Tag: Rashad Weaver

Texans bring back former pass rusher to practice squad

Rashad Weaver is headed back to join the Houston Texans.

Rashad Weaver is headed back to Houston.

The Texans are signing the former defensive end to the practice squad two days following his release from the active roster. In a corresponding move, Houston outright released cornerback Troy Pride Jr.

A former fourth-round pick out of Pitt by the Tennessee Titans, Weaver played in three games for Houston before being released earlier this week. With the Titan, he totaled 49 total tackles and 5.5 sacks in three seasons.

The Texans return to NRG Stadium this Sunday to take on the Indianapolis Colts at noon CT. Houston opens as a 6.5-point favorite.

Titans say goodbye to veteran edge rusher

The Tennessee Titans continue to shake up their roster with the release of a veteran edge rusher.

Tuesday was the NFL deadline to pare the roster down to 53 players. For most players, that is met with relief after achieving their goal of making a roster. For others, it’s met with trepidation, as in many ways the roster is still in flux for days after the deadline has passed. 

That was the case for veteran Titans’ edge rusher Rashad Weaver, as word has come out that he is being released post deadline.

After missing nearly all of his rookie season with a broken fibula and starting just four games in three seasons, Weaver was looking to carve out a role in the Titans’ edge rotation. A 2021 fourth-round pick out of Pittsburgh, he has accumulated 49 tackles (11 tackles for loss) and 5.5 sacks in 33 career games with the Titans. 

This is the first of what could be multiple moves in the coming days as the Titans solidify their roster before the season opener. Stay tuned to Titans Wire for updates.

Titans’ Rashad Weaver: ‘It’s time to take a leap’ in Year 4

The Titans need more out of Rashad Weaver in 2024, and he’s ready to deliver.

After it looked like he might take a big leap following a strong start to his second season in 2022, Tennessee Titans edge rusher Rashad Weaver has been quiet since.

Over the first eight games of his sophomore campaign, the Pittsburgh product tallied an impressive 5.5 sacks. However, he has zero over his last 22 contests.

The 2024 campaign will be crucial for the former fourth-round pick, who is in a contract year — and Weaver fully understands what’s at stake.

“It’s Year 4, so it’s time to take a leap not only for myself, but for this team,” Weaver said, per Jim Wyatt. “I can truly show the full value of what they got out of this pick, plus more, because that has always been my goal. And if I do my job and reach my personal goals — my personal goals are tied in with this team — it will only elevate the team.

“Winners are loved everywhere, and it will benefit me and the team in every way possible.”

As currently constituted, the Titans need much more out of Weaver.

Denico Autry leaving and the Titans not doing anything to adequately replace him has left the team thin in the edge rusher department. Tennessee has Harold Landry, Arden Key, and not much else behind those two.

However, that presents a golden opportunity for Weaver, who plans on taking full advantage of it.

“At the end of the day, Nico is gone, and that’s a spot from a seasoned vet that played great reps and did a lot of great things here,” Weaver said. “That will be open and in the league these days you need three good pass rushers… I’ll do what I need to do. I’ll be where I need to be, and I’ll take advantage of what I need to do.”

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Titans’ Rashad Weaver points out big difference with Dennard Wilson

Titans OLB Rashad Weaver is the latest player to point out a big difference between the previous coaching staff and the new one.

Count Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Rashad Weaver as one of the players who is a huge fan of the new coaching staff.

After practice on Wednesday, Weaver revealed that he loves the aggressive approach that defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson is bringing to Nashville.

He event went as far as to say he’s “ready to run through a brick wall” for Wilson, something he told the defensive coordinator on Day 1.

“Fun, aggressive,” Weaver said of the defense, per AtoZ Sports’ Trevor May. “The first day, the first meeting we had I told him, ‘You have me ready to run through a wall.'”

We previously heard from fellow outside linebacker Arden Key about the previous coaching staff not correcting mistakes before moving on. Weaver noted that this coaching staff lets him know when he’s doing things correctly, which is a huge plus for him.

“(Wilson is) very hard on us, but he also lets you know when you’re doing stuff right. And that’s the biggest thing for me,” Weaver said. “Sometimes before I didn’t know when I was doing stuff right.

“But I know when I’m doing stuff right now, and that makes you want to fix all the mistakes because it’s being noticed.”

Weaver is facing a crucial year in 2024. Not only is he coming off a lackluster third season that saw him tally no sacks and make little impact, he’s also in the final year of his rookie deal.

But Weaver feels different ahead of this coming season, noting that he’s more explosive.

With Denico Autry gone, and with the Titans not adequately replacing him, Weaver has a golden opportunity to grab a bigger role in 2024. If he can — and what he does with it — remains to be seen.

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Titans’ biggest cut candidates for 2024 offseason

A look at some potential cap casualties for the Titans in 2024.

The Tennessee Titans enter the 2024 offseason flush with cap space, but they will have an opportunity to clear more money if they decide to cut some players from last year’s team.

According to Over the Cap, the Titans are sitting with $68.1 million in cap space, the second-most in the NFL behind only the Washington Commanders.

That’s a far cry from last year, when the Titans were strapped for cash, even after cutting some players. That also forced Tennessee to bet on upside with some of their free-agent signings.

But things are very different this year with the Titans having a ton of money to spend. And, as a result, their need to cut players isn’t as dire as it was last year, although the team still figures to part ways with at least a few players.

Here’s a look at the Titans’ biggest cut candidates for the 2024 offseason, and we’ve included a prediction for what will happen with each.

Titans training camp preview at OLB: Locks, competitions, 53-man prediction

The Titans are set to welcome back Harold Landry in 2023 after he missed all of last season with a torn ACL.

Here we are once again previewing a Tennessee Titans position ahead of training camp, which will begin next week. This time around, we’re taking a look at the outside linebacker position.

Tennessee saw a significant change at the position this offseason, with the team jettisoning Bud Dupree after a failed two-year stint in Nashville.

Replacing Dupree on the Titans’ roster is former San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars edge rusher, Arden Key, who figures to play the biggest role of his career in Tennessee.

But Key’s addition is hardly the biggest news of the offseason at outside linebacker, as Tennessee’s sack leader from 2021, Harold Landry, is set to return after missing all of last season with a torn ACL.

Beyond those two is Rashad Weaver, and after him are completely unproven players. We’ll go over everyone on the current depth chart, while also taking a look at the roster locks, competitions, and a 53-man roster projection.

Analyst Brian Baldinger ‘looking for big stuff’ from Titans’ Rashad Weaver in 2023

Titans OLB Rashad Weaver got some love from NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger recently.

Despite having a solid sophomore season, Tennessee Titans third-year pass rusher, Rashad Weaver, is largely flying under the radar as we inch closer to the 2023 season.

The Pittsburgh product was ultimately forced into a bigger role last year due to Harold Landry’s unfortunate knee injury right before the 2022 campaign began.

While his performance wasn’t perfect by any means and his sack production tapered off in the second half of the season, Weaver undoubtedly showed plenty of promise whenever he was on the field.

The former fourth-round pick totaled 27 tackles, 22 pressures, 15 quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss, six pass deflections, 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

One of Weaver’s biggest believers in the national media appears to be NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger, who is known for his fantastic film breakdowns throughout the year.

Baldinger recently released a video on Weaver’s potential, saying he’s “looking for big stuff from Rashad Weaver this year.”

The NFL Network analyst also expects Weaver, who is projected to be the No. 3 outside linebacker behind Harold Landry and Arden Key, to keep getting better the more he works on his hand usage and footwork.

You can find “Baldy’s Breakdown” of the Titans edge rusher in its entirety below:

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Madden NFL 24 ratings for Titans’ D-linemen, OLBs

The “Madden NFL 24” overall ratings for Jeffery Simmons, Harold Landry, and other Titans defensive linemen and outside linebackers.

The next step in the player ratings rollout from “Madden NFL 24” was to reveal the marks for defensive linemen and outside linebackers, giving us our first look at how players at those positions for the Tennessee Titans fared.

Of the defensive linemen and outside linebackers, only one Titans player was ranked in the top 10 at his position: defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons.

Simmons, who was listed as a defensive end on the game’s official website, was ranked eighth among DEs with an overall rating of 89. However, if you include defensive tackles, also, he was 12th, which is far too low.

In total, the Titans had three players combined from the defensive line and outside linebacker groups to score over an 80. Here’s a look at how every Titans player from those positions fared in overall rating.

And, in case you missed it. you can check out the ratings for Titans receivers and safeties right here.

Simple assault charge against Titans’ Rashad Weaver dropped

The simple assault charge against Titans OLB Rashad Weaver has been dropped.

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After facing a simple assault charge stemming from an alleged incident prior to his being drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2021, outside linebacker Rashad Weaver is in the clear.

According to Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky, the prosecution will not move forward with the case and has dropped the charge against Weaver, which should also put him in the clear in terms of facing a suspension.

The simple assault charge that hovered over Rashad Weaver from an incident just before the Titans drafted him in 2021 was concluded in late June, when the Allegheny Country District attorney’s office determined it was unwilling to move ahead with its prosecution and judge Anthony M. Mariani signed off.

At one point jury instructions were scheduled for this week.

The charge came from an alleged incident outside of a Pittsburgh bar on April 18, 2021, where the alleged victim, Demetria Navjelis, claimed the Titans outside linebacker “grabbed her by the throat and pushed her to the ground, where she ultimately hit her head.”

After an injury-shortened rookie campaign, Weaver tallied 5.5 sacks in 16 games (four starts) in 2022. He figures to be third on the depth chart behind Harold Landry and Arden Key in 2023.

Weaver wasn’t the only Titans player facing a legal issue, as Titans running back Hassan Haskins was arrested and charged with aggravated assault by strangulation last month. That case is set to go to trial in late August.

Titans’ Rashad Weaver details vigorous offseason regimen: ‘I can feel the difference’

After putting in the work this offseason, Titans OLB Rashad Weaver can feel the difference in himself from where he was last season.

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Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Rashad Weaver took a few weeks to rest his body after the 2022 campaign, but after that it was right to work in preparation for the 2023 season.

Weaver says he went into “hibernation mode” for two weeks after the Titans’ season ended in Week 18, which entailed him getting a ton of sleep to help his body recover.

From there, it was on.

Weaver hooked up with “Monster Maker” trainers and worked on getting bigger and stronger via a vigorous offseason regimen that included three-hour stints in the weight room.

On his off days (if you want to call them that), Weaver did 50-yard sprints up hills to work on his speed, leg strength and drive.

And it appears all that hard work has paid off thus far, with Weaver noting how much of a difference he feels in himself from where he was last year.

“[Weaver’s offseason regimen] entails workouts for three hours in the weight room, where you lay on the ground and say: ‘I hate this’ every day,” Weaver explained, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “And on the off days you go run hills, 50-yard sprints up the hills that’s working your speed and your leg strength and your drive.

“But I know it’s working, because I can feel the difference. And, the easiest way to know something is working is when you see the difference or other people see the difference in you and they make remarks about you.

“For someone like me, it just makes me want to keep going.”

Another part of his offseason work was watching film of himself and taking notes.

Among the things Weaver noticed was his lower-body strength wasn’t where he wanted it to be, something he partly blames on leg injuries suffered in recent years, one of which occurred during his rookie campaign.

Now, Weaver feels he’s added enough strength in that area, also, to better “bully guys” at the point of contact.

“The biggest thing for me (to focus on) was strength, and that’s where I put a lot of work in this offseason,” he said. “I’d never been a huge weight room guy, but coming off leg injuries in the past, those are things that knock your leg strength back.

“So now I can go out here and really bully guys and have play strength and play through contact and finish a lot of things that were really just right there last year, and really be better overall. … These are grown men out there.”

Even with the shortcomings Weaver detailed, he did show flashes of being an impact pass-rusher in his second season, with the Pittsburgh product tallying five sacks over the first 10 weeks before being shut out the rest of the way.

Looking ahead to 2023, Weaver figures to be third on the depth chart behind Harold Landry and Arden Key, but he should still have a sizeable role as a rotational piece who can play standing up and with his hand in the dirt.

And, if his offseason work proves to really pay dividends through his play on the field, Weaver could earn himself an even bigger role as the season progresses.

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