Tag: Shane Ray

Shane Ray thankful for opportunity with Titans

Titans LB Shane Ray is making the most of his opportunity.

Tennessee Titans linebacker Shane Ray has been patiently waiting for an opportunity since his last NFL snap in 2018.

As a former first-round pick of the Denver Broncos, the 31-year-old had aspirations of a long playing career. However, injuries limited his playing time to just 19 games, including seven starts, over his last two seasons in the league.

As a result, the Broncos declined Ray’s fifth-year option, and he was free to sign wherever he felt was the best next step. However, NFL teams were not exactly all jumping to commit a long-term contract to the linebacker.

Although the Baltimore Ravens signed him in May 2019, he was released before the season began. Following this, Ray spent two seasons in the Canadian Football League, but his second year was cut short due to a torn bicep.

In an attempt to secure another NFL contract, he participated in the Buffalo Bills’ minicamp tryout in May 2023 and was later signed, only to be forced off the roster due to another injury.

Still determined to play, Ray dedicated himself to getting healthy and into football-playing shape so that he would be ready if a team did call.

“I put myself in a routine and a schedule of just training like I was in the NFL, even though I wasn’t, at the time,” Ray said via Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “I was just dedicating myself to the game: waking up every day, going to the gym, working out, running, working on my hands, working on my pass rush, and making sure that I was still in this type of shape. That was my life for four years straight, so this opportunity coming, I’ve been prepared for this for a really long time.”

The Titans brought Ray in for a tryout during the team’s rookie minicamp in May. Already familiar with him and needing to bolster the position, Tennessee signed him earlier in training camp.

However, neither he nor the Titans knew potentially how impactful the signing would be.

Following the news of Arden Key’s six-game suspension, Ray is already looking at an expanded role with the team. Given his injury history, the Titans may opt to look externally, but Ray could be a significant contributor to the Titans’ pass rush if he can stay healthy.

In his first two seasons in the league, he amassed a combined 68 tackles, including 20 for loss, 28 quarterback hits, 12 sacks, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.

While it would be easy to envision himself back in a starting role, given how things have played out recently, Ray knows that it’s been a process to get to this point. He needs to continue focusing on the next day of staying healthy and putting in the good work in camp and preseason.

“For me, it’s been one step at a time,” he said. “Training, training, training, and talking to my agent, praying to God: is there something? Is there something available? Does somebody want to bring me in? Is there an opportunity? Those moments were highs and lows because sometimes it was like, ‘Hey, we might have something,’ and other times like, ‘Hey, man, we got to go train for another five, six weeks.’

“So, for me, the call itself was amazing. Then, walking to the building was amazing, meeting the coaches was amazing, and having my first minicamp workout back was amazing. Every step that I’ve taken up to this point is another milestone that, for a long time, I just dreamed about it, and prayed about it, and worked for.”

Kenneth Murray Jr. already providing leadership to Titans

Kenneth Murray Jr. and the Tennessee Titans had a unique way of welcoming linebacker Shane Ray to the team.

Kenneth Murray Jr. has yet to log one snap with the Tennessee Titans, but that has not prevented the 25-year-old from bringing a leadership quality to the team.

Murray and his Titans teammates welcomed linebacker Shane Ray, who signed on Thursday morning, to the team in a unique way on Day 2 of training camp.

“We kind of have this little thing where we do 20 up-downs every time we get somebody on defense,” Murray said, via Paul Kuharsky. “Yesterday, you guys saw us do the 20 up-downs. It’s a little tradition when we get somebody new.”

Murray and the Titans’ defense encircled Ray while he was doing the up-downs. Once completed, he was officially part of the team.

“It’s like a ‘Welcome to the Brotherhood,'” Murray said. “We all did our 20 (up-downs), so he’s doing his 20. Now that he did his 20, welcome to the brotherhood.”

Murray is expected to be a big part of the Titans’ defense in 2024 after signing a two-year, $18 million contract in free agency. The former Oklahoma standout spent the last four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers after being selected 23rd overall in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.

The Houston native played in 15 games last season and recorded 107 tackles, including seven tackles for loss, three sacks, four pass deflections, one interception, and four quarterback hits.

We’ll see if Ray ends up making the roster in a depth role, but it sure is nice to see the Titans having some leadership behind Jeffery Simmons and the defensive line.

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Titans waive promising UDFA running back

Titans waive promising young running back.

Prior to Day 2 of training camp on Thursday, the Tennessee Titans waived running back Dillon Johnson, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. The move was made in advance of the team signing center Corey Levin and linebacker Shane Ray.

Johnson, who signed as an undrafted free agent in late April, was considered a dark horse candidate to make the Titans’ Week 1 roster. The 23-year-old had a breakout year at Washington last year after spending his first three collegiate seasons at Mississippi State.

Johnson rushed for 1,195 yards, which was the second-most in the Pac-12, on 233 carries and crossed the goal line 16 times. He also hauled in 24 catches for 190 yards out of the backfield.

With Johnson no longer in the mix, the Titans’ running back room has a bit more clarity. Tennessee will utilize a 1-2 punch of Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard. The competition for the third running back spot appears to be down to three candidates: Julius Chestnut, Hassan Haskins, and Jabari Small.

Chestnut has been with the Titans for the last two seasons after initially signing as an undrafted free agent in 2022. The 23-year-old rushed for 12 yards on nine carries in six games as a rookie. His season was cut short last year in Week 3 with a hamstring injury.

Haskins, drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft, missed all of last season after being placed on injured reserve in late August.

Small joined the team as an undrafted free agent after amassing 2,122 yards and 24 touchdowns in four seasons at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Titans sign veteran linebacker Shane Ray

Titans are signing a former Denver first-round pick.

On the second day of training camp, the Tennessee Titans continued to make roster moves. First, Tennessee brought back center Corey Levin for his third stint with the team.

Now, the Titans are signing veteran linebacker Shane Ray.

Ray, 31, was a 2015 first-round pick of the Denver Broncos. After four seasons in Denver, the Broncos declined his fifth-year option, making him a free agent in 2019. He signed with the Baltimore Ravens but was released during final cuts.

In 2021, Ray signed with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, where he spent two seasons.

Ray finally returned to the NFL in 2023 with the Buffalo Bills but suffered an injury and was released before the season. During his time away from the NFL, Ray has received tryouts with the Falcons, Colts, Jets and Bears, among others.

In 49 career games, Ray has 15 starts and recorded 94 tackles and 14 sacks. He hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since the 2018 season.

Titans bring back center Corey Levin, sign LB Shane Ray

The Titans are bringing back Corey Levin for his third stint with the team, and they have also signed linebacker Shane Ray.

The Tennessee Titans are bringing back a familiar face.

According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Titans signed Levin on Thursday morning and have him on the practice field.

Levin, 29, was originally drafted by the Titans in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Chattanooga. Tennessee waived Levin after two seasons during final cuts in 2019. He played in 16 games, with one start in 2018.

The Denver Broncos claimed Levin off waivers and cut him two weeks later, re-signing him to the practice squad. In November, the Chicago Bears signed Levin away from Denver’s practice squad to their 53-man roster. He was waived the following September.

Levin had brief stints with the New England Patriots and New York Jets in 2020 and 2021 but never appeared in a game. The Titans brought him back on Sept. 1, 2021, claiming him off waivers.

Over the next three seasons, Levin appeared in 45 games with three starts.

In addition to Levin, the Titans have also signed linebacker Shane Ray, reports Titan insider Terry McCormick.

The 31-year-old Ray was a first-round pick of the Denver Broncos in the 2015 NFL draft. After four seasons in the mountains, he spent the 2019 offseason with the Baltimore Ravens and then two seasons with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.

In 2023, Ray was signed to the Buffalo Bills practice squad but landed on injured reserve (IR) in August and was released with an injury settlement two days later.

Ray has appeared in 49 career games (15 starts), recording 94 tackles (15 for a loss), 33 QB hits, 14.0 sacks, two passes defensed, and one defensive touchdown.

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Two former 1st round picks now trying out at Titans rookie minicamp

Two former 1st round picks, William Jackson and Shane Ray, are now trying out at Titans rookie minicamp

Rookie minicamp is a chance for the new players to get acclimated into the NFL and their new team. But it’s not always just the rookies who are getting a chance to show what they can do.

Teams are also allowed to invite veterans for auditions on a tryout basis in the rookie minicamp. The Tennessee Titans have a couple of familiar veteran names in for tryouts this weekend.

Former first-round picks William Jackson III and Shane Ray are trying to show enough to earn another NFL shot in Tennessee. Jackson, a cornerback, was the Bengals’ first-round pick in 2016 and played several seasons in Cincinnati and Washington before injuries derailed his career early in the 2022 season.

Ray was a first-rounder by the Broncos in 2015, and he’s been out of the league since 2018. The defensive end battled injuries throughout his four NFL seasons. Ray did play in the CFL and also spent the 2023 season on the Buffalo Bills’ I.R. list.

Both Jackson and Ray have NFL ties to new Tennessee head coach Brian Callahan from previous stops.

Buffalo Bills 2023 roster cuts tracker

Stay on top of the #Bills’ roster cuts right here:

The Buffalo Bills have begans their quest to 53 players (and a practice squad). The team must be down to that to total number of players by 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

But as is often the case, the NFL is wasting little time skimming down their rosters. Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott included.

Here is Bills Wire’s 2023 roster tracker for Buffalo as the Bills work their way down to 53 players:

Bills, Shane Ray reach injury settlement

#Bills, Shane Ray reach injury settlement:

The Buffalo Bills and Shane Ray have reached an injury settlement. The pass rusher is now a free agent.

Ray, 30, was attempting a NFL comeback after signing with the Bills this offseason.

After a series of wrist surgeries, Ray sat out of football and then returned in the CFL. In 2022, Ray played in Toronto.

Originally entering the NFL as a first-round pick of the Denver Broncos, Ray won a Super Bowl as a rookie alongside Von Miller. He was productive for two seasons as he notched 12 sacks in that time. Then injury struck.

In Buffalo’s second preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ray sustained a hamstring injury and was placed on injured reserve.

Reaching a settlement with the Bills means once Ray is healthy, he’s able to sign with a new team. Had he remained on injured reserve, Ray’s entire 2023 season would be over.

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Bills place Shane Ray on injured reserve as comeback bid stalls

#Bills place Shane Ray on injured reserve as comeback bid stalls:

In a slew of roster moves early this week, Shane Ray’s attempt at a NFL comeback with the Buffalo Bills abruptly came to an end.

In Buffalo’s 27-15 preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the pass rusher departed the contest with a hamstring injury. ESPN noted Ray was upset in the locker after the game, which was a bad sign. That confirmation came when the Bills placed him on injured reserve, ending his season.

Ray was a former first-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2015 but was out of the league for four years. He had impressed in the CFL last season after stepping away from the NFL due to an injury-filled career.

It was always going to be a tough, uphill climb to make the Bills’ final 53-man roster for Ray. But the practice squad was entirely possible for the 30-year-old. Now he’ll have to wait and see where his NFL future goes.

In addition to Ray, offensive lineman Tommy Doyle (knee) was also played on injured reserve. Doyle was carted off during the Steelers matchup.

Following those IR transactions, running back Ty Johnson, offensive lineman Garrett McGhin, and linebacker DaShaun White were signed by the Bills. Buffalo visits the Chicago Bears on Saturday to wrap their preseason schedule.

Bills Wire will continue to bring all roster and injury updates throughout the 2023 season.

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Bills’ Matt Barkley among multiple injury updates post-Steelers loss

#Bills’ Matt Barkley among multiple injury updates post-#Steelers loss:

It was injury added to insult for Buffalo Bills quarterback Matt Barkley against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In the second week of the preseason, the Bills lost in oft-ugly fashion, 27-15. 

Barkley’s day started well: He entered the game as the second-string quarterback after he was No. 3 the week prior. Unfortunately, it was the same script as the one against the Indianapolis Colts.

After Barkley outplayed Kyle Allen last week when Allen went in the game before him, Allen returned the favor.

Although, Barkley made it easy on him after Barkley had three interceptions and four total turnovers.

That final giveaway, a fumble, is where Barkley was injured. The team announced that Barkley has sustained a right elbow injury.

Updates this soon are few and far between, but one came via the Buffalo News. Barkley said “we’ll see” when asked about an update:

Barkley was not alone on the injury report vs. the Steelers. A new addition was defensive end Shane Ray who is vying for a depth spot on the roster. A hamstring injury will not help his chances.

The final addition was DJ Dale. He sustained a back injury. It’s unclear if it’s related to the one he sustained last week against the Colts.

Two other notable names that did not play at all include running back Damien Harris (knee) and linebacker Terrel Bernard (hamstring). Both have been dealing with their respective injuries since last week.

After taking part in pregame warmups, tight end Dawson Knox (hand) and linebacker Tyler Matakevich (calf) did not suit up but are considered only day-to-day.

Bills Wire will continue to provide injury updates throughout the 2023 season.

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