Tag: Dez Fitzpatrick

Titans’ Brady Breeze kicked out of practice for hit on Dez Fitzpatrick

It was not a good day for Titans 2021 sixth-round pick and safety, Brady Breeze.

Tennessee Titans 2021 sixth-round pick and safety Brady Breeze did not have a good day during the team’s seventh practice of training camp on Wednesday.

While we don’t have video, Ben Arthur of the Tennessean notes that Breeze was kicked out of practice for a hit to the head on fellow rookie and wide receiver, Dez Fitzpatrick.

“Titans practice over. Safety Brady Breeze was kicked out of practice near the end for a hit to the head on Dez Fitzpatrick in the end zone,” Arthur wrote on Twitter.

Breeze has been mostly quiet so far in training camp, and we did not include him in our latest 53-man roster projection with the Titans having a crowded situation for the backup safety roles. His already uphill climb just got steeper.

The Carolina Panthers had a similar situation occur in their training camp on Tuesday, when Safety J.T. Ibe hit wide receiver Keith Kirkwood while in the air. Ibe was cut almost immediately.

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Tennessee Titans 2021 training camp preview: Wide receivers

The Titans figure to have at least two spots up for grabs at wide receiver going into training camp.

Before the acquisition of superstar wideout Julio Jones, the Tennessee Titans had major concerns at the wide receiver position, as it was sorely lacking depth behind A.J. Brown and Josh Reynolds.

However, now that Jones is in the mix, everyone has been pushed down a spot on the depth chart, giving the Titans much better depth than they had beforehand.

While we can lock-in four spots at wide receiver on the Titans’ 53-man roster when you include 2021 fourth-round pick, Dez Fitzpatrick, the roles beyond Tennessee’s top three (Brown, Jones, Reynolds) are up for grabs.

As we take a closer look at the position ahead of Tennessee’s training camp, we’ll try to sort things out with what is a crowded but uncertain situation at wide receiver going into training camp, which begins on July 27.

Note: In case you missed our other training camp previews, we’ve linked to them at the bottom of this article.

Titans’ WR corps. finished with top 3 PFF grade in 2020

Can the Titans re-create their 2020 success at wide receiver in 2021?

The Tennessee Titans’ wide receiver corps. finished with a top-three grade during the 2020 campaign, according to Pro Football Focus.

Tennessee’s unit finished last season with an overall mark of 85.4, which ranked third in the NFL. Only the Minnesota Vikings’ (89.9) and Buffalo Bills’ (89.0) wideouts had a better combined grade.

That grade was made possible by the Titans’ top-two wideouts from last season, Corey Davis and A.J. Brown, both of whom finished with a top 10 PFF grade in 2020.

Of course, the former is no longer with the team after signing with the New York Jets in free agency, and the Titans also parted ways with oft-injured slot receiver Adam Humphries, and lost tight end Jonnu Smith in free agency, forcing Tennessee to revamp its group of pass-catchers.

Despite adding Josh Reynolds in free agency and Dez Fitzpatrick in the 2021 NFL draft, the Titans are still lacking depth at wide receiver, leading us to believe that another move is coming somewhere down the line.

Most Titans fans are hoping that move is a trade for Julio Jones, who the team has reportedly been having talks with the Atlanta Falcons about. However, Tennessee is considered a “long shot” to acquire him.

Granted, the Titans don’t necessarily need to make that big of a splash to shore up their receivers room, but it’s a go-for-it move we’d love to see nonetheless.

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What Titans’ Mike Vrabel, draft picks said after Day 2 of rookie minicamp

See what Vrabel, Farley, Radunz and Fitzpatrick had to say after Day 2 of Titans rookie minicamp.

The Tennessee Titans held Day 2 of rookie minicamp on Saturday and for the first time it was open to the media, giving us first-hand looks at some of the team’s newest players, including their draft picks.

After the day was over, the Titans made three of their 2021 NFL draft picks available for pressers, including wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick, offensive tackle Dillon Radunz, and cornerback Caleb Farley, as well as head coach Mike Vrabel.

Farley was the only one out of the three aforementioned picks to not participate in some capacity, as he continues to recover from back surgery he had in March.

Here’s a look at what he, the other two Titans picks, and Vrabel had to say about their experiences in the rookie minicamp thus far, among other things.

New Tennessee Titans WR Dez Fitzpatrick: 3 things to know

Get to know one of the newest Titans receivers a bit more.

The Tennessee Titans were expected to take a wide receiver early on in the 2021 NFL draft, but after the first two days came and went, the team hadn’t found their guy, despite having four picks in the top 100.

However, the search ended on Day 3. The Titans aggressively traded up in the fourth round from No. 126 to No. 109, while also surrendering two more picks, to draft Louisville wideout Dez Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick certainly wasn’t the prospect we were all expecting Tennessee to come away with at the position, but clearly, general manager Jon Robinson and Co. think very highly of him.

To get a little more information on the newest Titans receiver, we’re taking a look at three things to know.

What Titans’ Rashad Weaver, Dez Fitpatrick said in first pressers

Weaver recalled how he beat Mike Vrabel’s son for a strip sack in college.

The Tennessee Titans landed two players in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft in wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick out of Louisville (No. 109 overall) and Pittsburgh edge rusher Rashad Weaver (No. 135 overall).

In order to draft Fitzpatrick, the Titans moved up via a trade with the Carolina Panthers that saw Tennessee send picks 126, 166, and 232.

Coming into this offseason, two of the Titans’ biggest needs were EDGE and wide receiver, so it comes as no surprise that general manager Jon Robinson addressed both in this year’s draft.

Fitzpatrick will compete for targets in what is still a fairly thin wide receivers room in Tennessee, while Weaver figures to be a rotational player in his first year with the upside to be an every-down player in the years ahead.

Shortly after being drafted, both players spoke to the media via Zoom for the first time as Titans. Here’s a look at what they had to say.

Instant analysis and grade for Titans picking WR Dez Fitzpatrick

How we graded the Titans’ pick of WR Dez Fitzpatrick.

The Tennessee Titans finally got their receiver early in the fourth round after selecting the wide receiver out of Louisville, Dez Fitzpatrick, with the No. 109 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

This was made possible following a trade up with the Carolina Panthers in which the Titans swapped one of their fourth-rounders (No. 126) while giving up a fifth (No. 166) and a seventh (No. 232) in order to nab the 109th selection.

Fitzpatrick is a long and fast receiver who knows how to use his size to his advantage when playing against a smaller defensive back.

The 6-foot-2, 202-pound wideout possesses fantastic body control and effortlessly adjusts to errant throws that he often saw towards the back end of his collegiate career. 

Fitzpatrick has the possibility of being an incredible red-zone presence for Ryan Tannehill and could eventually develop into a much larger role once he gets around NFL coaching full-time.

This might have been a bit of a reach, but the Titans clearly believe that Fitzpatrick had the highest ceiling left out of any receiver still on the board and did not want to risk missing out on him.

The price of the trade was a little steep, therefore I can only give this trade a slightly above average grade.

Grade: C+

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Twitter reacts to Titans picking WR Dez Fitzpatrick in Round 4

Twitter was quite surprised by the Dez Fitzpatrick pick.

The Tennessee Titans made their second trade of the 2021 NFL draft in order to move up and take Louisville wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick in the fourth round and at No. 109 overall.

In exchange for moving up, the Titans sent the Carolina Panthers one of their fourth-round picks (No. 126), and a selection in the fifth (No. 166) and seventh (No. 232) rounds.

The first trade the Titans made came on Day 2, although it was a deal to move back from No. 85 overall in the third round. The Titans acquired selection Nos. 92 (third round) and 135 (fourth round) in the deal with the Green Bay Packers.

The pick of Fitzgerald was quite a surprise.

He wasn’t someone on most people’s radars, and more popular receivers, like USC’s Amon-Ra St. Brown and Oklahoma State’s Tylan Wallace, were still on the board. However, clearly the Titans think very highly of the 6-foot-2, 202-pound receiver if they moved up to grab him.

Here’s a look at what Twitter had to say about the Titans’ fifth selection in this year’s draft.

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Titans trade up, select WR Dez Fitzpatrick at No. 109 overall

The Titans have made their fifth pick of the 2021 NFL draft.

The Tennessee Titans have made their second trade of the 2021 NFL draft, moving up to select wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick out of Louisville at No. 109 overall.

The trade was with the Carolina Panthers and the Titans have sent picks 126 (fourth round), 166 (fifth round) and 232 (seventh round) to move up.

After the trade, the Titans now have three picks remaining in this year’s draft, including one in the fourth (No. 135) and two in the sixth (Nos. 205 and 215).

So there we have it: the Titans have finally addressed the wide receiver position, albeit with someone who wasn’t on anyone’s radar.

Fitzpatrick, who stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs in at 202 pounds, has the prototypical size for an outside receiver but doesn’t possess top-end speed.

Over the course of four years with the Cardinals, Fitzpatrick reeled in 154 catches for 2,589 yards and 21 touchdowns, and he caught passes from Baltimore Ravens quarterback, Lamar Jackson, in 2017.

The Louisville product has solid ball skills, is a good route-runner and plays with a physicality that the Titans will love. He’s also a plus blocker and can make contested catches as good as the next guy.

With the Titans’ current situation at the position, Fitzpatrick will have an opportunity to compete for targets as soon as 2021 behind A.J. Brown and Josh Reynolds.

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3 biggest needs for Ravens entering 2021 NFL draft

The Baltimore Ravens have a very competitive roster already, but they have a few needs that need to be filled. Which needs are most glaring?

The Baltimore Ravens have put together a very competitive roster. They have a plethora of stars surrounded by depth all around, which makes the team not only good at the top, but good all the way to the last man. There is a nice foundation already in place for the Ravens, as young studs such as Lamar Jackson, Ronnie Stanley, and Marlon Humphrey will carry the torch for a long time in Baltimore.

Despite having such a talented roster already, the Ravens now have the opportunity to get even better by drafting immediate impact contributors at positions of need in the 2021 NFL draft. Rounding out their roster should be a top priority for the team, so what needs are their most glaring heading into the draft?