Tag: Breon Borders

Titans release Adam Humphries, Breon Borders among 4 roster moves

The move to release Humphries was to be expected.

The Tennessee Titans announced four roster moves on Thursday afternoon, including the release of wide receiver Adam Humphries after two seasons with the team.

Humphries signed a four-year, $36 million deal with the Titans back in 2019, but his time in Nashville was marred by injuries, leading to his playing in 19 of 32 games the past two seasons.

The move to cut Humphries was expected considering the results and with the team being strapped for cash this offseason. It will save Tennessee $4.47 million in cap space in 2021.

Adding to that move, the Titans parted ways with cornerbacks Chris Milton and Breon Borders, while also signing defensive lineman Jullian Taylor.

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Borders was a standout fill-in for Tennessee’s injury-riddled secondary last season. He saw some struggles but was solid overall and even notched the fifth-highest grade among all cornerbacks in the NFL from Weeks 7 to 11. His season ended prematurely due to injury.

Milton spent the last two seasons with the Titans, serving as a special teams ace. He also finished 2020 on IR. Taylor, a Temple product, played in 12 games with the San Francisco 49ers the past two seasons.

As Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky notes, the release of Borders and Milton appears to be a formality based on their respective statuses, so it’s possible one or both could be brought back.

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Titans’ biggest surprises from 2020 season: Defense

It wasn’t all bad for the Titans’ defense in 2020, but the negative far outweighed the positive.

When you talk about the biggest weakness for the Tennessee Titans from this past season, the defense is the choice by far.

Tennessee finished No. 29 against the pass, No. 19 against the run, No. 30 in sacks and No. 24 in points allowed. Injuries certainly played a role in those horrid numbers, but we also saw disappointing performances from several key players at different position groups.

There were a few bright spots here and there, but the negative far outweighed the positive, and if not for the historic performance from Tennessee’s offense, the regular season could have gone much differently.

Here’s a look at the biggest surprises (both good and bad) from the Titans’ defense during the 2020 campaign.

Titans put Breon Borders on IR among several roster moves

Placing Borders on IR was one of several roster moves the Titans made on Saturday.

The Tennessee Titans have lost cornerback Breon Borders (hip) for at least the next three games after placing him on Injured Reserve, a move the team announced on Saturday afternoon.

Borders, along with Adoree’ Jackson, were both ruled out on Friday for the Week 14 contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars, leaving the Titans thin in their secondary.

On top of the move to place Borders on IR, the Titans activated cornerback Kareem Orr from the list. Orr will provide some depth at the position if he’s active on Sunday.

Another concern has popped up for Tennessee, though, as safety Kenny Vaccaro has been added to the injury report with an illness and is now questionable.

Here’s a look at the rest of the moves Tennessee made on Saturday:

  • Outside linebackers’ Tuzar Skipper and Wyatt Ray have been elevated from the practice squad for Week 14. Both players will revert to the practice squad after the game.
  • Defensive lineman Teair Tart, who was suspended for one game for stepping on Cleveland Browns guard Wyatt Teller in Week 13, has been moved to the Reserve/Suspended list. He will return for the Week 15 game against the Detroit Lions.

The Titans and Jaguars will meet at TIAA Bank Field on Sunday, with kickoff set for noon CT.

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Titans’ Adoree’ Jackson, Breon Borders ruled out for Week 14

Kristian Fulton could be activated on Saturday.

The Tennessee Titans will be without cornerbacks Adoree’ Jackson and Breon Border for the Week 14 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, head coach Mike Vrabel revealed after practice on Friday.

Jackson, who has yet to suit up in a game this season because of a knee injury, returned to practice this week and was able to get in a limited session on Wednesday and Thursday, but still isn’t ready to suit up. We’re waiting for the injury report to see what his Friday participation was.

The player filling in for Jackson, Borders, was on the injury report this week with a rib issue. His absence will leave the Titans’ secondary even more short-handed.

Rookie cornerback Kristian Fulton was designated to return from IR on November 24th but has yet to be activated. Vrabel said the team could do so on Saturday and still have Fulton play on Sunday.

If that happens, the Titans could deploy Fulton on the boundary in place of Borders. If not, we could see a lot of 2020 seventh-round pick Chris Jackson opposite Malcolm Butler, with Desmond King manning the slot.

Earlier in the day, it was revealed that defensive lineman Teair Tart’s one-game suspension was upheld by the NFL. Vrabel says that 2020 fifth-round pick Larrell Murchison will see action in order to help fill that hole. Murchson has been inactive for each of the past three games.

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Titans’ winners and losers from Week 12 win over Colts

There were plenty of winners from the Titans’ Week 12 win over the Colts.

After looking to be on the brink of collapsing just a few weeks ago, the Tennessee Titans have rebounded in a big way with two wins in a row, with their latest coming in Week 12 against the Indianapolis Colts.

And not only did the Titans beat the Colts, they crushed them after hanging a 45 spot on their divisional rival, returning the favor after Indianapolis beat Tennessee by three scores in Week 10.

There really wasn’t much to not like about this game from the Titans’ standpoint. The offense was moving the ball at will in the first half, and the defense, which started off slow, finished strong to close things out.

And, unlike last time out against the Colts, the special teams didn’t do anything to blow the game up.

As you can imagine, there really weren’t many losers birthed from this result, but there were a slew of players who came out as winners following Sunday’s victory.

Stock up, stock down after Titans’ Week 10 loss to Colts

Which Titans saw their stock rise or fall after Week 10?

On a night that started with such promise, it quickly evaporated into a humbling reality check for the Tennessee Titans, who suffered a gut-wrenching 34-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night.

It was a bad day for the Titans and all their fans and there is no real way to sugarcoat it. What was once a dreamlike 5-0 start for the Titans has suddenly disintegrated into a 6-3 disaster after losing three out of their last four games.

In reality, there are a lot worse things than being 6-3 after 9 games. In fact, there’s a lot of teams that would trade places with the Titans in a heartbeat.

There is still time for Tennessee to get this train rolling again before playoff time, but they are running out of wiggle room.

With all that said let’s take a look at who helped and hurt their stock following Thursday’s 17-point loss to the Colts.

Mike Vrabel: Titans who stepped up in Week 9 earned more snaps

Breon Borders, Teair Tart, Derick Roberson and Desmond King all made a significant impact in Week 9.

The Tennessee Titans put forth arguably their best defensive effort of the 2020 campaign thus far during the Week 9 win over the Chicago Bears, partly on the strength of impressive performances by some new faces.

With the Titans being short-handed on defense thanks to injuries and roster moves made during the week, players like Breon Borders, Derick Roberson, Desmond King and Teair Tart all stepped up in a big way.

As a result, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said on Monday that each of those players have earned more snaps moving forward, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online:

“I think all those guys earned more opportunity against the Colts,” Vrabel said. “But it will be important that they don’t spend a whole lot of time in the batter’s box staring at the home run (and) they move on like we always do, whether we win or lose. Our whole focus is making sure these guys are building and trying to earn a larger role.”

Vrabel also expressed how King has already earned respect from the players and coaches after his outstanding debut that occurred after no full practices and only Zoom meetings and a walk-through:

“I think he earned the respect of a lot of people within our organization, our coaches and players and (GM) Jon (Robinson) just by being able to learn everything virtually, come in and have some communication and interaction with the players on Saturday and then going out there and having a lot of snaps and competing and doing a nice job,” Vrabel said of King, formerly with the Chargers. “When you love football, you find ways to do your job …. He’ll earn more snaps based on the job he did yesterday.”

When meeting with the media on Tuesday, Titans outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen had praise for Roberson, Tart and King, also:

The defense could have a new look to it once again in Week 10 if Adoree’ Jackson is able to return, but if not Tennessee should certainly give the aforementioned players more looks on Thursday against the Colts.

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Tennessee Titans’ winners and losers from Week 9 victory

Breon Borders and Desmond King were just two winners from the Titans’ defense in Week 9.

The Tennessee Titans finally got back on track after two straight losses with a Week 9 win over the Chicago Bears, 24-17.

For once, it was the defense that bailed the offense out, as the former was clearly the better unit on Sunday. The 17 points the Titans allowed was the second-fewest they have given up in any game this season.

It was a complete turnaround for the Titans’ embattled defense that was once again short-handed. We saw several players step up big time with respectable coverage and a consistent pass rush that made a big impact.

Of course, it also helped that the Bears were terrible offensively, but the Titans’ defense did what it was supposed to do, giving hope that better times are ahead.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the Titans’ winners and losers from the Week 9 win over the Bears. As you’d imagine, most of the winners come from the defensive side of the ball.

Tennessee Titans work out pair of cornerbacks

These workouts come on the heels of the Titans adding three players to fill their practice squad.

After adding three players to their practice squad on Thursday, the Tennessee Titans are apparently taking a look at more players.

Per the league’s transaction wire, the Titans worked out a pair of cornerbacks in Breon Borders and Greg Mabin, both of whom have multiple years of experience, including on special teams.

The 6-foot, 189-pound Borders has played in 13 games (one start) during his career; 11 with the Jacksonville Jaguars and one with the Washington Football Team.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Mabin has appeared in 29 games (one start) over three seasons; 19 for the San Francisco 49ers, one for the Buffalo Bills and nine for the Cincinnati Bengals.

These workouts come on the heels of the Titans signing wide receiver Cody Hollister and defensive backs Maurice Smith and Picasso Nelson to their practice squad.

The Titans are at the maximum of 16 players on the practice squad and 53 players on the active roster, so a corresponding move would be needed to add either Borders or Mabin.

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