Category: Titans training camp

Biggest takeaways from Day 10 of Titans training camp

A look at what went on during the Titans’ 10th training camp practice on Monday.

The Tennessee Titans took part in their 10th practice of 2022 training camp on Monday, which was also the last that is open to the media before the team takes on the Baltimore Ravens in the preseason opener on Thursday night.

Earlier in the day, the Titans released their first unofficial depth chart of 2022. You can check out our analysis of it right here.

The biggest takeaway there was the fact that Roger McCreary and Caleb Farley were listed as co-starters at cornerback, so it appears Farley isn’t completely safe in terms of being the starter there.

One of the more interesting things to come out of Titans training camp on Monday was the fact that the Titans are rotating players on the first-team offense at right tackle, with Nicholas Petit-Frere and Dillon Radunz both seeing reps with the ones.

That’s interesting to note because the Titans apparently aren’t doing the same at left guard, where Jamarco Jones and Aaron Brewer are competing. Brewer is seeing the first-team reps there.

After practice, head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t go into detail about why that is the case, but we can assume things are much closer at right tackle than we originally thought.

Now, a look at all the biggest takeaways from Monday.

Watch: Titans’ A.J. Moore mic’d up at training camp

A.J. Moore’s high energy is very apparent in this mic’d up clip from Titans training camp.

One of the Tennessee Titans’ newest players, defensive back A.J. Moore, was mic’d up for a training camp practice recently, giving us a closer look and listen into one of the team’s sessions.

Moore was signed to a fully-guaranteed one-year, $2.5 million deal earlier this offseason and is set to play a backup role at safety, while also contributing as a key member of special teams.

“Clearly [A.J. Moore’s] special teams resume speaks for itself,” head coach Mike Vrabel said after the team signed Moore. “We talked to him about creating a role on defense.

One of the things that immediately jumps out at us about Moore in this clip is his high level of energy, which is apparent both when he’s taking part in drills and watching on the sideline.

Moore is just the latest Titans player to get the mic’d up treatment for training camp. We previously got to listen to veteran wide receiver Robert Woods.

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Analyzing Titans’ first unofficial depth chart of 2022

A look at the Titans’ first unofficial depth chart of 2022.

On Monday, the Tennessee Titans revealed their first unofficial depth chart of 2022 ahead of their first preseason game on Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens.

Before we get to the details, it’s hard to glean too much from the very first depth chart, especially when the Titans will do just about anything to keep information close to the vest.

However, there were a few interesting things of note to talk about.

In order to not give away anything in terms of who is winning the starting competitions in camp, the Titans used slashes to denote co-starters in some spots, and there’s one very interesting one at the starting cornerback spot.

That’s just one of the noteworthy things we see on Tennessee’s first unofficial depth chart of 2022. Here’s a look at the entire depth chart on offense, defense and special teams, and a little analysis for each.

Note: Depth chart pecking order goes from left to right, and then down to the next row and from left to right again.

Titans’ Chance Campbell trying to soak up knowledge from veterans

Titans LB Chance Campbell: If you really want to learn, one of the best things you can do is close your mouth, open your ears and open your eyes.”

Despite being taken in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft, Tennessee Titans linebacker Chance Campbell came in with a fair amount of hype.

He played in all 13 games as a graduate transfer for Ole Miss in 2021, pacing the defense with 109 total tackles and finishing second in tackles for loss (12.5).

In his first training camp, the young linebacker hasn’t been shy about asking questions as he gets acclimated to the NFL. Campbell noted on Sunday the importance of keeping his mouth shut but his eyes and ears open.

“I’m probably a little awkward with them, a bit of a shadow, just trying to see what they did because those guys play great ball. I think a lot of it you can ask questions; I think that’s really important,” he said, via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.

“But I think the other part is that guys around here do such a good job of setting a great example. If you really want to learn, one of the best things you can do is close your mouth, open your ears and open your eyes.”

Campbell ran the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds, displaying quick side-to-side speed in college. He was often found blowing up plays in the backfield, as shown in his tackles for loss numbers, both at Maryland and Ole Miss.

The young linebacker noted in his post-draft media call that he needed to provide value, work hard, and put the team first to carve out a role for himself in the National Football League.

Campbell has already caught the attention of fellow Titans linebacker David Long Jr., who was a sixth-round pick himself in 2019 and had to earn everything to work his way into a starting role.

Long particularly touched on Campbell’s willingness to play physically.

“He’s smart. He’s not running from any contact or anything. He’s a guy that wants to learn,” Long said, via AtoZ Sports Nashville. “Guys are coming in early. They can know the plays before we do, so that’s just good. They can get in here and learn. We’re still just building and learning the defense.”

Heading into the 2022 season, Campbell will serve in a backup capacity with the opportunity for more time in special teams if he makes the cut. However, he’ll also look to use whatever opportunities he gets to prove he has what it takes to be a starter down the road.

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Titans’ Malik Willis talks bailing on tackling drill vs. Jeffery Simmons

On Sunday, Malik Willis touched on what was one of the funnier moments of Titans training camp.

During the sixth practice of training camp last week, Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis created one of the funnier moments of the offseason.

Willis was tasked with going up against monstrous defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons in a tackling drill, but the rookie made a smart business decision and bailed on the drill by falling to the ground as soon as he turned around and saw Simmons waiting for him.

“I was like, ‘No, this can’t be right,” Willis said after practice on Sunday, per the Associated Press. “But I just do the drill. I turned around… and I just get down and I’m not going to get hit by him.”

It was at this moment that Willis’ decision-making was confirmed as elite. After all, there was literally nowhere for him to go but down, as Simmons’ massive frame almost covered the entire width of pylons.

While Willis had the option of avoiding Simmons, some opposing offensive players won’t be so lucky this coming season.

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Tennessee Titans training camp: Photos from Day 9

The photos from the Titans’ practice on Sunday, which was their ninth of training camp.

The Tennessee Titans held their ninth practice of training camp on Sunday as he they continue to prepare for their upcoming preseason opener on Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

Tennessee’s next practice is on Monday, which will be the last the media will have access to ahead of the preseason contest. You can check out Tennessee’s full training camp schedule right here.

In case you missed the events of Day 9, we have a recap right here. Now, the photos from Sunday’s practice.

Biggest takeaways from Day 9 of Titans training camp

Titans RB Hassan Haskins had a good day while running with the ones on Sunday.

After an off day on Saturday, the Tennessee Titans returned to the practice field for their ninth session of training camp on Sunday as the team prepares for its preseason opener on Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens.

Following practice, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel met with the media and one of the more standout quotes coming from him was about rookie linebacker, Jack Gibbens.

“Dr. Gibby (Vrabel’s nickname for Gibbens) is smart,” Vrabel said. “He’s picked up the defense extremely well. He’s going to be fun to watch playing in the game. He gets everybody lined up. He knows exactly what to do. He can help other guys. He’s always around the football. That’s kind of what we saw last year watching film at Minnesota.”

We pegged Gibbens as a longshot to make the roster at the start of training camp, but it appears we need to be paying more attention to the 2022 undrafted free agent.

Now, a look at the biggest takeaways from Day 9.

Titans’ Jack Gibbens earns praise and a nickname from Mike Vrabel

Rookie linebacker Jack Gibbens is picking things up quickly, and that has caught the attention of Mike Vrabel.

One of the Tennessee Titans’ undrafted free agent signings following the 2022 NFL draft, linebacker Jack Gibbens is trying to earn a spot on the team’s 53-man roster in training camp.

While Gibbens had been quiet for much of the first week-plus of training camp, he has made some nice plays in the last two practices, as Terry McCormick of Titan Insider pointed out.

Gibbens had an interception of a pass off receiver Josh Malone’s hands in Friday’s practice, and on Sunday made a nice strip of the ball in goal line period of a pass for rookie tight end Chig Okonkwo to force an incompletion.

Perhaps more noteworthy is the fact that Gibbens has caught the attention of head coach Mike Vrabel, who praised him for the job he’s doing in not only picking up the defense, but helping his teammates, also.

Gibbens has even earned a nickname from Vrabel, who calls him “Dr. Gibby.”

“[Gibbens] said, ‘Coach, I wasn’t in pre-med.’ I said, ‘I know. It’s a joke,” Vrabel revealed after Sunday’s practice.

“Dr. Gibby is smart. He’s picked up the defense extremely well. He’s going to be fun to watch playing in the game,” Vrabel added. “He gets everybody lined up. He knows exactly what to do. He can help other guys. He’s always around the football. That’s kind of what we saw last year watching film at Minnesota.”

Gibbens had an uphill climb in making the 53-man roster upon entering training camp, as the team had three roster locks in David Long, Zach Cunningham and Monty Rice.

Making matters worse, the Titans drafted linebacker Chance Campbell in the sixth round this year and have two special teams contributors from last season, Dylan Cole and Joe Jones, also competing for a roster spot.

In order to make the cut, it was imperative for Gibbens to stand out as much as possible, and after hearing Vrabel’s comments on Sunday, it’s clear he’s doing just that.

You have our attention, doctor.

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7 Titans creating positive buzz at training camp

A look at seven Titans who have created positive buzz in training camp so far.

Training camp for the 2022 Tennessee Titans is well underway and there’s been plenty of positive buzz going around during the first week-plus of practices.

After dealing with multiple injury-riddled and/or ineffective rookie draft classes the past two years, it’s been nice to see practically the entire class making their presence felt in some capacity.

The rookies aren’t the only ones who have stood out early in camp, though. Tennessee also has plenty of veteran players who are preparing for the upcoming season by practicing at a high level on a daily basis.

With the Titans approaching their third week of training camp, we’re going to highlight players who have been garnering a lot of positive publicity as of late thanks to their performances on the practice field.

With all that said, let’s take a closer look at seven players who have stood out the most since since training camp began.

Titans LB Dylan Cole avoids serious injury

Titans LB Dylan Cole is reportedly fine after suffering an injury on Friday.

Tennessee Titans inside linebacker Dylan Cole suffered an undisclosed injury during the team’s eighth practice of training camp on Friday, but it appears the injury isn’t serious.

According to Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky, the team is hopeful Cole can to return to practice in a few days despite the injury apparently looking serious at first.

After signing with the Titans last November, Cole appeared in nine games for Tennessee in 2021, tallying 16 tackles (one for loss), one pass defended, one forced fumble and one QB hit while playing predominantly on special teams.

Cole re-signed with the Titans earlier this offseason and is vying for one of the backup spots at inside linebacker against rookies Chance Campbell and Jack Gibbens, and veteran Joe Jones, who also played a significant role on special teams in 2021.

In our latest 53-man roster projection, we had both Cole and Campbell making the cut behind Tennessee’s three roster locks in David Long, Zach Cunningham and Monty Rice.

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