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9 AFC South stories from last week for Titans fans to know

The biggest news out of the AFC South this week is the possibility that Carson Wentz will be one-and-done in Indy.

With another week in the books, it’s time for us to take a trip around the AFC South to see what the Tennessee Titans’ division rivals — the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars — are up to.

Over the past week, all three AFC South teams have been rounding out their coaching staffs, but the biggest news out of the division this week is the uncertain future of quarterback Carson Wentz in Indy.

The Texans appear to have their own dilemma under center, as new head coach Lovie Smith wouldn’t commit to Davis Mills as the starter.

In Jacksonville, one of the best players in Jaguars history is very high on new head coach Doug Pederson, and he rightly shredded the recent tenure of the disaster that was Urban Meyer.

We cover all of those stories and more as we check in on what the Titans’ division rivals are doing.

Dolphins beat writer predicts Titans sign TE Mike Gesicki

Dolphins beat writer Omar Kelly seems very confident that the Titans will sign Mike Gesicki.

Heading into the offseason, the Tennessee Titans will undoubtedly look for an upgrade at the tight end position after the organization received minimal contributions there in 2021.

While Anthony Firkser was a standout in training camp, he failed to take the next step during the season. Further, he, along with Geoff Swaim and MyCole Pruitt, are set to become unrestricted free agents.

While one or more of those three could potentially return in two-tone blue, Tennessee would be wise to look at the free-agent market and/or the 2022 NFL draft for tight end help.

One of the more prominent names set to hit the free-agent market at tight end this offseason is Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki, who Dolphins beat writer Omar Kelly predicts will end up in Nashville.

Gesicki, 26, played in all 17 regular-season games last season, including nine starts, hauling in 73 receptions for 780 yards and two scores — and he compiled those numbers despite shaky quarterback play.

In terms of financials, the Penn State product will not come cheap. Spotrac projects Gesicki to fetch a four-year, $44 million contract in free agency.

The Titans are already $7 million over the salary cap, so they would have to clear some cap space to sign him in addition to retaining either Harold Landry, Ben Jones, or both.

The Dolphins have the most salary-cap space in the National Football League entering the offseason, so they can easily get this deal done and then some. It will be more of a matter if Gesicki wants to be on a contending team.

If you recall, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel praised the 6-foot-6 tight end leading up to Tennessee’s Week 17 matchup against the Dolphins.

“He has an incredible catch radius,” Vrabel said of Gesicki, who had four receptions for 51 yards in the Dolphins’ 34-3 loss in Nashville.

The primary knock on Gesicki is his blocking abilities, or lack thereof. Per Pro Football Focus, he was given grades of 36.6 and 46.1 in pass protection and run-blocking, respectively.

That’s not to say his run blocking couldn’t improve in a different system, but Vrabel has made it known that the primary job of his tight ends is to block.

That said, Gesicki would give quarterback Ryan Tannehill a big target alongside other weapons like A.J. Brown and Julio Jones.

It’s not unrealistic by any means, but the Titans would have to make a few subtractions financially before adding Gesicki.

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Titans’ Bud Dupree turns himself in on misdemeanor charge from January

Dupree turned himself in on Friday on the misdemeanor assault charge he picked up in January.

Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Bud Dupree turned himself in for the misdemeanor assault charge he received in January stemming from an alleged physical altercation at a Nashville Walgreens.

According to Natalie Neysa Alund of the Tennessean, Dupree reported on Friday for booking at the Davidson County courthouse, where he was fingerprinted and had a mugshot taken.

He is slated to return to court on April 22 for a settlement hearing.

A former first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015, Dupree signed a five-year, $82.5 million deal with the Titans last offseason.

In his first campaign in Nashville, Dupree appeared in 11 games (six starts), but dealt with a setback to his surgically repaired knee and an abdominal injury that forced him to miss six contests.

He recorded three sacks in what was a mostly disappointing season, but he did appear to be getting his feet under him more as the season progressed.

The last time the Titans addressed the situation involving Dupree was days after the incident. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said the team would monitor the situation and wait to see how it plays out.

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Game day Tipico betting odds for Florida basketball vs Auburn Tigers

Believe it or not, Auburn isn’t favored by nearly as much as you’d think.

Florida basketball gets a chance at revenge on Saturday afternoon for a loss earlier this season against the Auburn Tigers, who currently occupy the No. 2 spot in both major polls and the top spot in the Southeastern Conference standings. It is a tall order for the Gators against their toughest opponent this season, but if they have any hope of re-entering the NCAA Tournament discussion, they need to score an upset win on their home floor today.

While War Eagle is perched just below top dog Gonzaga, it places several spots lower in the NET rankings coming in at No. 8 despite having a better record resume than several teams ahead of it. Nonetheless, Auburn ranks much higher than Florida, which fell out of the top 50 after the loss to the Texas A&M Aggies and are ranked No. 53 ahead of the game. Even so, the game represents a Quadrant 1 matchup for both teams in what the oddsmakers appear to believe will be a fairly close one.

The Tipico Sportsbook favors the Tigers by 4.5-points over the Gators while the over/under is set at 139.5. The money lines for Auburn and Florida are minus-200 and plus-160, respectively, as of 10 a.m. EST on Saturday morning.

Team Spread Money Line Total Points
Auburn 4.5
-105		 -200 O 139.5
-110
Florida -4.5
-120		 +160 U 139.5
-110

Can Florida basketball upset No. 2 Auburn at home?

How to follow Florida basketball vs Auburn Tigers

Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST on Saturday afternoon inside the O’Connell Center, Gainesville, Florida. The game will be broadcast on ESPN, livestreamed on the ESPN app and can be heard on the Gators IMG Sports Network.

All Betting Lines are Courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook

Visit our free to play game lobby at Daily Ticket, Powered by Tipico Sportsbook

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

PFF names Titans’ Ben Jones the most underrated FA at center

Jones was the Titans’ best offensive lineman during the 2021 campaign.

The Tennessee Titans have a laundry list of players headed for free agency this offseason and not a whole lot of money to work with. Actually, the Titans are sitting approximately $7 million over the salary cap, per OverTheCap.

Harold Landry highlights the Titans’ free agents this offseason. The 25-year-old had a career year, collecting 12 sacks, 75 combined tackles, including 14 tackles for loss, and 22 QB hits.

We recently discussed whether it would be advantageous for the Titans to use the franchise tag on Landry this offseason. The thinking here is to have the Boston College product prove that 2021 was not a one-off.

However, the Titans have a key piece on the offensive line in center Ben Jones, who is also set to hit the open market.

According to Pro Football Focus’ Anthony Treash, the 32-year-old is the most underrated free agent at the center position going into the offseason.

“Jones has consistently been a solid interior offensive lineman in the NFL, as he has never earned a PFF grade above 80.0 in his 10-year NFL career but has also never posted a grade lower than 70.0 outside of his 2012 rookie campaign. He’s fared particularly well in recent years, finishing as one of the top five most valuable centers in each of the last three seasons. Tennessee is going to want Jones back, but it could easily get outbid by a team like the Cincinnati Bengals, who are rich in cap space and desperate to improve upfront.”

After spending the first four years of his career with the Houston Texans, Jones has been in Tennessee for the last six.

The Georgia product has been a staple on the offensive line, and as PFF notes, he has been consistent during his tenure. His durability has been unmatched also, as he’s missed just one game during his tenure in Tennessee.

The Titans have a number of questions along the offensive line.

On the left side, both Taylor Lewan and Rodger Saffold could be salary cap casualties this offseason, which would free up a combined $23.3 million while carrying a $4.2 million dead cap hit.

On the right side, both Nate Davis and David Quessenberry were shaky in pass protection in 2021, with the latter accounting for 11 sacks allowed, the most in the NFL.

The Titans must improve their pass blocking next season to set quarterback Ryan Tannehill up for success. While the Titans will likely be saying goodbye to some familiar faces, retaining Jones would be a smart move.

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Titans’ David Long reflects on 2021 season, how he can improve

“It felt good,” Long said about still having his starting job when he returned from injury this past season.

Linebacker David Long Jr. has quietly become one of the unsung heroes on the Tennessee Titans’ defense since being drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Coming out of West Virginia, Long possessed a unique skillset, despite being undersized at the linebacker position.

Long, at 5-foot-11, led all Mountaineers with 108 combined tackles, including a staggering 19.5 tackles for loss, during the 2018 season.

Long’s innate ability to get into the backfield has carried over into the NFL, and he has been a significant factor in why the Titans’ run defense went from 19th overall in 2020 to second-best in the league this past season.

He played in 14 games as a rookie, but Long was primarily limited to a special teams role.

In 2020, Long began to seize a starting role in the final six games of the campaign (including playoffs) when filling in for an injured Jayon Brown.

Long once again secured a starting role in 2021, but the Cincinnati, Ohio native missed six games during the middle of the year with a hamstring injury.

During that time, the Titans claimed Zach Cunningham off waivers to bolster their linebacker corps, and with Brown, Cunningham and Rashaan Evans all healthy late in the season, the Titans had four players for two starting spots when Long was healthy enough to return.

However, it spoke volumes about how the organization views Long when head coach Mike Vrabel put the blossoming linebacker right back into his starting role for the final two regular-season games.

“It felt good,” Long said, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “There’s a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes, that I, that we, put so much heart into. So, it was good to see it pay off, me getting the spot (back) and me taking advantage of the time I was out there, capitalizing on it. And I plan to continue to do that.”

While stopping the run has always been a strength in his game, Long made strides this season in pass coverage.

He kept quarterbacks to a 70.7 completion percentage and a 61.0 QB rating on balls thrown in his direction, which was a far cry from his sophomore campaign when he permitted a completion rate of 85.3 percent and a QB rating of 110.5.

Thanks to his strong play and improvements across the board, Long has more than proven that he can be an every-down linebacker.

“I have learned a lot since I’ve been here,” Long said . “I just want to continue to get better and continue to stay on time of my health. But there is no limit for me. I think I can be any type of player that I want to be, as far as how great I can be.

“So now it is about fixing the fundamentals, and whatever it might be, to be better, and to stay on the field.”

With Long, Cunningham and 2021 third-round pick Monty Rice under contract for 2022, the Titans are set at the position and can afford to let Brown and Evans walk in free agency.

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Titans go LB, TE in NFL.com 3-round mock draft

NFL.com has the Titans addressing a position of strength in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

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In the latest mock draft from NFL.com’s Chad Reuter, the Tennessee Titans select Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean and Ohio State tight end Jeremy Ruckert with their first two picks.

Here’s Reuter’s take on a first-round selection of Dean:

“With Jayon Brown and Rashaan Evans due to reach free agency, finding a bargain like Dean available here is a bonus. If the former Georgia linebacker outperforms expectations at the NFL Scouting Combine, he will be long gone by this pick.”

While Brown and Evans are indeed hitting free agency and likely won’t be back, Tennessee does have their two starters at the position, Zach Cunningham and David Long, under contract for 2022.

Adding to that, the Titans are three deep at the position when you factor in 2021 third-round pick, Monty Rice. As a result, there’s no chance the team will take a linebacker this early.

Reuter’s third-round pick for the Titans, Ruckert, is a much more realistic selection, as the Titans need an upgrade at tight end after not having an every-down player at the position in 2021.

Tennessee used a three-man rotation with MyCole Pruitt, Geoff Swaim and Anthony Firkser, but each member of that trio is one-dimensional for the most part, and all are set to hit free agency.

Pruitt in particular will have to work his way back from a serious injury.

Ruckert is someone we had the Titans selecting in the third round of our last seven-round mock draft. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end projects to be a solid asset in the passing game, while also bringing skills as a blocker.

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10 prop bets for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game

Feeling lucky? Try predicting the outcome of these 10 prop bets about Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game.

The 2022 NBA All-Star Game is almost here.

The league’s annual talent showcase is set for 8 p.m. EST on Sunday in Cleveland. It will be broadcast on TNT and ESPN Radio.

The game features a matchup between 12-player rosters selected last week by captains LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

Team LeBron, headlined by James himself, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic and James Harden, will be coached by Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns.

Team Durant, headlined by Durant himself, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Trae Young and LaMelo Ball, will be coached by Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat.

With all that in mind, Rookie Wire presents 10 proposition bets about Sunday’s 2022 NBA All-Star Game below.

Titans’ Kristian Fulton reveals he had shoulder surgery

Based on a recent Instagram post, it appears Titans CB Kristian Fulton had shoulder surgery.

Tennessee Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton has revealed that he underwent surgery on his right shoulder.

Fulton posted a video of himself on Instagram showing bandages on his right shoulder and a sling on his arm, indicating he had work done. The extent of that work isn’t known. AtoZ Sports Nashville’s Buck Reising grabbed some screenshots of Fulton’s post.

After an injury-riddled rookie campaign in 2020 that saw him play in just six games, Fulton appeared in 13 contests this past season and emerged as one of the best young cornerbacks in the NFL.

However, Fulton still dealt with injuries in 2021.

Aside from an apparent shoulder issue that we’re finding out about now, he also landed on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 5, leading to his missing four games.

Fulton would return in Week 10 and did not appear on the injury report the rest of the season, although it’s now clear he was dealing with some sort of shoulder issue at some point down the stretch of the campaign.

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Titans duo among PFF’s highest-graded safeties in 2021

The Titans had arguably the best safety duo in the NFL in 2021.

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The Tennessee Titans look to have a dynamic safety duo in Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker that would rival Chris Hope and Michael Griffin in the late 2000s.

According to Pro Football Focus, Byard and Hooker finished with top-five grades among safeties in the NFL in 2021, with Byard landing at No. 1 (90.4) and Hooker at No. 3 (85.9).

The duo was joined by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Antoine Winfield Jr., the Miami Dolphins’ Jevon Holland, and the Buffalo Bills’ Micah Hyde.

Byard, 28, had a bounce-back season to the tune of five interceptions, one sack, two forced fumbles, 13 pass deflections, and a pair of defensive touchdowns.

Further, opposing quarterbacks had difficulty completing passes thrown in Byard’s direction, as the Titans safety allowed just a 51.7 percent completion rate and a 68.7 QB rating when targeted. His PFF coverage grade (90.9) also ranked first among safeties in the NFL.

The Middle Tennessee State product was named First-Team All-Pro and earned Pro Bowl honors, marking the second time Byard has achieved both accolades.

“I definitely had my best year to date, and I honestly feel like I’m just starting to hit my prime,” he told Good Morning Football. “I feel like there’s always room for improvement in every facet of the game.”

One of the the biggest surprises of the Titans’ season was the emergence of Hooker.

He was injured in the first week of the 2021 season, which kept him sidelined for a month, but he did not disappoint in his return to the starting lineup.

PFF recently named Hooker the Titans’ most improved player and ranked him as the 49th-best player in the NFL this past season — and for good reason.

The 23-year-old recorded 62 combined tackles, including one tackle for loss, four pass breakups, and one interception. After allowing an 82.6 completion percentage in 2020, Hooker took tremendous strides in his pass coverage this season, allowing quarterbacks to complete 68.6 percent of their passes to go along with a 79.3 QB rating and zero touchdowns. His coverage grade (86.9) was the fifth-best among safeties in the NFL.

The former fourth-rounder in 2019 also stepped up in the playoffs, as he had a terrific interception in the Titans’ game against the Bengals, setting up A.J. Brown’s one-handed touchdown catch two plays later.

Hooker is well on his way to becoming yet another leader in the defensive backfield for years to come, giving the Titans an elite duo at safety.

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