Watch: Kevin Byard the latest victim of Ben Jones’ baby powder prank

Kevin Byard suffered the same fate at the hands of Ben Jones that Mike Vrabel did on his birthday.

Earlier this week, Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was the victim of a birthday prank at the hands of center Ben Jones, and safety Kevin Byard, who turned 29 on Wednesday, was Jones’ latest victim.

The prank consists of Jones pouring baby powder on the birthday boy of the day. Vrabel was the victim on Sunday, and Byard received the baby powder shower on Wednesday following Tennessee’s joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Hey, I spoke too soon,” Byard said of possibly avoiding the prank after Jones struck. “It didn’t get in my eyes, though, so we’re good.”

In case you missed Jones getting Vrabel, you can check out that clip below.

The Titans held their first joint practice with the Bucs on Wednesday, and the two teams will have another session together on Thursday before suiting up for their preseason Week 2 contest on Saturday night, which takes place in Nashville.

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Report: Tennessee Titans releasing TE Briley Moore

The Titans are reportedly parting ways with TE Briley Moore.

The Tennessee Titans have reportedly decided to part ways with one of their 2021 undrafted free agent signings, tight end Briley Moore.

According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Titans are releasing Moore in a move that will clear space on the roster for safety Tyree Gillespie, who was reportedly acquired in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday.

Moore, who was signed last May, missed his entire rookie campaign due to a torn ACL. He was competing for the No. 4 tight end spot in training camp.

The Titans have yet to make either the Moore release or Gillespie trade official, but an announcement should be coming soon.

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Titans claim Lonnie Johnson Jr. off waivers from Chiefs

The Titans are reportedly adding veteran CB Lonnie Johnson Jr.

The Tennessee Titans are reportedly adding veteran cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr. to their offseason roster. The move comes on the same day Tennessee made its first round of cuts.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Titans claimed Johnson off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs, who acquired him in a trade this offseason but unexpectedly cut the 26-year-old on Monday.

According to John Glennon of Sports Illustrated, the Titans are waiving defensive back Elijah Benton to make room for Johnson.

If the name sounds familiar, that’s probably because it is. Johnson is the latest in a long line of former Houston Texans to play in Nashville.

Johnson was originally a second-round pick of the Texans in 2019. Over three seasons in Houston, Johnson started in 19 of 44 games, totaling 172 combined tackles, three interceptions and 13 pass break-ups.

His best season came in 2021, when he permitted career-bests in completion rate (57.9%) and QB rating (76.6) allowed. Johnson also nabbed three picks and six pass break-ups.

Tennessee’s depth options in the secondary had their fair share of issues in preseason Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens’ backups, so it’s no surprise the team is exploring its options. Johnson has about as good a shot as any cornerback on the roster bubble to make the cut.

Prior to claiming Johnson, the Titans parted ways with five players in their first round of cuts, including running back Jordan Wilkins, defensive lineman Haskell Garrett, wide receiver Josh Malone, offensive lineman Carson Green and defensive back Deante Burton.

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Tennessee Titans waive five players in first round of cuts

The Titans announced their first round of cuts on Tuesday afternoon.

The Tennessee Titans have parted ways with five players to bring their roster down to 85 in what is the first of three rounds of cuts ahead of the 2022 season.

The five players include running back Jordan Wilkins, wide receiver Josh Malone, defensive back Deante Burton, defensive lineman Haskell Garrett and offensive lineman Carson Green.

Although none of these players are a major surprise, Malone would qualify as the closest thing to it. The Tennessee product had a good spring and figured to at least stick around a bit longer than this.

Garrett was someone we pegged as one of Tennessee’s undrafted free agent signings with the best chance to make the roster. Looks like we missed on that one.

After waiving the five aforementioned players, it was also reported that the Titans claimed former Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr. off waivers. Tennessee is waiving defensive back Elijah Benton in order to make room.

After Tuesday, the Titans will make two more rounds of cuts. Tennessee will trim its roster from 85 to 80 on Aug. 23, and then from 80 to 53 on Aug. 30.

Ahead of their next preseason game on Saturday night, the Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will hold joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday.

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