Tag: Logan Woodside

Titans’ Logan Woodside talks backup QB competition, Cole McDonald

Logan Woodside is eager to work with Cole McDonald.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Logan Woodside is entering his third season in the NFL, and it’s by far the biggest of his young career as he’ll have a chance to compete for the backup quarterback job behind Ryan Tannehill.

In 2019, the backup job was already taken by Tannehill, who eventually went on to become the team’s starter over Marcus Mariota.

The best shot Woodside had at making the roster was to be the third string behind Tannehill and Mariota, but he ended up landing on the practice squad instead. His season would later come to an end early thanks to an elbow injury.

Woodside did show some flashes during the preseason, though, which certainly gives him something to build on in 2020.

This year there is no clear-cut backup on the Titans’ roster, which leaves an opening for Woodside to make the team as the No. 2 quarterback.

However, he’ll first have to deal with a competition in training camp with seventh-round pick, Cole McDonald, and there’s a chance the Titans add a veteran signal-caller to the mix at some point before camp.

Regardless, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online, Woodside sees the chance to become the team’s backup as “a big opportunity”.

“It is definitely a big opportunity, and I am very grateful that the Titans have invested some time in me,” Woodside said. “The best thing I can do is control what I can control and that is my attitude – study the game, and put in the preparation. With all those things, you have to try and find a way to be successful.”

Until he can return to the practice facility, Woodside has been working out at home. Wide receiver A.J. Brown recently revealed he and Woodside have also been getting together to practice, and the Ole Miss product recently endorsed his workout mate on Twitter.

While McDonald could potentially derail his quest to become the backup, Woodside says he’s eager to get to work with the rookie, who he has watched tape of.

“I am excited for him and for all the rookies to get here and get to work,” Woodside said. “I’ve seen good tape on him and I’m excited to get to work with him.”

Woodside has the slight edge in experience over McDonald based on the fact that he has played in preseason games and knows the Titans’ offense, but the Toledo product has still never taken a regular season snap.

What Woodside doesn’t have is the kind of skill set McDonald brings to the table. The Hawaii product has great size, a strong arm and the kind of elite athleticism that Woodside doesn’t; although the progress McDonald makes on fixing his throwing motion could make or break him.

There’s no telling which way this competition will go, but there’s no question it adds a bit more intrigue to training camp and the preseason.

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Titans’ Cole McDonald explains how he can improve throwing motion

The biggest knock on Titans quarterback Cole McDonald is his throwing motion.

The Tennessee Titans have their starting quarterback in Ryan Tannehill, but entered the 2020 NFL Draft with no other option behind him other than Logan Woodside.

Whether or not Woodside will ultimately take the No. 2 spot remains to be seen, but the team did add another player to compete with him, selecting former Hawaii quarterback Cole McDonald in the seventh round.

McDonald is a raw, intriguing prospect who has both drawn comparisons to and worked with former Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota.

He’s got some things to work on before he’s ready to effectively play in the NFL game, and one particular issue he’s focused on this offseason is his throwing motion.

It’s an elongated one that causes his arm to dip lower than preferred, and one that he’s trying to shorten. McDonald explained what goes into fixing it, according to John Glennon of The Athletic.

“In terms of me and what I’m working on, obviously my throwing motion is the biggest thing,” McDonald said. “I’m learning just to create muscle memory, shortening my motion, which is ultimately going to result in more accurate, more efficient throws and a tighter release.”

McDonald doesn’t seem to believe he’ll have too much trouble cleaning it up.

“It’s all about your mental capacity, in terms of adapting to the situation and ultimately making yourself a better player and a better person,” he said. “For me, I don’t think it’s very tough. It’s just going to take works and more reps.”

It will be interesting to see if the Titans make any other moves at quarterback before the season starts, and where McDonald ends up falling on the depth chart.

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Cole McDonald will add excitement to Tennessee Titans’ preseason

Cole McDonald will be one of the most talked about players during the Titans’ preseason.

The Tennessee Titans added a shiny new toy in the 2020 NFL Draft after selecting Cole McDonald out of Hawaii in the seventh round.

Prior to that pick, it looked as though Logan Woodside was on the fast track to becoming the team’s backup quarterback, but now we have a full-blown competition with two quarterbacks who have contrasting skill sets.

And that competition may not stop at just Woodside vs. McDonald, as it’s quite possible the Titans bring in a veteran at some point to add to it.

McDonald brings an intriguing skill set to the table that Woodside doesn’t, and that will help make preseason games must-watch television even after the starters aren’t seeing the field following the third preseason game.

McDonald not only brings great size (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) and a rocket arm, he also possesses elite athleticism for the position, giving him the ability to improvise and make things happen with his legs.

And, as is typically the case, everything McDonald does in the preseason will be over-analyzed and any impressive plays he makes will create a buzz that the Titans might have something in their rookie quarterback.

Of course, overreacting to anything in the preseason is silly, but that’s the way of things every single year, no matter how much we are reminded of it.

When it comes to seventh-round picks — and in particular, quarterbacks — expectations should always be tempered, and especially during a year in which offseason activities could be cut short or cancelled due to Covid-19.

But there’s no denying that watching McDonald will be much more interesting than watching Woodside because the Hawaii product has far more upside thanks to what he brings to the table.

Once the preseason comes to an end, the attention will turn to if McDonald has done enough to win the competition, or at the very least, earn a spot on the 53-man roster.

It’ll be interesting to see is if the Titans will carry just two quarterbacks like they did last season or if head coach Mike Vrabel and general manager Jon Robinson will decide to carry three.

A lot of that will depend on how far along McDonald has come.

Even if McDonald doesn’t beat out Woodside or a veteran option the team adds down the road, the Titans might not want to risk cutting him because another team could pick him up before he can be added to the practice squad.

No matter how you slice it, McDonald competing for the backup job, on top of the team’s other positional competitions, will be enough reason to have some added interest in what the Titans do during the preseason.

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Tennessee Titans near bottom of USA TODAY’s backup QB rankings

USA TODAY isn’t impressed with the Titans’ backup quarterback situation.

The Tennessee Titans have had more than their fair share of issues at quarterback — both at starter and backup — for about as long as we can remember in recent history.

They seem to have their guy at the No. 1 spot in Ryan Tannehill, but there’s no true experience behind him with Logan Woodside and seventh-round 2020 NFL Draft selection Cole McDonald as the options at backup.

It’s for that reason that Tennessee ranked at No. 31 — just one place away from the very bottom — of USA TODAY’s backup quarterback rankings.

Only the Seattle Seahawks, who recently signed former WSU quarterback Anthony Gordon, ranked lower on the list.

“Logan Woodside and rookie Cole McDonald offer little in the way of significant upside or NFL experience behind Ryan Tannehill,” the network’s Nate Davis wrote. 

Davis placed the New Orleans Saints, who recently added both Jameis Winston and Tommy Stevens to go along with Taysom Hill, at the No. 1 spot.

There’s still plenty of time left in the offseason as the Titans prepare for 2020, and they could always bring a veteran presence into the room. Whether or not they’ll actually take the steps to do that remains to be seen, though.

It will be interesting to see what the quarterback room looks like when the Titans play their first regular season game on the road against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 14.

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Titans GM Jon Robinson won’t rule out veteran backup QB option

Jon Robinson isn’t ruling out the Titans bringing in a veteran backup quarterback option.

As it stands now, the Tennessee Titans are set to have a competition for the backup quarterback job between Logan Woodside and 2020 seventh-round pick, Cole McDonald.

But don’t rule out the Titans adding a veteran backup quarterback option into the mix, as general manager Jon Robinson suggested the team could do at some point.

Robinson said so when he was a guest on “The George Plaster Show” on WNSR-AM 560 on Wednesday.

It’s understandable if the Titans want to bring a more experienced signal-caller into the competition set to happen in training camp.

While Woodside has spent multiple years in the league, he has never taken a regular season snap in the NFL. And, of course, McDonald is an incoming rookie.

Tennessee must explore every option to ensure the team would be in the best position possible to stay afloat if Ryan Tannehill were to come down with an injury. There is simply too much riding on this upcoming season not to.

As far as remaining options are concerned, there are some solid ones. Guys like Blake Bortles, Joe Flacco and Matt Moore are still available and have more experience than Woodside and McDonald combined.

On the higher end of those options is Andy Dalton, who was recently released by the Bengals; although he might be a bit too expensive and has better choices out there if he wants an opportunity to start.

Tennessee Titans’ QB situation ranked as average by Touchdown Wire

The Titans must invest in the backup position before the season.

The 2019 season was supposed to Marcus Mariota’s prove-it year. He wasn’t able to do that, though, coming up short to the point that he was replaced for good by current starter, Ryan Tannehill.

The Tennessee Titans clearly think a lot of Tannehill’s long-term future with the team, because why else would you sign a quarterback to a four-year extension worth up to $118 million?

Now, fans are left to hope that Tannehill — who left behind a trail of inconsistency in Miami — will keep up his great play and not turn into a pumpkin.

He’s coming off the best season of his career and could continue to make team history, but he’ll have to prove that last year wasn’t just a one-hit wonder.

Barry Werner of Touchdown Wire shares a similar sentiment, placing the Titans right smack in the center of his quarterback situation rankings at No. 16.

“The commitment to Ryan Tannehill with the four-year, $118 million contract means the former No. 1 pick of the Dolphins feasted after his 2019 salary drive,” he wrote. “Will he be the man to take Tennessee to the Super Bowl or was that a one-and-done run? Tannehill is 49-49 as a starter in his career. He has to be much better for this bet to pay off.”

When evaluating the team’s quarterback situation as a whole, there’s not exactly much to it right now. Logan Woodside is the only other signal-caller currently on the roster.

And, while he may be a good player to have on the practice squad, his unimpressive arm strength and 6-foot-1, 213-pound frame makes you think the Titans would be wise to find someone else to backup Tannehill.

The Titans could address the need at some point in the 2020 NFL Draft by picking up a quarterback like Jordan Love, Jacob Eason or Jake Fromm early on.

They could also wait until the later rounds to select an Anthony Gordon, Cole McDonald or James Morgan, or perhaps comb through the list of undrafted free agents that could include players with intriguing raw ability, like Mason Fine and Tommy Stevens.

Regardless of how they handle it, the Titans need to have a competent player they can trust behind their starter in order to avoid paying the price they’ve had to in some past seasons.

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Tennessee Titans ‘will definitely add another QB’ this offseason

The Titans should look to add to their quarterback room.

There has been some debate about what the Tennessee Titans should do at backup quarterback behind starter, Ryan Tannehill.

Should the team stick with the only other quarterback on the roster as its backup in an unproven Logan Woodside, or should the Titans explore other options this offseason?

I have been of the opinion that it would be wise for Tennessee to bring in an experienced backup at the very least, as Woodside doesn’t instill much confidence that he can keep the ship afloat if Tannehill gets hurt.

According to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online in his weekend mailbag, he is firm in saying that the Titans will indeed bring in another quarterback in some form or fashion this offseason.

“I expect Logan to have a chance to win the back-up job, but the team will definitely add another QB. Whether that guy is a veteran or a draft pick, well, I’m curious to see myself.”

As Wyatt also points out, head coach Mike Vrabel and the staff really like Woodside, so he has that going for him.

However, it’s doubtful that alone will be enough to take the backup job unchallenged with the 2020 Titans having Super Bowl aspirations.

Tannehill had some injury issues with the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee can’t afford to have its season blown up because he gets hurt.

This is where having a solid veteran backup comes into play. No franchise knows how important that can be more than the Titans, a team that has had recent seasons both sunk and saved because of No. 2 signal-callers.

Woodside has never taken a regular season snap, and while he’s shown some flashes during preseason games, I’m not sure that’s enough to solely rely on him.

It is possible the Titans decide to use one of their draft picks to take a quarterback, but chances are that kind of pick would be made late in the draft, which would make the signal-caller a project.

In that instance you’re basically handing the job to Woodside anyway, unless of course that young quarterback develops abnormally fast to take it from him.

We recently wrote an article about some options the Titans could roll with.  Guys like Blake Bortles, Joe Flacco, Matt Moore and Josh Johnson (recently of the XFL) are all solid options the Titans should take a look at.

Should Titans go with Logan Woodside as backup QB in 2020?

Should Logan Woodside be Ryan Tannehill’s backup in 2020?

The Tennessee Titans have found their franchise quarterback in Ryan Tannehill.

The team made their trust in the former Miami Dolphin — who was previously plagued by injury and inconsistency — abundantly clear, inking him to a four-year, $118 million extension.

But what about the guy behind him?

That’s pretty important, too, as recent history has shown us with the Titans, who suffered so much in the past from Marcus Mariota being prone to injury.

The only other quarterback currently on the roster is Logan Woodside, who played college football at Toledo, was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and is on his second stint with the Titans.

Woodside has been a solid scout team quarterback, but can the Titans trust him to be their guy if Tannehill goes down?

He’s already putting in the work this offseason, but there’s nothing about Woodside that really sells you on his ability to lead the offense in a way coaches can be comfortable with if he’s forced to take the reins.

“After watching Woodside for an entire Training Camp and preseason, it’s clear to me that he’s not the sort of guy you want to have to win a game if your starting quarterback goes down,” A to Z Sports Nashville’s Luke Worsham wrote.

Woodside doesn’t wow anyone with his arm strength, and he’s a bit undersized at 6-foot-1 and 213 pounds.

Keeping Woodside on the practice squad is a good decision for the Titans, but they’d be wise to make finding a legitimate backup quarterback between free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft a priority.

Watch: Titans’ Logan Woodside already taking initiative ahead of 2020 season

The signal-caller posted a video to his Instagram story of him putting in offseason work.

There’s a lot that remains uncertain with sports at all levels in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, but just because the events themselves are on hold for now doesn’t mean that everything has to come to a halt.

Tennessee Titans backup quarterback Logan Woodside knows that — and he’s taking advantage of it.

The signal-caller posted this video to his Instagram story of him putting in offseason work with wide receiver Corey Davis and tight end Anthony Firkser.

Woodside is currently slated to be the Titans’ backup in 2020 behind Ryan Tannehill, who the team signed to a four-year, $118 million contract extension on Sunday.

The quarterback played out his college career at Toledo, completing 65.1 percent of his passes for 10,514 yards, with 93 touchdowns and 25 interceptions over 43 games.

He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft, but was waived by the team on Sept. 1, 2018.

He had a short stint on the Titans’ practice squad afterward, then joined the AAF’s San Antonio Commanders before re-joining the Titans’ practice squad once again in 2019.

He signed a reserve/future contract with the Titans on January 20.

Titans sign multiple players to futures contracts

Here’s a look at the list released yesterday.

The Tennessee Titans have no shortage of decisions to think about now that the offseason has started.

The team did make some moves on Monday, signing a number of players to futures contracts.

Those players included quarterback Logan Woodside, defensive end Amani Bledsoe, running back Dalyn Dawkins, linebacker Nigel Harris, tight end Parker Hesse, center Daniel Munyer, defensive back Kareem Orr, offensive lineman David Quessenberry, wide receiver Trevion Thompson and running back Shaun Wilson.

Here’s a look at the list released yesterday.

Each of those players saw time on Tennessee’s practice squad during the season.

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Running back Dalyn Dawkins is one of the most likely of those to land a roster spot in the 2020 season, especially if the team parts ways with rusher Dion Lewis.

Dawkins was in action for two regular season games, recording 26 rushing yards on 11 carries.

Woodside and the quarterback position overall could be an interesting one to watch as well, given how unclear things still are with the future of Ryan Tannehill.