Tag: Tucker McCann

Titans waive-injured K Tucker McCann among 4 roster moves

McCann suffered the injury in Preseason Week 1.

The Tennessee Titans made four roster moves on Monday, including waiving kicker Tucker McCann with an injury designation.

McCann had a real shot to grab the Titans’ starting kicker role after he played well in Preseason Week 1, but this ends his bid. He was injured on his third field goal attempt of the first preseason contest.

Fellow kicker Sam Ficken now has a clear path to be the starter. He was impressive in Preseason Week 2 and has a 100-percent success rate in exhibition play thus far, including a make from 58 yards.

Along with that move, the Titans also waived-injured offensive linemen Paul Adams and Ross Reynolds. Defensive lineman Anthony Rush has been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list as well.

Tennessee has two more cutdown days upcoming, the first of which comes on Aug. 24 when the team has to reduce its roster to 80. The final cutdown day comes on Aug. 31 when the final 53 players will be chosen.

The Titans will begin their season on Sept. 12 at Nissan Stadium against the Arizona Cardinals.

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Titans unsure about Julio Jones, Tucker McCann for practices with Bucs

Jones’ and McCann’s statuses remain up in the air for this week.

After the Tennessee Titans’ night practice at Nissan Stadium on Monday night, head coach Mike Vrabel revealed that he is unsure if either wide receiver Julio Jones or kicker Tucker McCann will take part in the joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week.

McCann suffered a lower leg injury during the Titans’ Preseason Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons after cornerback Marcus Murphy hit him late on a field goal attempt, drawing a roughing the kicker penalty.

Following the contest, Vrabel said McCann, who made both of his kicks and would have had a third if not for the penalty, was sore but didn’t anticipate the injury lingering for an extended period of time.

Jones, on the other hand, hasn’t participated in practice since Aug. 2 when he landed awkwardly while going up for a catch, leading to an undisclosed injury.

At the time, it seemed like it the injury was minor, but Jones has now missed over two weeks of practices since then and did not suit up for the preseason opener.

One key player Vrabel did not provide an update on after practice on Monday was running back Darrynton Evans, who he listed as day-to-day on Saturday after the second-year back suffered a knee injury during Friday’s contest.

The Titans will meet the Bucs for joint practices in Tampa on Wednesday and Thursday, and then will take the field against the defending Super Bowl champions on Saturday for Preseason Week 2.

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians said he doesn’t expect Tom Brady and the team’s starters to play. It isn’t clear if the Titans will deploy their starters, either.

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Titans’ Mike Vrabel gives injury updates on Darrynton Evans, Tucker McCann

Evans and McCann were just two of the players injured during the Titans’ preseason opener.

The Tennessee Titans saw a handful of injuries during the preseason opener versus the Atlanta Falcons on Friday night, but none more notable than those to running back Darrynton Evans and kicker Tucker McCann.

Evans (knee) appeared to suffer a non-contact injury on his fourth carry of the evening that forced him to give up on the run and hobble off the field. His night was over after just 10 snaps.

McCann’s injury, which looked to be in the foot/ankle area, came in the fourth quarter when cornerback Marcus Murphy committed a roughing the kicker penalty, nullifying what would have been a 47-yard field goal.

On Saturday, head coach Mike Vrabel gave updates on both. He called Evans “day-to-day,” and revealed that McCann was “pretty sore” but doesn’t anticipate him being out long.

McCann, who is vying for the starting kicker role against Sam Ficken, was very effective in his preseason debut, as not only did he make kicks from 26 and 42 yards, but he should have had a third, as we noted above. The kicks themselves looked strong, also.

Evans, who got the start at running back, carried the ball four times for 26 yards, including a 15-yard scamper to start the game. The Appalachian State product missed the majority of his rookie campaign due to injury, so there’s extra concern with him.

Safety Brady Breeze (ankle), linebacker B.J. Bello (ankle) and defensive lineman Trevon Coley (foot) were also hurt during Preseason Week 1, but no updates on those players as of yet. Breeze and Bello had to be helped off the field and were ultimately carted off from the sideline.

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Titans’ biggest winners and losers from Preseason Week 1 win over Falcons

Aside from a late injury, Titans kickers had a great preseason opener, as did Rashad Weaver.

The Tennessee Titans beat the Atlanta Falcons in their 2021 preseason debut on Friday night at Mercedes Benz Stadium, 23-3. Naturally, the result produced both winners and losers.

This was a reunion game for many on the Atlanta sideline, most notably for Falcons head coach Arthur Smith, who was formerly the Titans’ offensive coordinator.

But that reunion was soured quickly, as Smith’s former team gave his new team a reality check from the start. Tennessee was the more disciplined squad in all three phases, which helped it walk away with a 20-point victory.

It wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t always clean, but this was a great start for a Titans team that desperately needs to see improvement from its defense and is looking to physically impose its will on opponents overall this season.

Let’s take a closer look at who the biggest winners and losers were of the preseason-opening victory over the Falcons on Friday night.

Report: Titans to work out former CFL kicker Lirim Hajrullahu

The Titans are reportedly already looking at potential reinforcements at kicker.

After seeing kickers Tucker McCann and Blake Haubeil struggle on Day 2 of training camp, the Tennessee Titans are reportedly already looking at reinforcements.

According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the Titans are set to work out former Canadian Football League kicker, Lirim Hajrullahu.

Hajrullahu spent six seasons in the CFL, two apiece with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He posted a field goal success rate of 83.3 percent in that span, and also served as a punter.

A multi-time All-Star, Hajrullahu also posted field goal percentages of 87 and 88.1 percent in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

The Kosovo-born kicker has tried his hand in the NFL, but without success. He was cut by the Los Angeles Rams in favor of former Titans kicker Sam Sloman in 2020, and had a brief stint with the Carolina Panthers in 2021 before getting cut.

Back in May, Hajrullahu was named The Spring League’s South Division Player of the Week after going five-for-five in a game, which included a successful conversion of a 59-yard attempt.

While it’s good to see Tennessee bringing in more potential help to join their kicker competition after McCann and Haubeil struggled on Thursday, Hajrullahu still lacks the NFL experience the Titans need.

On Friday, head coach Mike Vrabel revealed the Titans have hired former University of Tennessee kicker James Wilhoit to help coach the position.

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Titans kickers struggle on Day 2 of training camp

Mike Vrabel acknowledged the struggles of his kickers after practice.

The Tennessee Titans entered training camp with a shaky situation at kicker, which is troublesome considering the team has seen major issues at the position the past two seasons.

The Titans are currently seeing a positional battle unfold between a pair of undrafted free agents in Tucker McCann and Blake Haubeil, neither of whom have ever attempted a kick in the NFL.

The concern over this situation came to life on Thursday during Tennessee’s second training camp practice, where McCann and Haubeil both struggled.

According to beat writers on the ground, McCann, a 2020 UDFA, and Haubeil, a 2021 UDFA, both missed two of their five kicks.

McCann made attempts from 33, 40 and 43 yards, but misfired from 37 and 49 yards out. Meanwhile, Haubeil was good from 33, 37 and 43 yards out, but missed his chances from 40 and 49 yards. All four misses went wide right.

This comes just one day after Tennessee’s kickers made all of their attempts. McCann appeared to be the more impressive of the two in that instance, though.

When asked about the kicker situation after practice, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged that both had issues while kicking in front of the whole team, which he says was a test for the inexperienced duo.

We still expect the Titans to add a kicker during training camp, and hopefully it’s veteran Stephen Gostkowski, who is the best option available currently and was solid as the team’s starter in the second half of 2020.

During his opening presser of training camp, Vrabel wouldn’t rule out the team making an addition at the position.

If this keeps up, the Titans might be adding that kicker sooner rather than later.

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Mike Vrabel ‘comfortable’ with Titans’ kickers, won’t rule out adding more

Stephen Gostkowski remains an option for the Titans at kicker.

One of the biggest concerns the Tennessee Titans face going into the 2021 season is at the kicker position, where the team is set to have a competition for the starting job between a pair of undrafted free agents.

Tucker McCann, who was signed in 2020, and Blake Haubeil, who was signed in 2021, remain the only options at kicker for the Titans right now, something that is troublesome to say the least.

That’s because neither has any NFL experience, which isn’t exactly ideal for a team that has sported a field goal success rate ranked No. 32 and No. 31 the past two seasons, respectively.

For now, Vrabel says he’s “comfortable” with Tennessee’s options, but he isn’t ruling out the team making an addition to the competition at some point, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.

“We’ll work with those guys and see where it goes,” Vrabel said. “We’re comfortable and positive that those guys are going to go out and compete. (We want to) give Tucker an opportunity. … He was really impressive as we worked our way through training camp (last year), and then he got injured. … We’ll let those guys compete, and like any other position, if we have to bring guys in, we can do that.”

When asked about 2020 starter, Stephen Gostkowski, Vrabel had this to say:

“Until he retires, I would imagine that anybody would be a potential (option), but I don’t know.”

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Gostkowski remains available on the open market, although it still isn’t clear what his future plans are at the age of 37. The veteran did struggle during the first half of last season, but righted the ship in his final eight games (including playoffs), making 10 of 11 kicks.

Other options on the free-agent market include Dan Bailey, Zane Gonzalez, Roberto Aguayo and Brett Maher. None of those options are as proven as Gostkowski, though.

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Tennessee Titans 2021 training camp preview: Special teams

The Titans will see competitions at kicker and punt returner in training camp.

Believe it or not, we are just five days away from the start of Tennessee Titans training camp, which will feature several positional battles to watch, including at the kicker position.

Players will report on July 27 and head coach Mike Vrabel will hold a presser that day. The Titans will then get down to business the next day, with the first training camp practice set for July 28.

When looking at special teams, there are more competitions set to take place than at just kicker. The Titans also have to figure out who their return men will be, although one of those spots figures to already be set.

Thankfully, the punter situation is already figured out, as it has been ever since the great Brett Kern came into our lives.

We’ll still take a look at the punter position, as well as kicker, long snapper and returner, in what is our final training camp preview.

Titans adding Jeremy McNichols to active roster, choose 4 protected PS players

Could Jeremy McNichols’ promotion to the 53-man roster be a bad sign for Darrynton Evans?

The Tennessee Titans have chosen the four players they will protect on the practice squad ahead of the Week 3 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

For this week, the Titans are switching it up after protecting the same four players in the previous two weeks. Wide receiver Cameron Batson, inside linebacker Daren Bates, kicker Tucker McCann and quarterback Trevor Siemian will be protected.

While Siemian and McCann have been protected before, both Bates and Batson have not. Of the four, only Batson has seen game action this season.

Batson, who was one of two players elevated from the practice squad on Sunday, made his 2020 debut in Week 2 and made the most of his opportunity.

The 24-year-old hauled in two catches for 26 yards and added one run for 11 yards. He also moved the chains twice on his three touches.

One of the Titans’ protected players from the last two weeks, running back Jeremy McNichols, is being added to the active roster this week, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

McNichols has been elevated from the practice squad on game day in each of the first two weeks. In Week 2, he totaled two carries for seven yards.

The move to elevate McNichols could mean bad news is coming for rookie running back Darrynton Evans, who has missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury, although nothing has been confirmed yet.

There is still no word on who McNichols will be replacing on the roster. We’ll likely get an official update from the team on Wednesday.

Titans’ Mike Vrabel explains Stephen Gostkowski signing

Vrabel says his relationship with Gostkowski had nothing to do with the signing.

The Tennessee Titans made a big signing on Thursday morning with the addition of veteran kicker Stephen Gostkowski, which led to the team also waiving fellow kicker, Greg Joseph.

Normally, you wouldn’t make a huge deal about an addition at kicker, but the Titans had the worst field goal unit in the NFL last season and Gostkowski was the best option available to shore up the position thanks to his vast experience, which is something the Titans were lacking at kicker.

Before practice on Thursday, head coach Mike Vrabel explained why the Titans decided to go ahead and sign Gostkowski, which was a no-brainer and a move that speaks for itself.

Vrabel also stated that the veteran’s kickoffs looked good during his tryout. That’s important to note because the Titans struggled to achieve touchbacks in 2019.

Prior to nabbing the former New England Patriot, the Titans had a major question mark at the position. The two players vying for the starting role, Joseph and Tucker McCann, both lacked experience and weren’t exactly shining during training camp.

Even though neither player will earn the starting job now, it’s possible one of them end up on the practice squad after final cuts are made, as Vrabel hinted the Titans could carry a second kicker.

It would certainly make sense for the Titans to carry a second kicker as an insurance policy after all the struggles of last season, especially with the practice squad rosters being expanded to 16 players.

Joseph would be the favorite to get the nod there if he passes through waivers.

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