Tag: julius chestnut

Titans’ Tyjae Spears, Julius Chestnut talk dominant preseason Week 2

Despite his dad always telling him “don’t jump off the ground,” Titans RB Tyjae Spears hurdled a defender in preseason Week 2.

The Tennessee Titans struggled to get anything going through the air in preseason Week 2, but the rushing attack was on the opposite side of the spectrum.

Thanks to some great blocking upfront, Titans running backs Tyjae Spears and Julius Chestnut shined, with the pair combining for 155 yards and two scores on the ground on Saturday night.

Quarterback Malik Willis chipped-in, also, tallying the second-most rushing yards with 91.

Spears finished with seven carries for 57 yards and ripped off a 33-yard run for a touchdown that saw him hurdle a defender in the process. He noted that’s something his dad tells him not to do.

“I don’t think (the hurdle) was planned because my dad always tells me ‘don’t jump off the ground,’ so it was more of a reaction,” Spears said, according to Jim Wyatt. “Everybody was congratulating me, but first thing I did was shoutout to the O-line.”

That’s definitely sound advice from Mr. Spears, as leaving the ground leaves players open for serious injury. However, sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.

Chestnut, who also added a receiving touchdown, entered training camp in a very different spot than Spears, as the 2022 undrafted free agent was on the roster bubble coming in.

However, his 98-yard performance, which included an explosive 55-yard run, no doubt improved his chances of making the cut — and it may have cemented his spot entirely.

“Watching Tyjae run and hurdling the guy and then scoring, that was obviously a beautiful site to see from him,” Chestnut said. “We kept rolling after that, from everybody. Malik was running the ball and everybody was getting into it.”

“In the second half, we got to it,” he added. “Physical upfront, the O-line kept fighting and fighting, so we were able to come out there and compete in the second half.”

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What Titans said about preseason Week 2 win over Vikings

What Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and Co. said about the preseason Week 2 win over the Vikings.

The Tennessee Titans no doubt had their fair share of issues on offense but were able to emerge victorious over the Minnesota Vikings, 24-16, in their first preseason win of 2023.

Titans quarterback Malik Willis wasn’t as sharp through the air as he was in preseason Week 1, but his elite athleticism and escapability was on full display throughout the contest.

Tennessee really dominated on the ground with 281 yards in total. Running backs Tyjae Spears and Julius Chestnut shined in particular, with both breaking off long runs and scoring touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, players such as cornerback Eric Garror and outside linebacker Caleb Murphy stood out, with Murphy notching a pair of sacks, giving him three through two exhibition games.

After the contest, head coach Mike Vrabel and several players met with the media to discuss what happened on Saturday night. Check out what they had to say below.

Watch: Titans’ Julius Chestnut explodes for 55-yard run

Titans RB Julius Chestnut might have just cemented himself as the RB3 after an explosive run on Saturday night.

Tennessee Titans running back Julius Chestnut ripped off an impressive run during the preseason Week 2 game against the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday night.

With the Titans’ offense desperately needing a spark, Chestnut provided it with an explosive run that set the Titans up inside the five-yard line.

Chestnut took the handoff from quarterback Malik Willis to the right side, where an enormous hole was waiting for him thanks to blocks from tight end Thomas Odukoya and wide receiver Reggie Roberson.

It was the second big run of the preseason for Chestnut thus far after he ripped off a 26-yard gain in preseason Week 1 against the Chicago Bears.

Check out Chestnut’s impressive run below.

Chestnut has done more than enough to cement himself as this team’s No. 3 back, and he was in the process of doing that even before both Hassan Haskins and Jonathan Ward got hurt. Both of those players didn’t suit up on Saturday.

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Derrick Henry reigns supreme, but will another Titans back emerge?

Will the Titans finally let another running back get in on the fun?

Every team in the NFL has two or three backs who are offensive contributors to some degree 
 except the Tennessee Titans. In the modern era of the NFL, no team has committed to the run and one player in particular (Derrick Henry) as much as Tennessee. Even at the height of their careers, LaDainian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson had a backup to carry some of the load. Not the Titans.

Last year, Henry had 382 touches in 16 games (349 rushes, 33 receptions). The second most carries by a running back was Hassan Haskins with 25 – 12 of those coming in the one game Henry missed.

This hasn’t been unusual. Since becoming the full-time starter in 2019, in 55 games, Henry has rushed 1,249 times – an astonishing 23 carries a game. Most players are lucky to rush 23 times once or twice a year, much less averaging that number over a four-year span. Head coach Mike Vrabel has built his offense around Henry, and no running back in the league is even close to the level of playing time that Henry gets. This may be the “Last Dance” in the Henry era, but the offense remains designed for Henry to run 25 times.

Titans activate OLB Ola Adeniyi from IR among five moves

Titans OLB Ola Adeniyi is set to make his return after a nine-game absence.

The Tennessee Titans announced a grand total of five moves on Saturday ahead of their Week 13 battle against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.

The team has activated outside linebacker Ola Adeniyi from injured reserve. Adeniyi was designated to return earlier in the week and is set to play in his first game since Week 2.

In order to make room for Adeniyi on the roster, the Titans waived kicker Caleb Shudak, who filled in for veteran Randy Bullock in Week 12. Shudak made three of four field goals in the Titans’ 20-16 loss to Cincinnati.

Shudak’s fate was sealed once Bullock, who had missed two games in a row, was deemed healthy enough to play this week. It’ll be interesting to see if the Titans try to bring Shudak back on the practice squad if he clears waivers.

Now, a look at all five of the moves Tennessee made ahead of Sunday.

Biggest surprises from Titans’ initial 53-man roster

A look at the biggest surprises from the Titans’ initial 53-man roster.

After spending the last few weeks slowly trimming their roster down from the initial 90 players they began training camp with, the Tennessee Titans have officially gotten their roster down to 53 players.

In the process, Tennessee waived 29 players over the past few days to meet yesterday’s league-mandated deadline. The majority of the transactions were pretty predictable for the most part, but there were a few surprises that threw us off when we first saw them.

It should also be noted that this is called the “initial” 53-man roster for a reason.

The Titans will be making moves in the week-plus ahead of the season, the first of which could involve wide receiver Racey McMath, who is reportedly expected to be placed on injured reserve with a hip injury.

With all that in mind, let’s a take closer look at what surprised us the most about yesterday’s 53-man roster reveal from the Titans.

Julius Chestnut, Tre Avery make Titans’ initial 53-man roster

The Titans keeping CB Tre Avery and RB Julius Chestnut were the biggest surprises on the 53-man roster.

The Tennessee Titans revealed their initial 53-man roster for the 2022 season and the two biggest surprises on it were no doubt running back Julius Chestnut and cornerback Tre Avery.

Both undrafted free agent signings of the Titans following the 2022 NFL draft, Avery (Rutgers) and Chestnut (Sacred Heart) faced uphill climbs in making the cut, as is usually the case with undrafted free agents.

However, both rose to the occasion and posted strong showings in training camp and the preseason. Chestnut in particular was the best back of the group that played during the exhibition slate.

Of course, just because they made the initial group doesn’t mean they will stick. Tennessee is bound to make more roster moves in the coming week-plus before the start of the season.

Chestnut is likely in more danger of being a casualty in that situation, as the Titans are carrying a total of five backs (four running backs, one fullback), which is a lot, especially when you have Derrick Henry dominating work.

If either player does get cut, chances are they’ll end up on Tennessee’s practice squad if they clear waivers.

Whatever the case may be, this is a big accomplishment for Chestnut and Avery, both of whom overcame going undrafted to earn their spots on an NFL roster.

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Secret Superstars for Week 1 of the 2022 NFL preseason

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar has scoured preseason tape, and here are his Secret Superstars for Week 1 of this NFL preseason.

Those party-poopers who tell you that “It’s only the preseason” have never tried to make an NFL team, or grab a starting role, by the skin of their teeth. For more players than not, the three-game stretch before the regular season begins is their best way to prove that they belong on an NFL roster once things get “real.”

Now that Week 1 of the 2022 preseason is in the books, here are the players we think have done the most to create — or enhance — those favorable impressions when they matter the most.

The players on this list are not the obvious names — there are no first-rounders, or players who came into the new season with advanced amounts of hype based on their collegiate or previous NFL exploits. These guys are either trying to stake their claims, or save their careers.

So, let’s take a look at the Secret Superstars of Week 1 of the 2022 NFL preseason.

(All metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise indicated).