Tag: Taylor Lewan

Former Titans LT Taylor Lewan: ‘Everybody hated’ Mike Vrabel in his first year

Taylor Lewan says Mike Vrabel wasn’t exactly popular his first year, and Kevin Byard told a story of how Vrabel ripped into Lewan during a film session after the very first practice of OTAs.

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It doesn’t take an insider to see that Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is demanding and can be tough on his players on a daily basis.

But on a recent episode of Bussin’ With The Boys, Taylor Lewan, Will Compton and Kevin Byard talked about how Vrabel actually used to be tougher in his first season in 2018.

“He sucked the first year,” Compton said.

“Everybody hated Vrabes the first year, you could say it,” Lewan added. “He was so rough around the edges.”

Byard then recalled how Vrabel would do “lowlights” after each practice and Lewan in particular got destroyed by the head coach after the very first OTAs session because the former Pro Bowl left tackle started to showboat a bit following one play.

“Murdered me,” Lewan said of Vrabel calling him out.

Byard indicated that was one of the first moments where he realized that nobody was safe from criticism under Vrabel, regardless of how much a player makes or what type of previous accomplishments they may have.

You can see the clip in its entirety below.

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Watch: Titans’ Will Levis, Colton Dowell attend Ally 400 in Nashville

Two Titans rookies were in attendance at the Ally 400 on Sunday evening.

The Nashville Superspeedway played host to the Ally 400 this weekend and at least a pair of Tennessee Titans 2023 NFL draft picks were on hand.

The Titans rookies who took in the race on Sunday evening were second-round pick and quarterback, Will Levis, and seventh-round pick and wide receiver, Colton Dowell.

Levis and Dowell have some extra time on their hands for the next month, as the Titans are currently on break in between the offseason program and the beginning of training camp, which players will report for on July 25, head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed after practice recently.

This is just the latest example of Titans rookies getting together away from the building in order to help build their camaraderie — and the team provided some clips of the pair in attendance.

In one of the clips, Levis can be seen signing the finish line with the line, “if you ain’t first, you’re last,” which is a reference to the movie “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby”.

Check out the clips below, which also feature Levis saying hello to former Titans, Will Compton and Taylor Lewan. In case you missed the race and care to know, Ross Chastain was the winner.

Should Titans put Brett Kern in Ring of Honor?

Shaun Calderon shares his thoughts on whether or not the Titans should Brett Kern in the Ring of Honor.

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If there’s one gripe I personally have when it comes to the Tennessee Titans’ organization, it’s the fact that the team rarely honors the truly great players of the last 24 years.

To be fair, the franchise under Amy Adams-Strunk has done a much better job of honoring the players of the past in the form of homecoming week, 12th Titan, etc.

Yet, for whatever reason, when it comes to adding anybody to the Ring of Honor and retiring their numbers, the team practically refuses to celebrate anyone outside of those who contributed to the early Titans teams.

Obviously, retiring numbers is an entirely different conversation since technically there are only 100 available at the very most.

Therefore, that type of honor should be reserved for the true legends of the franchise, such as Warren Moon, Steve McNair, Eddie George and, eventually, Derrick Henry.

Tennessee’s Ring of Honor has several worthy candidates who continuously get overlooked for whatever reason. Unfortunately, that waiting room may have just grown by one more now that Titans legendary punter Brett Kern officially announced his retirement.

After 15 seasons (13 in Tennessee), the Toledo product was given a worthy send-off earlier this week that included lengthy tributes and his own press conference.

During his peak, Kern was a three-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro who had mastered the ability to direct his kicks wherever he pleased.

On top of being a sniper with his leg, more often than not, he was as clutch as anybody whenever the team needed him to be. Kern even played a large role in going up to New England and ending arguably the greatest dynasty in all of professional sports during the Titans’ 2019 Wild Card win over the Pats.

Logan Ryan may have gotten the final interception, but make no mistake about it, it was Kern’s 10-second punt that pinned the Patriots inside their one-yard line that officially put the final nail in the dynasty’s coffin.

That type of moment, combined with Kern’s laundry list of accomplishments, should be everything he needs to find himself in the Titans’ Ring of Honor.

The real question is, does he deserve it more than former Titans who are also in the aforementioned waiting room, like Chris Johnson, Keith Bulluck, Jevon Kearse, Michael Roos and Taylor Lewan?

In my opinion, all of those players, along with Kern, should at least be in the Ring of Honor, but whether or not they will be remains to be seen.

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Titans free agents still available on the open market

A look at the Titans free agents who remain unsigned going into OTAs.

The Tennessee Titans began the offseason with over 30 free agents to make decisions on, and that list grew when the team parted ways with a handful of veterans in moves that were fully expected.

While the majority of Tennessee’s free agents have been signed, there remains over a dozen former Titans still available on the open market.

Among them is defensive back Joshua Kalu, who I’ve suggested the team re-sign after going through a 53-man roster projection and seeing just how thin Tennessee is at safety behind Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker, which is a problem considering Hooker’s injury history.

Another player I’d obviously love to see the Titans bring back is Ben Jones, but I think that ship has sailed and is less realistic than a reunion with Kalu.

But that’s another story for another day. For now, here’s a look at the list of former Titans who remain unsigned and available in free agency.

Taylor Lewan’s lawsuit claims botched ACL surgery cut his career short

Taylor Lewan’s lawsuit claims a botched 2020 ACL surgery has caused “permanent injury” resulting in his career being “cut short.”

After former Tennessee Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan revealed he had filed a lawsuit alleging his 2020 ACL surgery was done incorrectly, more details surrounding the lawsuit have emerged.

According to court documents, Lewan is suing orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, Benjamin Sherman, Baptist Health Care, Inc., Baptist Medical Group, LLC, and the Andrews Institute ASC, LLC.

The former first-round pick alleges that the surgery was botched and caused “permanent injury to his right knee, and surrounding structures, tendons, cartilage, and ligaments.”

The suit also claims that “as a result of defendants’ negligent acts and omissions, plaintiff Taylor Lewan’s career in the NFL was cut short.”

“We cannot comment on patients or pending litigation,” Christian Garman of the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine said when asked for comment.

Lewan first revealed the lawsuit on Twitter via a clip of him talking about the case on “Bussin’ With The Boys” earlier this week but said he couldn’t go into detail for the time being.

“I have filed a lawsuit alleging that the doctor/entities who did my surgery during the 2020 season did it incorrectly,” he wrote in a Tweet.

Lewan ended up returning to the field the next season after the procedure, but he tore the same ACL once again in 2022, costing him all but two games. The Titans cut him earlier this offseason.

The 31-year-old hasn’t announced his retirement from the NFL, but this suit hints he may have no choice but to.

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Taylor Lewan files lawsuit alleging 2020 ACL surgery was done incorrectly

In the suit, Lewan alleges that his 2020 ACL surgery was not done correctly.

Former Tennessee Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan recently shared on his “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast that he has filed a lawsuit against the “doctor/entities” responsible for his first ACL surgery in 2020.

As Lewan explains, the suit alleges that the surgery was not done correctly, and he hints that it may have impacted his play in the years after.

“There have been a lot of questions regarding the future of my career in the NFL,” he wrote. “Although this doesn’t answer every question, I believe it’s important for you all to know what’s transpired since my ACL surgery in October of 2020.

“I have filed a lawsuit alleging that the doctor/entities who did my surgery during the 2020 season did it incorrectly,” Lewan added.

While he wasn’t able to go into full detail, Lewan speaks more on his situation in the clip below.

The Titans parted ways with Lewan earlier this offseason after he suffered a second torn ACL in three years. He has yet to sign with a new team.

The veteran offensive lineman has drawn some interest in free agency, with the Miami Dolphins being one team that has reached out to him since his release. The Titans also haven’t ruled out bringing him back.

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Dolphins have reached out to ex-Titans LT Taylor Lewan

Dolphins GM Chris Grier said the team reached out to former Titans LT Taylor Lewan a month ago.

Since the Tennessee Titans released left tackle Taylor Lewan this offseason, we haven’t heard much about what his next step will be, whether it’s to play again in 2023 or simply retire.

As far as his prospects for the former go, Lewan has been contacted by multiple teams, as he stated on Twitter on Sunday.

While Lewan didn’t say which teams exactly, Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier revealed on Saturday his team was one of the squads to reach out to Lewan, which he says happened a month ago. Grier also noted that was the extent of the conversations with the veteran.

After parting with Lewan, who is working his way back from his second torn ACL in three years, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel left the door open for a possible reunion.

“I wish him the best,” Vrabel said, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “Like I told him: We’ll see where you’re at (later), and if you still want to play. If it sounds like he does, we could always revisit that. But those are not conversations we’re having right now.”

Tennessee went on to sign Andre Dillard in free agency, and the expectation is he’ll battle it out for the left tackle job with 2023 first-round pick, Peter Skoronski. The Titans also drafted tackle Jaelyn Duncan in the sixth round.

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Taylor Lewan weighs in on Titans drafting Peter Skoronski

Taylor Lewan weighed-in on the Titans drafting OT Peter Skoronski, who may be the team’s long-term solution at left tackle.

The Tennessee Titans drafted who they hope will be their long-term replacement for Taylor Lewan on Thursday night when they selected Northwestern offensive lineman Peter Skoronski.

While Skoronski is listed as a tackle, there is some concern that his short arms will impact his ability to be effective in that position, leading many to believe he might end up being a guard at the next level.

But that’s not something Lewan thinks fans should be worried about. He  also noted how Skoronski is “extremely polished” and offers versatility with his ability to play guard or tackle at the next level.

Interestingly enough, Skoronski also sports the same number as the guy he may end up replacing, with the Northwestern product having worn No. 77 during his days in college.

Skoronski said he hopes to wear the number with the Titans, while also giving a shoutout and praise to Lewan and his “Bussin With The Boys” podcast.

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Taylor Lewan, Will Compton serving as head coaches in ASU spring game

Former Titans Will Compton and Taylor Lewan will be the head coaches at the Arizona State spring game.

Former Tennessee Titans and “Bussin With The Boys” hosts Taylor Lewan and Will Compton will square off as head coaches in the Arizona State Spring Game on Saturday.

Lewan will be the lead man of the Gold team, while Compton will head the Maroon squad.

This is the last stop on the “Bussin With The Boys” campus tour that has seen the two former Titans make stops at six colleges. The other five were South Carolina, Texas, Ohio State, LSU, and Colorado.

“One of the coolest things that we’ve been able to do since launching Bussin’ on Barstool is interacting directly with our fans, which is why we can’t wait to hit the road to meet with our fans in person,” Compton and Lewan said of the tour. “It’s going to be a blast to visit some of the premier campuses in college football, and do what we do, which is talk football, and life.”

As far as their NFL statuses are concerned, Lewan and Compton remain free agents. Lewan was cut by the Titans earlier this offseason after suffering his second torn ACL in three years in 2022, and Compton didn’t play a snap in the NFL in what would’ve been Year 10.

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Titans’ NFL draft history with the No. 11 overall pick

With the Titans owning the No. 11 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, we take a look back at the franchise’s history in that spot.

The Tennessee Titans have a grand total of six selections in the 2023 NFL draft, with one in each round but the fourth. Tennessee’s first-round pick comes at No. 11 overall.

With that in mind, we’re taking a trip down memory lane to see the team’s history with that particular selection.

Previously, we’ve gone over every pick made in each of Tennessee’s six 2023 spots since 2000. I’ve provided links to all of those articles at the end of this one just in case you’re interested.

Of course, we know Tennessee drafted a franchise left tackle in Taylor Lewan in their current first-round spot back in 2014, but the Titans have made two other selections at No. 11 overall in franchise history.

The two previous times came while the franchise was the Houston Oilers, but neither was more impactful than Lewan. Let’s take a look at all three picks and a little information on each one.