Category: Titans training camp

Titans training camp: News, notes and video from Day 1 of practice

The Titans hit the field for their first practice of training camp on Wednesday.

For the first time since reporting to training camp on Tuesday, the Tennessee Titans hit the practice field on Wednesday, but they haven’t put on the pads just yet.

That’s because the CBA dictates teams must have helmets only during the first two sessions, helmets and shells for the next two, and then on Monday Tennessee can strap on the pads and really get going.

During the first two days of camp, we’ve heard from head coach Mike Vrabel (presser highlights here) and general manager Jon Robinson, who revealed the team has a COVID-19 vaccination rate of 90 percent.

Seeing the Titans buying into getting the vaccine comes as no surprise after the team experienced one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks of the 2020 season.

But now, what you came for: here’s all of the news, notes and video from beat writers on the ground for the first training camp practice of 2021.

What Titans’ Mike Vrabel said in first training camp presser

Vrabel touched on a number of topics during his first training camp presser on Tuesday.

The Tennessee Titans officially opened training camp on Tuesday, as 60 players reported to Saint Thomas Sports Park, joining the other 30 who reported days earlier.

While everyone will report, players won’t hit the practice field until the next day on Wednesday. You can check out the full training camp schedule, complete with dates and times, right here.

Tennessee won’t be in full pads right away, though. As the CBA dictates, the first two days will see players with helmets only, and then in helmets and shells for the two practices after that.

On Monday, the full pads go on, which is when coaches will tell you the real evaluations for positional battles begin.

To kick things off, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the media and went over a number of topics on Tuesday, and did so in a live press conference for the first time since the 2019 season.

Here’s a look at everything he spoke about.

9 major storylines to follow as Titans training camp opens

The rest of the Titans will report to training camp on Tuesday, with the first practice set for Wednesday.

After the rookies reported days earlier, the Tennessee Titans will welcome the rest of their current roster to training camp at Saint Thomas Sports Park on Tuesday, with head coach Mike Vrabel set to address the media the same day.

However, players won’t be strapping the pads on just yet. The first training camp practice is set to take place on Wednesday — and that’s when the real evaluations will begin.

This will be a pivotal time for the Titans, as they’re incorporating several new players on both sides of the ball and will have plenty of competitions to monitor throughout.

As we take that next major step towards the start of the 2021 campaign, here’s a look at nine major storylines to watch during Titans training camp.

Note: In case you missed it, you can check out the full training camp schedule, complete with dates and times for all practices, right here.

Titans place Caleb Farley on NFI list, Bud Dupree on PUP among several roster moves

The Titans added two to the NFI list, three to the PUP list, and Abry Jones was added to the Reserve/Retired list.

The Tennessee Titans will start training camp without two key players on defense.

The team announced on Saturday that cornerback and 2021 first-round pick, Caleb Farley, will begin camp on the NFI (Non-Football Injury) list, and outside linebacker Bud Dupree will go on the Active/PUP list.

Dupree is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in December, while Farley is rehabbing from March back surgery.

The Titans also revealed that offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo and running back Jeremy McNichols will join Dupree on the PUP list.

Joining Farley on the NFI list is offensive lineman Aaron Brewer. Veteran defensive lineman Abry Jones has been placed on the Reserve/Retired list.

The good news is that neither wide receiver A.J. Brown nor left tackle Taylor Lewan have been placed on either list, so they should be good to go.

Players on the PUP list can be activated off it at anytime, but once final roster cuts take place on Aug. 31, players on the list must be activated or moved to the Reserve/PUP list and miss the first six games of the season.

Titans rookies reported to camp on Saturday, but the rest of the team will report on July 27, with the first practice set to take place the next day.

Report: Injury updates for key Titans ahead of training camp

The latest on the statuses of A.J. Brown, Bud Dupree, Taylor Lewan and Caleb Farley ahead of training camp.

Two key names for the Tennessee Titans will reportedly be ready to take the field when the team has its first practice of training camp on July 28 rather than starting out on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list.

According to Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky, wide receiver A.J. Brown, who had offseason surgery on both knees, and left tackle Taylor Lewan, who tore his ACL in 2020, are both expected to be out there for the first practice.

Kuharsky notes that Brown will be a “full go” while Lewan “is expected to start camp on time.” He also says that the Titans “have no worries about Brown and are not anticipating any about Lewan.”

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It isn’t all rosy, though.

Outside linebacker Bud Dupree is “virtually certain” to start out camp on the PUP list, per Kuharsky, and there is a possibility that cornerback Caleb Farley and offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo will do the same.

Both Farley and Dupree have said in the past that they expect to be ready for training camp. Jim Wyatt of Titans Online said earlier this month that he didn’t expect Farley to be ready for Day 1.

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Players on the Active/PUP list during training camp can be activated off it at any time, but if they remain on it when rosters are cut down to 53 players on Aug. 31, they have to either be activated or moved to the Reserve/PUP list and be inactive for the first six games.

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Tennessee Titans 2021 training camp preview: Special teams

The Titans will see competitions at kicker and punt returner in training camp.

Believe it or not, we are just five days away from the start of Tennessee Titans training camp, which will feature several positional battles to watch, including at the kicker position.

Players will report on July 27 and head coach Mike Vrabel will hold a presser that day. The Titans will then get down to business the next day, with the first training camp practice set for July 28.

When looking at special teams, there are more competitions set to take place than at just kicker. The Titans also have to figure out who their return men will be, although one of those spots figures to already be set.

Thankfully, the punter situation is already figured out, as it has been ever since the great Brett Kern came into our lives.

We’ll still take a look at the punter position, as well as kicker, long snapper and returner, in what is our final training camp preview.

Tennessee Titans 2021 training camp preview: Safety

The Titans will have a new starter alongside Kevin Byard in 2021.

The Tennessee Titans made several changes to their defense earlier this offseason, one of which included the release of veteran safety, Kenny Vaccaro.

Vaccaro, who was signed as an injury replacement for Johnathan Cyprien in 2018 and was a key contributor over his first two seasons with the team, struggled in 2020, much like the rest of the secondary and defense overall.

That, combined with the fact that the Titans needed cap space and had 2019 fourth-round pick Amani Hooker waiting in the wings made the release of the 30-year-old an expected move.

Not only are the Titans set to have a new starter alongside Kevin Byard, but they also have some new depth options beyond the top of the depth chart.

Let’s take a closer look at Byard, Hooker and the rest of the players at the position who will be vying for a roster spot in training camp, which begins on July 27.

Tennessee Titans 2021 training camp preview: Cornerback

The CB position will be among the most interesting to watch at Titans training camp this year.

If you had fallen asleep after the Tennessee Titans’ playoff loss last season and didn’t wake up until now, seeing the list of cornerbacks on the team’s current roster might surprise you.

General manager Jon Robinson has pulled off a complete overhaul of the unit, parting ways with guys like Adoree’ Jackson, Malcolm Butler and Desmond King. The safety position wasn’t safe, either, as Kenny Vaccaro was cut.

And all of that was done for good reason. The Titans’ secondary was awful in coverage in 2020 and change — on top of cap space — was needed to improve a defense that was just plain bad overall.

In exchange, the Titans signed Janoris Jenkins, and drafted Caleb Farley in the first round and Elijah Molden in the third. Key names set to return at the position are Breon Borders and Kristian Fulton.

Despite the much-needed changes, the Titans still have plenty of question marks at the position ahead of the 2021 campaign. We’ll go over those questions and more in our latest training camp preview.

Which Titans are roster locks or on the bubble before training camp?

We go position-by-position to take our best guess at which Titans are roster locks or on the bubble.

As the Tennessee Titans prepare to embark on training camp after players report on July 27, there are certain players who are absolute locks to make the roster in our opinion, while others are on the bubble.

At this point in the offseason it’s hard to really nail down who will make the 53-man roster, as competitions haven’t fully kicked-off in earnest yet with players yet to put the pads on.

However, once training camp begins, the pads will come on and coaches will finally begin to really evaluate players, leading to the team cutting its roster from 90 all the way down to 53 ahead of Week 1.

So, which players are roster locks and which ones are on the bubble?

Of course, it’s impossible to know the exact answers to those questions, but we’ll take our best shot right here, position-by-position, while also including our best guess for who is a near-lock where applicable.

Tennessee Titans reveal 2021 training camp schedule

Unfortunately, the Titans won’t have any practices open to the general public this year.

While we have known for some time that Tennessee Titans players will report to training camp on July 27, we didn’t know the entirety of the training camp schedule until now.

Thanks to the team’s official site, we have the exact dates and times for practices, including the joint sessions set to take place with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and when head coach Mike Vrabel will speak to the media.

Unfortunately, it was also confirmed that the team will not hold any practices open to the general public due to the ongoing construction at the team’s practice facility, Saint Thomas Sports Park.

The Titans originally planned on holding one practice open to the public at Nissan Stadium, but a slew of upcoming events at the venue, including the Garth Brooks concert, the Music City Grand Prix and multiple Nashville SC games, forced the team to cancel the idea.

Here’s the full rundown of 2021 training camp (all times are central unless otherwise noted):

July 27: Vrabel presser (TBA)

July 28: Practice (9:30 – 11:15 a.m.)

July 29: Practice (9:30 – 11:15 a.m.)

July 30: Practice (9:30 – 11:15 a.m.)

July 31: Practice (9:30 – 11:15 a.m.)

Aug. 1: OFF

Aug. 2: Practice (9:30 – 11:15 a.m.)

Aug. 3: Practice (9:30 – 11:15 a.m.)

Aug. 4: Practice (9:30 – 11:15 a.m.)

Aug. 5: No practice

Aug. 6: Practice (9:30 – 11:15 a.m.)

Aug. 7: Practice (9:30 – 11:15 a.m.)

Aug. 8: OFF

Aug. 9: Practice (9:30 – 11:15 a.m.)

Aug. 10: Practice (9:30 – 11:15 a.m.)

Aug. 11: Practice (5:00 – 7 p.m.)

Aug. 12: Travel/No media

Aug. 13: at Atlanta (preseason)

Aug. 14: Vrabel presser (TBA)

Aug. 15: Practice (12:15 – 2:00 p.m.)

Aug. 16: Practice (9:30 – 11:15 a.m.)

Aug. 17: Travel/No media

Aug. 18: Practice in Tampa (9:55 a.m. – Noon ET)

Aug. 19: Practice in Tampa (9:55 a.m. – Noon ET)

Aug. 20: No media

Aug. 21: at Tampa Bay (preseason)

Aug. 22: Vrabel presser (TBA)

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