Tag: Tyler Boyd

Titans’ Will Levis, Tyjae Spears practice in full, L’Jarius Sneed sits again

The Titans’ injury report after Thursday’s practice ahead of their Week 10 matchup against the Chargers on Sunday.

The Tennessee Titans have seen their fair share of injuries this season. The offensive line is in a shambles after losing Lloyd Cushenberry for the season. With Dillon Radunz also injured, it moved Daniel Brunskill to guard and Corey Levin became the center. Safety Quandre Diggs is also gone for the season, and for the umpteenth straight practice, L’Jarius Sneed continues to nurse a quad injury.

This week, though, the Titans are seeing progress with some of the nagging injuries players have been playing through. Will Levis was a full participant on Thursday, T’Vondre Sweat is not on the injury report, and Tyjae Spears practiced in full. There were a couple of new injuries, but only two players sat out of Thursday’s practice.

The Titans’ Thursday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: CB L’Jarius Sneed (quad), RB Tony Pollard (foot)

Limited participants: WR Tyler Boyd (shoulder), S Amani Hooker (groin), DT Jeffery Simmons (hamstring), G Dillon Radunz (foot), RB Julius Chestnut (foot), TE Nick Vannett (neck)

Full participant: WR Calvin Ridley (shoulder), QB Will Levis (shoulder), S Mike Edwards (NIR-Rest), RB Tyjae Spears (hamstring), CB Tre Avery (hamstring)

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Titans injury report: L’Jarius Sneed sits out again

The Tennessee Titans returned to the practice field Wednesday and released their first injury report for the week.

The Tennessee Titans are banged up as they prepare to take the field Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10 action. Prior to hitting the field to start preparations for this one, the Titans made a couple of injury-related roster moves. 

The team officially placed center Lloyd Cushenberry (Achilles) and safety Quandre Diggs (foot) on injured reserve, likely ending their seasons. To fill one of the roster spots, the Titans signed veteran safety Mike Edwards, who was in Tennessee Wednesday for a physical. 


Once they hit the field, eyes were on the players who sat out the Week 9 victory due to injury to see if there was any chance of a return to action. Unfortunately, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed continued to be sidelined with his quad injury. He was joined on the sideline by defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.

Quarterback Will Levis, guard Dillon Radunz, and running back Tony Pollard led the group of eight players that were limited, which included newly acquired safety Mike Edwards. 

Cornerback Tre Avery returned as a full participant with his hamstring injury. 

The Titans’ Wednesday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: CB L’Jarius Sneed (quad), Jeffery Simmons (NIR/rest)

Limited Participant: RB Tony Pollard (foot), WR Tyler Boyd (shoulder), WR Calvin Ridley (NIR/rest), S Armani Hooker (groin), G Dillon Radunz (foot), QB Will Levis (shoulder), RB Tyjae Spears (hamstring), S Mike Edwards (NIR/rest)

Full participants: CB Tre Avery (hamstring)

Titans’ L’Jarius Sneed out, Tony Pollard questionable vs Patriots

The Tennessee Titans released their final injury report for Week 9 and see multiple starters questionable for the meeting with the New England Patriots.

The Tennessee Titans will return home to Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Sunday to take on the New England Patriots in Week 9 action. 

Coming off an embarrassing loss against the Lions, the Titans are banged up and could see multiple starters on the sideline against the Lions. 

Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (quad) is out this week. He will be joined on the sidelines by guard Andrew Rupcich (tricep), who will likely be placed on injured reserve prior to kickoff. The Titans had hoped to have running back Tyjae Spears back this week, but he will also miss another game with his hamstring injury. 

Quarterback Will Levis will headline the list of questionable players for this week and there are a lot of them. Starters Tyler Boyd, Amani Hooker, Tony Pollard, Dillon Radunz, T’Vondre Sweat and reserve Tre Avery are all battling injury and may not go against the Patriots. Full injury reports for both the Titans and Patriots can be found below.

Tennessee Titans

Out: CB L’Jarius Sneed (quad), OG Andrew Rupcich (tricep), RB Tyjae Spears (hamstring)

Doubtful: None

Questionable: QB Will Levis (shoulder), DT T’Vondre Sweat (hip), CB Tre Avery (hamstring), WR Tyler Boyd (shoulder), S Amani Hooker (groin), RB Tony Pollard (foot), OG Dillon Radunz (foot)

New England Patriots

Out: None

Doubtful: None

Questionable: CB Alex Austin (ankle), S Kyle Dugger (ankle), LB Christian Elliss (abdomen), OG Michael Jordan (ankle), OT Vederian Lowe (ankle/shoulder), QB Drake Maye (concussion), DT Jaquelin Roy (neck), LB Sione Takitaki (knee)

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Titans’ injury report: Six starters miss practice

The Tennessee Titans returned to the practice field Thursday and saw six starters sidelined with injury.

The Tennessee Titans were back on the practice field on Thursday and again have a huge list of walking wounded as they prepare for their Week 9 battle with the New England Patriots. 

In all, six starters sat out practice due to injury and their availability for the week is unknown. Tyler Boyd, Amani Hooker, Tony Pollard, Dillon Radunz, L’Jarius Sneed, and T’Vondre Sweat all missed practice for a second day. They were joined by reserves Tyjae Spears, Andrew Rupcich, and Tre Avery on the sidelines. 

Quarterback was again a limited participant, but was seen throwing for a second straight practice. This is a positive step after not attempting a pass last week. 

Calvin Ridley and Jeffery Simmons both returned to practice in full. 

The Titans’ Wednesday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: CB L’Jarius Sneed (quad), RB Tony Pollard (foot), WR Tyler Boyd (shoulder), S Amani Hooker (groin), G Dillon Radunz (foot), NT T’Vondre Sweat (hip), OL Andrew Rupcich (triceps), CB Tre Avery (hamstring), RB Tyjae Spears (hamstring)

Limited participants: QB Will Levis (shoulder)

Full participant: WR Calvin Ridley (shoulder), DT Jeffery Simmons (NIR/rest)

Causes for concern as the Bills face the Titans in Week 7

Causes for concern as the Bills face the Titans in Week 7

The Buffalo Bills will host the Tennessee Titans in Week 7 at Highmark Stadium.

The Bills (4-2) and Titans (1-4) have largely trended in different directions in the first six weeks of the NFL season.

The Bills are favored by nearly double digits (-9.5) but the Titans shouldn’t be taken lightly. Anyone can beat anyone in the NFL. And, the Titans currently have the league’s number one defense. The Titans haven’t had to face a contender on the road so it will be a big test for first-year head coach Brian Callahan.

Still, the Bills need to execute to come away with the win. To improve to 5-2 on the year, they will need to be wary of these three things from the Titans on Sunday:

Interior defensive line

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The Titans’ defensive tackles are nothing to mess with. Jeffery Simmons is a veteran who has caused havoc in the middle of the trenches over his six-year career. And, rookie T’Vondre Sweat is following in his footsteps at 366 pounds.

They are disruptive in the middle, and both have a top-25 PFF defensive grade among NFL interior defensive linemen. Simmons grades as the 23rd-best while Sweat grades as the 19th-best just six weeks into his career. The Bills would be wise to find ways to either combo-block these guys or attempt to avoid them.

Titans running game

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While the Titans’ passing game has struggled to find its rhythm so far in 2024, the running game is averaging over 118 yards per game. With Tyjae Spears ruled out with injury, the backfield will be led by Tony Pollard who has averaged 90.5 rushing yards in his last two outings. On the flip side, the Bills have struggled at defending the run. They give up over 140 yards per game.

When Pollard runs for over 60 yards, the Titans have either lost by one score or won the game. In the one game he was shut down, the Green Bay Packers beat them by 16.

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Titans still have playmakers

Despite being ranked second-to-last in the NFL in pass yards per game, the Titans still have excellent skill players. They can make a chunk play at any given moment. Things haven’t connected between quarterback Will Levis and first-year offensive coordinator Nick Holz. If things do click, they have the pieces around Levis to do something.

Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, and Tyler Boyd are one of the better receiving trios in the league. Tight end Chig Okonkwo, along with Pollard in the run game, have the talent to make a big play or two. Bills have to be disciplined or these guys can make you pay. That’s if Levis can get the ball to them.

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Minnesota Vikings linked to wide receiver in 2025 free agency

Despite wide receiver Jalen Nailor playing well in 2024, Bleacher Report has linked the Vikings to Tyler Boyd in 2025 NFL free agency.

One of the more publicized supposed weaknesses for the Minnesota Vikings heading into the 2024 season was their situation at the third wide receiver spot. Many thought the Vikings had a big hole in their roster at the position and needed to upgrade. The Vikings’ front office thought otherwise and trusted what they had in-house with wide receiver Jalen Nailor.

Through the first three games of the season, Nailor has performed well in his position, giving the Vikings seven receptions on nine targets and turning those seven catches into 106 yards and three touchdowns. Combine that with the added receiving element out of the backfield with Aaron Jones, and the Vikings passing attack has worked well through three games — despite the absence of tight end T.J. Hockenson all season and wide receiver Jordan Addison for two games.

While Nailor has performed admirably as the team’s third option, that hasn’t stopped NFL analysts from speculating on what the Vikings may do at the position for the rest of 2024 and into 2025. Last week, the Bleacher Report Scouting Department suggested the Vikings should sign former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Russell Gage to boost the core group and give them another option at WR3.

This week, the team at Bleacher Report has doubled down on their opinion that the Vikings need to get better at WR3. While they aren’t suggesting the Vikings make a move immediately this week, they have linked the Vikings to former Cincinnati Bengals and current Tennessee Titans wide receiver Tyler Boyd.

The Bleacher report argues that Boyd would be a “perfect fit” in the WR3 spot for the Vikings, as that was his primary responsibility for the Cincinnati Bengals in a wide receivers room with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Boyd has consistently been one of the better tertiary options in the league, putting up over 2,200 yards and seven touchdowns during his three seasons as the Bengals’ third option.

Boyd hasn’t gotten off to a great start with his new team, Tennessee, in an increased role. He has only gotten eight passes for 77 yards through three games with the Titans. Minnesota and their fans may not see WR3 as a need going forward, but it’s clear that the media perception begs to differ.

Titans WR Calvin Ridley’s impact transcends stat sheet

Some impressive numbers from Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley in Week 2.

During the Week 2 loss to the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley looked and played like the prized free agent acquisition he was billed as. He accounted for both Titans touchdowns and was the dynamic playmaker the team was hoping for. 

How good was he? Well, he recorded the fastest speed of any receiver in the league during Week 2. His 20.93 mph touchdown run was the best by a receiver and fourth by any ball carrier. 

The game marked a significant step forward for Ridley, who was solid but not a game-changer in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears. While his stat line of three receptions for 71 yards and one touchdown might not jump off the page, he averaged 24.6 air yards per target and was the only wideout in the NFL to average more than 20 yards. 

Ridley was mostly followed by one of the best young cornerbacks in the game, the Jets’ Sauce Gardner, who had a rough day. Ridley and the rest of the Titans corps gave Gardner the worst statistical day of his career; he allowed five receptions for 97 yards and a score. 

With Ridley stepping up, the Titans need another receiver to do the same. DeAndre Hopkins has been invisible, playing fewer snaps than Treylon Burks over the first two games, and free agent Tyler Boyd has not added much production. In fact, his 1.1 yards of separation on his five targets were the worst in the NFL during Week 2. 

With the line struggling and quarterback Will Levis making some huge mistakes, the offense needs a boost. Ridley made the first impact; which receiver will be next?

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On paper, Titans’ offseason ‘spending spree’ pays off

The Tennessee Titans made a rash of moves during the offseason. Now it is time to see how this $228.2 Million spending spree pays off.

After the Tennessee Titans’ 2024 offseason began, general manager Ran Carthon set out with a vision to improve the team after a dismal 6-11 performance in 2023. Now, after a complete overhaul of the coaching staff and spending a reported $228.2 million to retool the roster, it’s time to see the results. 

https://twitter.com/tdavenport_nfl/status/1830586600247722071?s=46&t=SeOZebZdMRZIJ99t7aMgTQ

On paper, the Titans appear to be in a good place. Offensively, they built around second-year quarterback Will Levis, using both free agency and the draft to bolster the unit. 

After signing center Lloyd Cushenberry III to a four-year, $50 million contract, the team selected offensive tackle JC Latham with the No. 7 selection in the NFL draft. Infusing talent into a unit that struggled mightily in 2023. 

With Levis being the key to the offense, the Titans added to their skill positions with moves that added talented playmakers to the roster. Running back Tony Pollard, wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd came aboard to assist Levis, hold-overs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and running back Tyjae Spears to potentially create one of the most dynamic Titans’ offenses in recent memory.  

Carthon didn’t stop there. Turning to the defensive side of the ball, they added an array of veterans to bolster the aggressive style that the Titans want to employ.  Free agent cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, and inside linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. were brought in. He also hit the trade market, securing cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and, most recently, linebacker Ernest Jones IV in different transactions. 

With pre-season in the books, there is good reason to be optimistic about the Titans’ potential. In less than a week, fans will see how well this spending spree translates into the regular season when the Titans open up against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Sept. 7. 

Titans announce ’emergency’ QB3 already on roster

The Titans have a hole in the third spot of their quarterback corps, but they have found a temporary solution until they bring in a QB3.

When the Tennessee Titans traded Malik Willis to the Green Bay Packers as part of their 53-man roster trimming, it left an open position on the team. Will Levis is the starter and Mason Rudolph is his backup, but what happens if both of these quarterbacks get hurt?

With Willis gone, there wasn’t a clear answer to that question until yesterday when the Titans announced that wide receiver Tyler Boyd would be the emergency QB3.

https://twitter.com/TDavenport_NFL/status/1829178509841080790

Boyd was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016 and just joined the Titans roster in 2024. He was part of Brian Callahan’s and Ran Carthon’s skill player upgrades for Levis, completing the three-headed monster with Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins.

Believe it or not, Boyd has actually attempted passes in the NFL. He attempted six passes with the Bengals over five seasons, completing three of them for 85 yards. He also threw an interception and was sacked once.

Everyone would rather see Boyd on the field catching passes from Levis, and no one wants to consider two quarterbacks going down in one season, but it does happen. The Titans are lucky to have a player like Boyd who can step in in a pinch, but no one really wants to see him under center if it can be helped.

Top WR tandems list ignores Titans’ key offseason addition

The Tennessee Titans were recently identified as an “honorable mention” in CBS Sports’ top WR tandems list, ignoring Tyler Boyd’s presence.

The Tennessee Titans certainly left no stone unturned when it came to addressing their wide receiver group this offseason. DeAndre Hopkins was the only wideout on the team last year who recorded more than 30 catches — 75 to be exact — on an overall underwhelming position group.

As such, the Titans were proactive in bolstering the wide receiver room to surround second-year quarterback Will Levis with a surplus of weapons. On paper, Tennessee’s wide receiver group is the best entering a season in quite some time.

However, one outlet is not completely sold.

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently published his “Top WR tandems of 2024.” He has the Titans listed in his honorable mentions section.

Here is his analysis:

If it were 2018, this grouping might be top-five on the list. Hopkins is still a crisp route-runner, and Ridley can still fly. But injuries have already struck the former at age 32, and Ridley’s debuting in a new system.

While Benjamin notes the obvious, he omits the addition of Tyler Boyd, which certainly cannot be ignored. It’s not exactly a coincidence that the Titans’ offense clicked in Wednesday’s practice, with Boyd returning from a bruised foot.

The 29-year-old has yet to achieve the 1,000-yard mark since the 2019 season, aligning with the emergence of superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase during his time with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Boyd, who signed a one-year contract in free agency, accumulated 667 yards last year, the lowest since his 2017 season. However, the former University of Pittsburgh standout does not need to be the leading receiver in Brian Callahan’s offense.

That likely belongs to Calvin Ridley or DeAndre Hopkins. Yes, the latter is recovering from a knee injury, but by all accounts, Hopkins should be good to go for Week 1 in Chicago.

No doubt about it: second-year quarterback Will Levis will spread the ball around, which could materialize into an overall positive season for the Titans.

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