Category: Titans training camp

Biggest takeaways from Titans’ 2nd open practice of training camp

A look at the biggest takeaways from the Titans’ second open practice of training camp on Friday.

The Tennessee Titans hit the practice field for their second open session of training camp on Friday, and as always we have all the biggest takeaways from it.

In terms of attendance, fifth-round pick and tight end Josh Whyle returned to  after not being on the field during the first open session. Meanwhile, right tackle candidate, Jamarco Jones, was absent, and defensive lineman Tyler Shelvin exited early. No reason was given for either.

It was a strong day for the defense, and especially edge rusher Arden Key, who had multiple sacks on the day.

But, as you’ll see, some of Tennessee’s wide receivers got the better of the cornerbacks, including DeAndre Hopkins, who may have had the best catch of the session over Kristian Fulton, who came up looking for a flag (video included in one-on-ones section below).

As for the quarterbacks: Will Levis and Malik Willis weren’t as good as they were on Wednesday, while Ryan Tannehill continued to look like Tennessee’s best, which is no surprise.

Now, keep scrolling for all of the biggest takeaways from Friday based on the observations of beat writers on the ground.

Photos from Titans’ first practice of training camp

A look at some photos from the Titans’ first practice of training camp on Wednesday.

The Tennessee Titans officially kicked off training camp on Wednesday when players hit the field for their first practice, which came with some interesting little nuggets worth mentioning.

Not only did we get to see the Titans practice debut of new wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, we also saw the return of outside linebacker Harold Landry, who is coming back from a torn ACL suffered last year.

Along with those tidbits, we also discovered that 2023 UDFA and offensive tackle John Ojukwu is one of two players who are apparently the frontrunners for the starting right tackle job.

And speaking of right tackle: 2022 third-round pick, Nicholas Petit-Frere, addressed his gambling suspension while also taking “full responsibility” for the violation that will knock him out for the first six games of 2023.

In case you missed any of it, we have a full breakdown of the biggest takeaways from the first session of training camp right here.

Now, the photos.

Biggest takeaways from Titans’ first practice of training camp

DeAndre Hopkins’ practice debut and the return of Harold Landry are just two of the biggest takeaways from the Titans’ first practice of training camp.

Training camp is officially here, as the Tennessee Titans took part in their first practice on Wednesday, which was open to reporters and gave us a look at the team in action.

While there were several interesting takeaways from the session, the biggest was the practice debut of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was officially introduced on Tuesday.

Hopkins took part in drills but went in about halfway through practice. Beat reporters noted he did not appear to be dealing with an injury, so nothing to worry about there.

Another exciting part of Wednesday’s practice was the return of Harold Landry, who is coming back from a torn ACL suffered prior to last season. Landry was sans-brace and looked to be a full-go.

We have videos of both Landry and Hopkins below, as well as a bunch of other takeaways from the first training camp practice, courtesy of the beat writers on the ground. Keep scrolling to check them out.

Note: Photos included in this article are not from today’s practice, as those photos were not available upon publishing.

Titans training camp preview at safety: Locks, competitions, prediction

Our final training camp preview takes a look at the Titans’ safeties.

In what is the FINAL installment of our training camp previews (and just in time as the first practice of training camp is on Wednesday), we take a look at the Tennessee Titans’ safety position.

To say the position is top-heavy would be an understatement, as the top of the depth chart boasts what is an elite safety duo when healthy in Amani Hooker and Kevin Byard.

Of course, when I say “when healthy,” I’m referring to Hooker, who has been unable to stay on the field over the last few years, missing 13 games over the past two seasons, including a career-high eight in 2022.

The top-heavy part comes from the fact that the Titans don’t have much behind them in the way of reliable depth, which is particularly important when it comes to Hooker’s situation.

The Titans did address that need on Wednesday, with the team agreeing to terms with A.J. Moore, and Joshua Kalu is still sitting out there as another potential option.

For now, let’s focus on who the Titans actually have on the roster in our final training camp preview of the offseason.

Titans’ Mike Vrabel lists candidates for right tackle spot

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel listed the players who will be competing to fill in for RT Nicholas Petit-Frere.

Among the multiple question marks on offense for the Tennessee Titans going into training camp is who will man the right tackle spot while right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere serves a suspension.

Of course, Petit-Frere will miss the first six games of the 2023 campaign after being suspended for violating the league’s gambling policy.

During his first press conference of training camp, head coach Mike Vrabel listed several players who will be competing for the job, including veteran Jamarco Jones, 2022 UDFA Andrew Rupcich, and rookies Jaelyn Duncan and John Ojukwu.

On top of those players, Vrabel also didn’t rule out first-round pick Peter Skoronski getting a look there, although he also revealed that the Northwestern product would focus on guard for now.

“Jamarco (Jones) has worked over there the first couple of days with the early report guys,” Vrabel said, per Tyler Rowland of All Titans. “I think Andrew Rupcich will play over there. Jaelyn (Duncan) will have a shot over there. O.J.(John Ojukwu) will have a chance over there.

“We’ll kind of see where things go and we’ll find the best person there.”

The Titans head coach was also asked about two veteran free agents the team worked out recently in George Fant and Chris Hubbard, but he had nothing new to report there.

In our most recent 53-man roster projection, Jones was our choice to win the job, but an addition of a veteran free-agent option like Fant or Hubbard would no doubt shake things up.

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Titans’ Peter Skoronski to work only at guard as training camp opens

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel revealed Peter Skoronski will work at guard and not tackle when training camp opens, but didn’t rule out a move to the outside down the road.

One of the hottest topics of the offseason has been where Tennessee Titans first-round pick and offensive lineman Peter Skoronski will end up playing during his pro career.

While billed as a left tackle coming out of college, many out there believe his short arms are enough of an issue that he’ll end up at guard. And, with the team having Andre Dillard on the roster, the expectation has been that Skoronski will play left guard, with Dillard at left tackle.

When addressing the media on Tuesday, head coach Mike Vrabel revealed that Skoronski, who saw time at both spots during the offseason program, will focus on guard for now but didn’t rule out a move to tackle later.

Dillard has long been projected to man the left tackle spot, and even after the team drafted Skoronski at No. 11 overall. And it makes sense, as Dillard has the edge in experience, which is vital at the most important position on the offensive line.

As for Skoronski, having a singular focus — no matter where it is — is the best thing for him. Having a rookie trying to learn multiple spots at the same time will only make said player’s transition to the NFL more difficult.

Whether or not the former left tackle stays at guard for the long haul remains to be seen, though, but I wouldn’t take this as a sign he’ll stay on the inside forever.

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Titans training camp preview at CB: Locks, competitions, 53-man prediction

In our second-to-last training camp preview, we take a look at the Titans’ cornerback situation.

With Tennessee Titans veterans reporting to training camp on Tuesday and the team set to take part in its first practice on Wednesday, we continue our training camp preview series with the cornerback position.

The Titans are coming off a season in which they sported the league’s worst pass defense in terms of yards allowed per game (274.8), but there’s some important context to add there.

The Titans didn’t have Kristian Fulton for six games due to injury, and slot cornerback Elijah Molden, who shined in 2021, was absent for all but two contests because of injury, also.

As if that wasn’t enough, former first-round pick and second-year corner, Caleb Farley, gave the Titans nothing when he was on the field and eventually saw his season end early due to a back injury.

The Titans had to depend heavily on rookie Roger McCreary, who played well but also understandably showed he has a ways to go.

McCreary played every single snap, and his 1,165 snaps were tops among all defensive players in the NFL. Adding to that, he played on the outside and there’s many out there who believe he’s better suited for the slot.

The Titans will welcome back all of those players in 2023, but they’ve also added some help. Here’s a look at the group in its entirety, along with a prediction for how things will shake out.

Titans 53-man roster projection going into training camp

A 53-man roster projection for the Titans with the team set to open up training camp.

The day for Tennessee Titans veterans to report to training camp is here, as the last of the team’s players will show up to the facility three days after rookies previously reported on July 22.

While we’ll see all the familiar Titans faces in attendance, we’ll also see a new one in wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who officially signed his contract on Monday afternoon.

And the Titans will open training camp on Tuesday with a major focus on their new player, as Hopkins will be introduced in a press conference that will also see head coach Mike Vrabel speak.

It isn’t clear if general manager Ran Carthon will be involved, also, but he should take a well-deserved victory lap.

With the first actual practice of training camp set to take place Wednesday, we’re taking one last crack at a 53-man projection before things start to take shape, with explanations included for certain decisions that may need them.

Here’s what we came up with:

Titans training camp preview at LB: Roster locks, competitions, prediction

Our next installment of training camp previews for the Titans comes at the linebacker position.

With Tennessee Titans training camp just days away, we keep chugging right along with our positional previews (we’re cutting it close, I know), with the linebacker position being up next.

The Titans are set to have two new full-time starters in 2023 after the team parted ways with both David Long and Zach Cunningham this offseason.

Monty Rice got a taste of being a full-time starter while one or both were hurt during the 2022 campaign, and he’s projected to get the nod in 2023 alongside newcomer, Azeez Al-Shaair.

However, neither player has a ton of experience as a full-time starter in this league, making linebacker arguably the biggest question mark on the defensive side of the ball.

Aside from the acquisition of Al-Shaair, the Titans also signed Ben Niemann and Luke Gifford. In addition, they have Jack Gibbens and Chance Campbell returning for Year 2.

Here’s a look at the roster locks at the position and competitions set to take place, as well as a prediction for how things will ultimately shake out.

Tennessee Titans’ offseason roster going into training camp

A look at the Titans’ offseason roster going into training camp.

We are just days away from the Tennessee Titans taking their next step toward the 2023 season, as training camp is set to begin on July 26.

The Titans have been busy over the past week, with the team inking wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to a two-year deal, while also parting ways with undrafted free agent running back, Chuck McClelland, to make room.

Tennessee also placed two players on the active/physically unable to perform list in cornerback Caleb Farley, who is recovering from back surgery, and offensive lineman Dillon Radunz, who is coming back from a torn ACL.

Both players can take part in everything but practice and can be activated at any time. They also still count toward the team’s offseason roster.

In addition, defensive back Josh Thompson was placed on the team’s non-football illness list. It’s unclear what the situation is there, but we hope he’s OK.

Now, a look at Tennessee’s entire offseason roster going into training camp, along with any related stories we’ve written for each player, where applicable.