Tag: 2020 Titans training camp

Watch: Titans players take part in training camp drills

In a year full of uncertainty, it’s great to see Titans players on the practice field.

We normally wouldn’t get too excited about Tennessee Titans players taking the practice field to take part in drills at training camp, but this year is anything but normal.

With all the uncertainty that still surrounds the upcoming season due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s great to see players simply getting ready for the start of the 2020 campaign.

The Titans released this video of their guys taking part in drills, and we get a glimpse of three of the team’s rookies, first-round pick, Isaiah Wilson, second-round pick, Kristian Fulton, and third-round pick, Darrynton Evans.

Take a look.

Players have yet to put pads on, as teams are still in the ramp-up period. The Titans are slated to have their first padded practice on August 17 if all goes well between now and then.

While the season is currently set to take place as scheduled, remaining on track will be determined by how well teams can adhere to COVID-19 protocols in order to avoid outbreaks.

So far, the Titans have had two players land on the Reserve/COVID-19 list in Wilson and veteran defensive lineman, Jack Crawford. That means they have either contracted the virus or have been quarantined after coming in contact with someone who has. The former has since been removed, while Crawford was just added on Friday.

Tennessee does have an enforcer to make sure players are following protocols, as tackle and player rep Dennis Kelly has taken it upon himself to make sure his teammates are sticking to the guidelines — and stringently, I may add.

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Vic Beasley’s absence from Titans training camp could get expensive

Vic Beasley stands to lose a lot of money if he fails to report to Titans training camp.

The biggest story line from Tennessee Titans training camp thus far is the absence of outside linebacker Vic Beasley, who was supposed to report on July 28.

Beasley has yet to report, and while we don’t know what his reasoning is, the Titans did release a statement acknowledging his absence as unexcused and said he is still expected to report at some point.

Should Beasley remain absent, it could end up costing him a lot of money, including some of his $6 million signing bonus that makes up part of his one-year, $9.5 million deal, as Jason Fitzgerald from Over the Cap explained.

The new CBA agreement, in an effort to avoid holdouts, placed mandatory fines, compared to the old system of voluntary fines, on veteran players for late reporting. Beasley fits in the category of a UFA signing so he should lose $50,000 per day that he remains away from training camp.

In addition Beasley, if he misses 6 days of training camp, can trigger a breach that can allow the Titans to begin the process of recovering part of his $6 million signing bonus. This is not mandatory but can be as high as 15% for the initial breach and 25% for the entire preseason. That would add up to $900,000 for the first breach and $60,000 per day thereafter up to $2.25M over the course of camp.

As Fitzgerald points out, the only thing that could save Beasley from such fines is if his failure to report has to do with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Should he decide to opt out of the 2020 season entirely or notified the team that he decided not to show up because of the NFL and NFLPA’s failure to finalize concrete protocols, the Titans might make an exception for him.

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Best Titans Twitter follows for 2020 training camp

This list of best Titans Twitter follows will have you covered for training camp.

Being able to follow along with the Tennessee Titans’ 2020 training camp will be harder than ever this year thanks to limited media access due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we’re here to help you out with that.

There are some outstanding Twitter accounts to follow if you want to get the latest news and insight into everything Titans during training camp, the first of which, of course, is ours (@TheTitansWire).

Aside from us and the Titans’ official account (@Titans), here’s a list of Titans beat writers and other accounts who will also have you covered with everything from the latest breaking news to analysis.

Beat writers and other important follows

Jim Wyatt, Titans Online (@jwyattsports)

Turron Davenport, ESPN (@T_DavenportNFL)

Erik Bacharach, Tennessean (@ErikBacharach)

Teresa Walker, Associated Press (@TeresaMWalker)

Paul Kuharsky, PaulKuharsky.com (@PaulKuharskyNFL)

John Glennon, Broadway Sports (@glennonsports)

Terry McCormick, Titan Insider (@terrymc13)

David Boclair, Sports Illustrated (@BoclairSports)

Buck Reising, AtoZ Sports Nashville (@BuckReising)

Luke Worsham, AtoZ Sports Nashville (@luke_worsham)

Crissy Froyd, Titans Wire (@crissy_froyd)

John Lowell, Titans Wire (@JohnLowellNFL)

Mike Herndon, Broadway Sports (@MikeMiracles)

Titans Film Room (@titansfilmroom)

Titans Tape (@TitansTape)

Justin Melo, The Draft Wire (@JustinM_NFL)

Titans247 (@NFL_Titans247)

Amie Wells, Titans Online (@TitansAmie)

Touchdown Wire, USA TODAY (@TheNFLWire)

USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports)

Titans Radio (@titansradio)

Allan Bell, CBS SportsLine (@AllanBell247)

For the latest breaking NFL news

Ian Rapoport, NFL Network (@RapSheet)

Adam Schefter, ESPN (@Adam Schefter)

Tom Pelissero, NFL Network (@TomPelissero)

Mike Garafolo, NFL Network (@MikeGarafolo)

Dianna Russini, ESPN (@diannaESPN)

NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate)

Best player accounts to follow

Titans players don’t do a lot of tweeting during training camp and the season, but these accounts are good follows nonetheless.

Taylor Lewan (@TaylorLewan77)

A.J. Brown (@Brown1arthur)

Derrick Henry (@KingHenry_2)

Ryan Tannehill (@ryantannehill1)

Kevin Byard (@KB31_Era)

Kenny Vaccaro (@kennyvaccaro)

Adoree’ Jackson (@AdoreeKnows)

Rodger Saffold (@Rodger_Saffold)

Dennis Kelly (@DennisKelly67)

Isaiah Wilson (@_LayZay_)

Kristian Fulton (@Kriss1_)

Darrynton Evans (@ItzLiveee)

Jonnu Smith (@Easymoney_81)

Corey Davis (@TheCDavis84)

Jeffery Simmons (@GrindSimmons94)

DaQuan Jones (@RidQulous98)

Malcolm Butler (@Mac_BZ)

Harold Landry (@HaroldLandry)

Jayon Brown (@JayonBrown12)

Brett Kern (@brettkern6)

Derick Roberson (@DerickJRoberson)

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Titans begin trimming camp roster, waive six players

The Titans have parted ways with six players.

The Tennessee Titans have begun trimming their training camp roster after waiving six players on Sunday, bringing the total number of players on the team to 81.

According to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online, the Titans parted ways with inside linebacker Nigel Harris, tight end Cole Herdman, running back Shaun Wilson, wide receiver Trevion Thompson, defensive lineman Amani Bledsoe and guard Zac Kerin — all players who were expected to be on the roster bubble.

Interestingly enough, none of the players cut were from the team’s 2020 class of undrafted free agents, of which the Titans have 14. It was thought that the UDFAs would be the first to go in pre-training camp cuts.

At least one more cut may be on the horizon, as the agreement between the NFL and NFLPA on COVID-19 protocols includes 80-man training camp rosters, down from the usual number of 90.

Tennessee does have the option of carrying 90 still, but would have to use a split-squad approach that would separate veterans from younger players in practice. Clearly that is not something the Titans are considering after these moves.

All teams have until August 16 to reduce rosters to 80 players, so Tennessee is ahead of schedule in the process of getting to that number.

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See it: Titans rookies report to training camp, get tested

Here’s a look at some new faces reporting to the team, following the protocols set in place to avoid further spread of COVID-19.

The outlook for the 2020 football season looked dismal at one point and still remains uncertain in some aspects, but seeing Tennessee Titans rookies reporting this week is something that should give fans a sense of optimism.

Here’s a look at some new faces reporting to the team, following the protocols set in place to avoid further spread of COVID-19.

The Tennessee Titans had a successful 2020 NFL Draft, picking up players like former Georgia offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson, who could help fill the void left by offensive tackle Jack Conklin.

Former LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton should also bring some extra pop to the Titans’ secondary, especially with Logan Ryan — who was absolutely on the upswing — now out of the fold.

Here’s a complete look at the Titans’ selections from this year’s draft, as well as the 14 undrafted free agents the team signed.

Draft picks

Round 1, Pick 29: RT Isaiah Wilson

Round 2, Pick 61: CB Kristian Fulton

Round 3, Pick 93: RB Darrynton Evans

Round 5, Pick 174: DT Larrell Murchison

Round 7, Pick 224: QB Cole McDonald

Round 7, Pick 243: DB Chris Jackson

Undrafted free agents

OL Aaron Brewer

ILB Cale Garrett

TE Tommy Hudson

ILB Khaylan Kearse-Thomas

OL Brandon Kemp

WR Mason Kinsey

K Tucker McCann

OL Anthony McKinney

RB Cameron Scarlett

DL Kobe Smith

DL Teair Tart

WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

WR Kristian Wilkerson

WR Kyle Williams

As is the case every year, it will be interesting to see how many of these draft picks can carve out a role on the 53-man roster, and which UDFAs can either make the cut or secure a spot on the practice squad.

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Predictions for Titans’ biggest training camp competitions

Here’s a look at some predictions for how the Titans’ most important training camp battles will shake out.

The Tennessee Titans are going to have an interesting training camp later this month, as the team will have competitions at several different positions, with six in particular being the most important to watch.

As the start of training camp approaches on July 28, let’s take a look at each of the biggest training camp competitions set to take place and which players will emerge as the winners.

Right tackle

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Titans are set to have a new starting right tackle in 2020 after Jack Conklin departed the team in free agency and signed with the Cleveland Browns.

After drafting Isaiah Wilson in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, general manager Jon Robinson made it clear that the rookie would battle it out with Dennis Kelly for the starting job.

Wilson will enter training camp at a disadvantage in this particular competition for a few reasons.

Not only did he not have the benefit of a mini-camp in June, he also doesn’t have experience in the Titans’ offense that Kelly has, nor does he have the trust of his coaches yet.

Kelly, who proved to be a viable starter in place of an injured Conklin in 2018, should come away with the job.

Prediction: Kelly wins the starting job.

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Titans 2020 training camp preview: What to expect from the rookies

Let’s take a deep dive into what to expect from each of the Titans’ 2020 NFL Draft picks in training camp.

As the start of Tennessee Titans training camp approaches on July 28, we’re going to start taking a look at what to expect from each of the team’s position groups.

But before getting to position groups, we’re going to start with a deep dive into the team’s 2020 NFL Draft picks.

As is the case with all rookies entering the league this year, the Titans’ six draft picks are at a disadvantage due to an abbreviated offseason that saw no rookie mini-camp in June.

While virtual meetings have replaced normal activities, there is simply no replicating learning on the practice field, and just how much of an impact this has on the development of the Titans’ youngsters remains to be seen.

Let’s go rookie-by-rookie and take a look at each of their backgrounds and what could happen in their respective competitions in training camp.

Isaiah Wilson | RT

Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Background

There were some experts who thought Wilson could have benefitted from staying in college another year, but he was still able to show enough at Georgia to be a first-round selection in 2020.

On the surface, Wilson’s massive 6-foot-6, 350-pound frame fits in perfectly with what the Titans do offensively. He’s a run-blocking specialist who can impose his will on defenders to pave the way for Derrick Henry.

Wilson’s pass-blocking is a bit underrated, though, as he allowed just nine pressures in 358 pass-blocking snaps and earned a stellar Pro Football Focus grade of 84.6 in pass protection last season.

Now, that doesn’t mean his skills will immediately translate into NFL success, but the potential is certainly there for him to eventually be a very good all-around tackle.

The competition

Entering camp, Wilson will have a chance to start right away via a competition for the right tackle job with Dennis Kelly, as general manager Jon Robinson revealed shortly after the Georgia product was picked.

There’s no question the edge goes to Kelly, who is already familiar with the Titans’ offense and has the trust of coaches after spending the last four seasons in Nashville and proving to be an effective starter in 2018.

When it’s all said and done, Wilson is likely to lose out to Kelly, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see him at some point during the season. It’s quite possible that Kelly — who is somewhat of a wild card himself — falters, leaving the door open for the first-round pick to get his shot.

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4 bold predictions for Tennessee Titans 2020 training camp

Here are four bold predictions for the Titans’ 2020 training camp.

The Tennessee Titans are going to have quite an interesting training camp in 2020, as there are multiple starting and backup spots up for grabs on both sides of the ball.

With the Titans’ training camp set to take place at the end of July and inching ever closer, let’s take a look at some bold predictions for what will happen.

Amani Hooker wins slot CB job

Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The abbreviated offseason is going to be particularly tough on rookies, as there will be less time to develop on the practice field. That could hinder Kristian Fulton’s chances of becoming the slot cornerback in 2020.

Hooker, who already has a year under his belt in the Titans’ defense, was an elite slot cornerback in college and is poised to take the same role with Tennessee in 2020.

When it’s all said and done, Hooker is going to win the job at slot cornerback and fill in the role left vacant by the departure of Logan Ryan.

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