Tag: Lloyd Cushenberry

Titans vs. Chargers: 3 causes for concern in Week 10

The Tennessee Titans square off in a Sunday battle against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10. Here are three reasons for concern.

The Tennessee Titans head west on Sunday to face the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Riding the momentum of their overtime win over the New England Patriots last week, the Titans look to continue their winning ways on the road.

But the 5-3 Chargers have their own agenda on Sunday, and they aren’t going down without a fight. The Chargers’ defense is tougher than the Patriots’ defense, and their offense is led by a more experienced quarterback in Justin Herbert than the Titans’ faced in Drake Maye.

This week’s matchup is different in a lot of ways, and while any team can win on any day, there are three causes for concern for the Titans heading into Week 10.

Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Continued quarterback controversy

Even though Mason Rudolph was the quarterback in both of the Titans’ victories, head coach Brian Callahan still says that Will Levis will play if he’s healthy. Levis has been sidelined with a shoulder injury he sustained in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins. He returned after the bye week and failed to defeat the Indianapolis Colts, and he’s been on the injury report ever since.

The biggest problem with this scenario this week is that Lloyd Cushenberry, the Titans’ reliable center, is done for the season with an Achilles injury. So on top of not being sure who will be throwing the ball on Sunday, the Titans don’t know who will play center either. If Dillon Radunz is healthy, Daniel Brunskill gets the nod. If not, we see Corey Levin again, which did not go well last week.

The Titans’ offense has some critical questions to answer before kickoff on Sunday, and preparing for a game in these circumstances is less than ideal.

Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Injuries continue to pile up

As mentioned above, Lloyd Cushenberry left last week’s game with an Achilles injury and his season is over. But he’s not the only one who’s dealing with an injury. The Titans have a slew of players on both sides of the ball with some kind of injury. Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley have been playing through injury, and so have Amani Hooker and T’Vondre Sweat. Three of the four offensive players on injured reserve are offensive linemen, and there are five additional players with a questionable status.

On defense, there are six players on injured reserve and two more with a questionable designation.

The Titans can barely field a team at this point, and while they managed to eke out a win last week, it’s not likely to be the same story this week

Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Chargers are not the Patriots

The Chargers are a much more established team than the Patriots. The Titans managed to overcome the Patriots in overtime, but the Chargers’ defense is much stronger. The Titans’ offensive line is in shambles, and they don’t know who the quarterback will be. The Chargers will exploit that and do everything they can to get to the quarterback. And, depending on who the quarterback is, they might find success.

L’Jarius Sneed sitting out with injury for a couple of weeks has paved the way for Amani Hooker and Mike Brown to make some plays, but the Titans would really like to get Sneed back on the field. The defensive front, save for T’Vondre Sweat, is relatively healthy, and the Titans will rely heavily on their strongest piece. But they can’t do it all, either.

The Chargers are one of those teams that is hard to gauge this season because of who they’ve played. Still, it won’t be an easy task for the Titans to walk away with a win on the road. We’ll see if they’re up to the task on Sunday.

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Titans injury report: L’Jarius Sneed sits out again

The Tennessee Titans returned to the practice field Wednesday and released their first injury report for the week.

The Tennessee Titans are banged up as they prepare to take the field Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10 action. Prior to hitting the field to start preparations for this one, the Titans made a couple of injury-related roster moves. 

The team officially placed center Lloyd Cushenberry (Achilles) and safety Quandre Diggs (foot) on injured reserve, likely ending their seasons. To fill one of the roster spots, the Titans signed veteran safety Mike Edwards, who was in Tennessee Wednesday for a physical. 


Once they hit the field, eyes were on the players who sat out the Week 9 victory due to injury to see if there was any chance of a return to action. Unfortunately, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed continued to be sidelined with his quad injury. He was joined on the sideline by defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.

Quarterback Will Levis, guard Dillon Radunz, and running back Tony Pollard led the group of eight players that were limited, which included newly acquired safety Mike Edwards. 

Cornerback Tre Avery returned as a full participant with his hamstring injury. 

The Titans’ Wednesday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: CB L’Jarius Sneed (quad), Jeffery Simmons (NIR/rest)

Limited Participant: RB Tony Pollard (foot), WR Tyler Boyd (shoulder), WR Calvin Ridley (NIR/rest), S Armani Hooker (groin), G Dillon Radunz (foot), QB Will Levis (shoulder), RB Tyjae Spears (hamstring), S Mike Edwards (NIR/rest)

Full participants: CB Tre Avery (hamstring)

Report: Titans’ Lloyd Cushenberry suffers season-ending injury

The Tennessee Titans pulled out a 20-17 victory over the New England Patriots but in the process lost a major part of their offensive line.

The Tennessee Titans pulled out a hard fought 20-17 overtime victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday to move to 2-6 on the season. 

It wasn’t the prettiest of victories but a big win for the Titans and head coach Brian Callahan. Unfortunately, the team suffered some injuries in the contest that will impact them throughout the rest of the season. 


The Titans lost center, Lloyd Cushenberry, in the second half on Sunday with what was originally reported as an ankle injury. Now, reports are surfacing stating Cushenberry will miss the remainder of the season with an Achilles injury. This is a huge blow to the Titans and their offensive line. 

During the game, practice squad elevation, Corey Levin replaced Cushenberry because Daniel Brunskill started at right guard for Dillon Radunz, who missed the game with a foot injury. With Cushenberry and Radunz battling injuries, there are even more issues on the right side of the offensive line. 

The injury to Cushenberry also follows the Titans’ placing reserve interior lineman Andrew Rupcich on injured reserve on Saturday with a torn tricep, further impacting the depth along the interior. Now, coming off this win, the team will have until Wednesday to work out the next steps with this unit. 

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Titans’ Lloyd Cushenberry on Will Levis: ‘We have to be better around him’

Tennessee Titans QB Will Levis has struggled, but he still has the confidence of the veterans to right the ship.

The fallout from the Tennessee Titans’ 20-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts continued, as the team fell to 1-4 on the 2024 season, and the offense continued to struggle after the bye week. 

The passing game was almost non-existent, with QB Will Levis again struggling against the Colts. He completed 16 of 27 passes for only 95 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the game and seemed out of sync. After the game, he said his shoulder was still not at 100 percent, and he could not make every throw, and it showed. 

Even with this performance, head coach Brian Callahan stands behind his young signal caller and intends for Levis to be under center moving forward. 

Levis also seems to have support within the locker room moving forward. After the game, veteran center Lloyd Cushenberry said, “We still believe in Will Levis.” And, “We have to be better around him.”

Those two lines have been a constant theme around the locker room, almost mirroring Callahan’s comments perfectly, no matter which player or coach repeats them. Which begs the question, what is the problem with the offense?

Levis seems to be regressing in 2024, and its offensive approach is extremely conservative, especially coming off the bye. One thing is certain: The offense must improve moving forward, or it will be a long season in Nashville.

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Tennessee Titans name five captains for 2024

The Titans named five captains for 2024: Kenneth Murray, Jr., Jefferey Simmons, Morgan Cox, Lloyd Cushenberry III, and Will Levis.

Last year, Mike Vrabel & Co. named seven captains for the Tennessee Titans. If you think that’s excessive, remember that the New York Giants had 10 captains last season. This year, though, the Titans have trimmed it down a bit. Brian Callahan has named a much more reasonable number of captains for 2024: Five.

They also announced that wide receiver Calvin Ridley will serve as a bonus sixth captain during Week 1.

Inside linebacker Kenneth Murray, Jr., defensive end Jeffery Simmons, quarterback Will Levis, center Lloyd Cushenberry III, and long snapper Morgan Cox were all named Titans captains for 2024.

Murray joined the Titans this year after his rookie contract with the Los Angeles Chargers expired. Given his newness to the organization, he is demonstrating enough leadership skills to be granted this honor.

Simmons has been with the Titans since he was drafted in 2019 and has long been a leader on the defensive side of the ball.

It’s pretty standard for the quarterback to be named a captain, and Levis is no exception. He’s taken full control of the offense since he became the starter in the middle of 2023 and is the clear leader of the offense.

After spending his first four seasons in Denver, Cushenberry also joined the Titans this offseason and has proven to be an offensive leader.

Cox has 15 years of NFL experience, 11 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and four with the Titans. He knows the game as well as anyone else.

These five players are responsible for exemplifying the Titans way, modeling appropriate behavior on and off the field, and showing the rest of the team what it takes to win. With these five at the head, Callahan has a solid group of players to help him keep the rest of the team on track.

Titans offensive line starting to take shape

The Titans offensive line make-up for 2024 is starting to come into focus after the second preseason game.

The Tennessee Titans spent the majority of the 2024 offseason reworking their offensive line after a dismal performance in 2023. The Titans attacked free agency with the addition of center Lloyd Cushenberry and then followed that up by drafting Alabama tackle JC Latham with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. 

Midway through training camp, the new-look offensive line is starting to take shape. The projected left side of the offensive line appears to be set, featuring Latham and 2023 first-round pick Peter Skoronski flanking Cushenberry in the pivot. The right side has been more of a question mark. 

The team attempted to address right guard with the signing of veteran Saahdiq Charles in free agency. After opening camp as the starting right guard on the Titans’ first unofficial depth chart, the 25-year-old Charles abruptly retired and was subsequently placed on the reserve/retired list. Now, after two preseason games, the right side is starting to come into focus. During his press conference, head coach Brian Callahan offered this update: 

Nicholas Petit-Frere, who opened camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list,  looks to stabilize the right tackle position after suffering through a disappointing 2023 campaign. Next to him, the team has turned to Dillon Radunz, a former second-round pick with guard and tackle experience, to replace Charles. According to Callahan, Radunz and Petit-Frere have started to separate themselves from the competition and, at this point, look to be the starters heading into the preseason finale and potentially into the start of the season.

Titans’ JC Latham gives offensive line a grade after preseason win over 49ers

Titans rookie left tackle JC Latham grades Tennessee’s offensive line after win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Tennessee left tackle JC Latham made his debut on Saturday, playing left tackle for the Titans against the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. Tennessee won the game, 17-13.

While Latham and the first-team offense didn’t play long, it was the first game together for the rebuilt unit, which includes last year’s first-round pick, left guard Peter Skoronski, and center Lloyd Cushenberry.

How did the group fare?

After the game, Latham gave the offensive line a grade.

“As a whole, as a group, I’d probably give it a B,” Latham said in the locker room after the game.

“There’s still some things we can clean up, but I didn’t feel like I played to the standards of the group. I give myself a C, honestly. Did some good things out there, but a lot of errors I can improve in, so I feel like didn’t live up to the standards of the level we want to play at.”

Where does Latham feel he needs to improve after one week preseason?

“Pass protection,” Latham answered. “I didn’t use my hands as much as I’d like to.”

You love seeing Latham hold himself to a different standard. Tennessee’s offensive line was one of the NFL’s lowest-ranked units this offseason but should be much improved in 2024 with the additions of Latham, Cushenberry, and legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan.

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Broncos center competition will heat up during training camp

“It’s going to be really exciting to see during training camp who is going to take that job,” Quinn Meinerz said of the center competition.

In addition to having three players competing for the starting quarterback job this summer, the Denver Broncos will also have a trio of centers rotating snaps in a competition to anchor the offensive line.

Denver has fifth-year veteran Sam Mustipher, third-year swing guard/center Luke Wattenberg and second-year pro Alex Forsyth competing at center. After losing Lloyd Cushenberry during free agency, the Broncos are set to have a new Week 1 center for the first time since 2020.

The team’s four other starters up front are all returning, including guards Quinn Meinerz and Ben Powers.

“The good news for the center most of the time is that he’s working with one of those two players,” coach Sean Payton said during mandatory minicamp. “There are times where he’s isolated, but certainly the experience of those two players helps a lot.”

Meinerz was diplomatic when asked about the team’s center competing, saying all three centers are great linemen.

“We have three great centers,” Meinerz said. “We’ve been kind of interchanging all three of them. It’s going to be really exciting to see during training camp who is going to take that job. I’ve enjoyed playing with all three of them so far in OTAs.”

Forsyth played with rookie quarterback Bo Nix at Oregon in 2022 so if Nix ends up winning the starting job, that might help Forsyth’s chances. Mustipher is the most experienced option, but he does not have the position flexibility of Wattenberg.

It might be difficult for the Broncos to carry all three centers on the 53-man roster this fall, so the competition could have much more than the starting job at stake. If Mustipher doesn’t win the starting role, for example, he probably won’t be a lock to make the active roster.

Denver is expected to begin training camp on July 26. The center competition will heat up during camp and continue into preseason before the final roster is set in August.

Regardless of who wins the position battles, the Broncos will have a new starting QB and a new starting center in Week 1 after moving on from Russell Wilson and letting Cushenberry walk this spring.

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Ex-Titans OL shockingly lands ahead of Lloyd Cushenberry in center rankings

In a recent rankings of NFL centers, the Titans’ starter from last season was surprisingly ranked ahead of Lloyd Cushenberry.

The Tennessee Titans gave themselves a massive upgrade at the center position after the team didn’t re-up with Aaron Brewer, who ultimately signed with the Miami Dolphins, and signed Lloyd Cushenberry to a big free-agent deal.

To be fair, Brewer actually posted a better PFF grade than Cushenberry in run-blocking last season, with Brewer scoring 6.3 points higher than Tennessee’s new center.

However, the gap was much wider in pass protection. Cushenberry gave up just one sack and 14 pressures in 647 pass-block snaps, earning him a PFF pass-block grade of 76.4 in pass protection.

Meanwhile, Brewer surrendered six sacks and 34 total pressures in 622 pass-block snaps and finished with a PFF pass-block grade of 52.5, 23.9 points lower than Cushenberry’s.

Despite all that, PFF’s Thomas Valentine ranked Brewer three spots higher than Cushenberry in his center rankings ahead of the 2024 campaign. Brewer was 11th, while Cushenberry was 14th.

Here’s what Valentine said about Brewer:

Brewer spent one season as the Titans’ starting center before signing a three-year, $21 million contract with the Dolphins. He is known more for his run-blocking abilities, earning a sixth-ranked 78.7 run-blocking grade in 2023. The Dolphins will hope Brewer can improve as a pass-blocker.

And here’s his write-up on Cush:

Cushenberry had a career year in 2023 with the Denver Broncos before earning a payday with the Titans in free agency. The former third-round pick earned a 73.2 grade in 2023, ranking 10th among centers, and allowed just 14 quarterback pressures.

Now, this is not to say that Brewer is terrible, but anyone who watched him last season knows damn well he isn’t the 11th-best center in the league.

The eye test doesn’t bear that out, nor do the numbers. We haven’t had the pleasure of watching Cushenberry close-up yet, but even PFF’s numbers show he’s better than Brewer.

If you follow PFF at least somewhat closely, you’d know that the outlet tends to have a bit of a love affair with Brewer and often overrates him more than anyone else.

However, simply ranking him ahead of Cushenberry is downright egregious.

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Titans’ Lloyd Cushenberry talks learning from Bill Callahan, JC Latham’s progress

Titans center Lloyd Cushenberry on OL coach Bill Callahan: “I feel like I’ve learned everything.”

The Tennessee Titans made a massive upgrade at center this offseason with the signing of former Denver Bronco, Lloyd Cushenberry, who is one of the better players at his position in the NFL.

Upon signing with the Titans, Cushenberry, who inked a four-year, $50 million deal, wanted to lead by example, seeing as how he’s never been very vocal in the past.

“It’s been pretty cool,” Cush said of joining the Titans, per Jim Wyatt. “Like I said, when I first got here, I just wanted to come in and lead by example. I’ve never been a big talker or rah-rah motivational guy. My mindset coming in was just showing these guys what type of worker I am, what kind of mindset I have everyday. The biggest thing is just being the same guy everyday, not too high, not too low.”

One of the big pluses for Cushenberry going to Nashville has been the opportunity to work under a legendary offensive line coach like Bill Callahan. Despite having four years in the league, Cush is learning plenty from the esteemed coach.

“I feel like I’ve learned everything,” Cush said with a smile. “He’s been teaching us so much, just about the history of the game, the history of these plays. He recalled a few plays from 2009 when he was with the Jets when Brett Favre got hurt because something didn’t happen upfront. Along with that, just the detail. It’s been great.”

Another piece of the Titans’ revamped offensive line is first-round pick JC Latham, who, by all accounts, is off to a phenomenal start, especially when it comes to his work ethic.

Cushenberry is pleased with what he’s seen from Latham thus far.

“He’s been great,” Cushenberry said. “He’s completely buying in, very smart, has came along and picked up this offense pretty well. Him and Pete (Skoronski) have been working great together, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he progresses throughout the season.”

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