Between now and 5 PM ET tomorrow, the Titans will have to reduce the roster from 80 players to 53. I'll be updating this post when I see players have been cut, and after we know who's made the 53 and who hasn't, we'll do a wrapup post.
These are the cuts I've seen reported thus far:
LB Rennie Curran (official)
DE Hall Davis (TitanInsider)
RB Herb Donaldson (official)
WR Yamon Figurs (Terry McCormick)
TE Riar Geer (official)
TE Cameron Graham (official)
DE Julian Hartsell (John Glennon)
RB Stafon Johnson (official)
WR James Kirkendoll (John Glennon)
CB Lequan Lewis (official)
OL Pat McQuistan (Terry McCormick)
RB Kestahn Moore (official)
WR Michael Preston (official)
S Myron Rolle (Adam Schefter)
RB Joe Tronzo (official)
The official site dropped a list of cuts Friday afternoon at 3:44 PM CT. With those cuts, I have the Titans at 64 players. That total does not include Ryan Mouton, who's officially headed to IR now that he doesn't have to pass through waivers, or Chris Johnson, as per GM Mike Reinfeldt he does not have to be activated until next Friday.
No big surprises among the cuts to date in my book. Mike Munchak at today's press conference indicated they'd make about half the cuts today and the other half on Saturday, so I wouldn't expect any more updates until tomorrow. no comments
These are the cuts I've seen reported thus far:
LB Rennie Curran (official)
DE Hall Davis (TitanInsider)
RB Herb Donaldson (official)
WR Yamon Figurs (Terry McCormick)
TE Riar Geer (official)
TE Cameron Graham (official)
DE Julian Hartsell (John Glennon)
RB Stafon Johnson (official)
WR James Kirkendoll (John Glennon)
CB Lequan Lewis (official)
OL Pat McQuistan (Terry McCormick)
RB Kestahn Moore (official)
WR Michael Preston (official)
S Myron Rolle (Adam Schefter)
RB Joe Tronzo (official)
The official site dropped a list of cuts Friday afternoon at 3:44 PM CT. With those cuts, I have the Titans at 64 players. That total does not include Ryan Mouton, who's officially headed to IR now that he doesn't have to pass through waivers, or Chris Johnson, as per GM Mike Reinfeldt he does not have to be activated until next Friday.
No big surprises among the cuts to date in my book. Mike Munchak at today's press conference indicated they'd make about half the cuts today and the other half on Saturday, so I wouldn't expect any more updates until tomorrow. no comments
We continue our trip around the Titans position by position this preseason with a look at the offensive tackles.
Offensive tackle has probably been the best and most reliable position across the Titans' roster for the four previous seasons. While the left of play in 2010 was less than it had been in previous seasons, it was still very good, and both tackles should also benefit from the continuity in the interior of the offensive line as well.
Michael Roos is entering his sixth straight year as the Titans' starting left tackle after spending his rookie year at right tackle. He's not a classic road-grader, but instead tends to be a smooth and efficient blocker both against the run and against the pass. 2008 was probably his best season to date, while 2009 was still very good and 2010 was almost a shocker. Even with a down year in 2010, I thought he still graded out as an above-average NFL left tackle and hopefully he'll have a rebound year in 2011. Back problems cost him some time early in training camp, but he's returned to action and should continue his streak of never missing a game.
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Offensive tackle has probably been the best and most reliable position across the Titans' roster for the four previous seasons. While the left of play in 2010 was less than it had been in previous seasons, it was still very good, and both tackles should also benefit from the continuity in the interior of the offensive line as well.
Michael Roos is entering his sixth straight year as the Titans' starting left tackle after spending his rookie year at right tackle. He's not a classic road-grader, but instead tends to be a smooth and efficient blocker both against the run and against the pass. 2008 was probably his best season to date, while 2009 was still very good and 2010 was almost a shocker. Even with a down year in 2010, I thought he still graded out as an above-average NFL left tackle and hopefully he'll have a rebound year in 2011. Back problems cost him some time early in training camp, but he's returned to action and should continue his streak of never missing a game.
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The Tennessee Titans conclude the 2011 preseason tonight at 7 PM CT with a contest against the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome.
Fourth preseason games are normally pretty boring, even for hardcore fans. The Titans under Jeff Fisher were somewhat of an exception to that rule, as he tended to play the starters more than just a token amount. Mike Munchak, on the other hand, seems to be taking the more traditional approach and playing starters only a fairly small amount-likely 10 to 15 snaps. Still, the screwy offseason and some other factors make tonight's game particularly interesting.
Here are the players and position groups I'll be keeping an eye on tonight:
Lineup notes: DE Jacob Ford, CB Pete Ittersagen, DE Jason Jones, OT Troy Kropog, WR Marc Mariani, DE Derrick Morgan, and RB Javon Ringer are all out, while S Chris Hope is questionable. UPDATE: All the players listed as out are scratched, as is CJ. Jim Wyatt tweets that Hope also will not play, and Jordan Babineaux starts in his stead. Jamie Harper starts at RB for Ringer/CJ, and Dave Ball at DE for Jones.
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Fourth preseason games are normally pretty boring, even for hardcore fans. The Titans under Jeff Fisher were somewhat of an exception to that rule, as he tended to play the starters more than just a token amount. Mike Munchak, on the other hand, seems to be taking the more traditional approach and playing starters only a fairly small amount-likely 10 to 15 snaps. Still, the screwy offseason and some other factors make tonight's game particularly interesting.
Here are the players and position groups I'll be keeping an eye on tonight:
- Kenny Britt is expected to play for the first time in the preseason.
- David Stewart. He didn't look too bad against the Bears. Is he still on track to play week 1 at close to 100%?
- Byron Stingily. His status may depend on Stewart's health and how many offensive linemen the Titans keep. After missing last week's game, he may need a strong performance tonight to make the team.
- Pannel Egboh and Zach Clayton. The two defensive linemen I have off the roster who I think could play their way on. Egboh may benefit from the injuries at defensive end, while Clayton needs to show his worth.
- Rennie Curran. He had some nice moments against the Bears, but needs to show enough on defense and special teams for the Titans to keep him around.
- Secondary depth. From Mike Munchak's comments after last week's interception, Tommie Campbell is likely to make the team. We have to believe him, but he, Frank Walker, Anthony Smith, and Robert Johnson could all use strong performances tonight to enhance their case for a roster spot.
Lineup notes: DE Jacob Ford, CB Pete Ittersagen, DE Jason Jones, OT Troy Kropog, WR Marc Mariani, DE Derrick Morgan, and RB Javon Ringer are all out, while S Chris Hope is questionable. UPDATE: All the players listed as out are scratched, as is CJ. Jim Wyatt tweets that Hope also will not play, and Jordan Babineaux starts in his stead. Jamie Harper starts at RB for Ringer/CJ, and Dave Ball at DE for Jones.
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As broken by Jim Wyatt, with confirmation by Adam Schefter, the Titans today reached agreement with holdout running back Chris Johnson. Per Wyatt, the deal is for 4 years, $53.5 million, with a guarantee of $30 million. The APY of $13.5 million is huge for a running back, and the guarantee is pretty good as well. I'll be curious to see the details of the deal and timing of the payments, as one of the impediments to a deal may have been Bud Adams' cash flow situation.
The Wyatt report is that the parties reached agreement. I'd expect a day or two before the contract is signed, but CJ should be on the practice field when serious on-field preparation for Week 1 at Jacksonville begins next Tuesday.
UPDATE: Per another Wyatt tweet, the 4 years in this deal are tacked on to Johnson's current deal that runs through 2012, so he's now under contract through 2016. From that perpsective, what was a 4 year, $53.5 million deal may instead be a 6 year, $56.5 million deal. As I indicated earlier, I will be very curious to see the contract structure. no comments
The Wyatt report is that the parties reached agreement. I'd expect a day or two before the contract is signed, but CJ should be on the practice field when serious on-field preparation for Week 1 at Jacksonville begins next Tuesday.
UPDATE: Per another Wyatt tweet, the 4 years in this deal are tacked on to Johnson's current deal that runs through 2012, so he's now under contract through 2016. From that perpsective, what was a 4 year, $53.5 million deal may instead be a 6 year, $56.5 million deal. As I indicated earlier, I will be very curious to see the contract structure. no comments
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| LG Leroy Harris re-signed for two more years. |
As we know, despite the wishes of Titans fans to upgrade the guard positions, it didn't happen. Instead of signing Harvey Dahl or one of the other top free agents, Titans GM Mike Reinfeldt re-signed unrestricted free agent Leroy Harris, who didn't get a better offer from any of the other 31 NFL teams.
The guards have performed poorly for the last several years and it now appears that will be the case again in 2011. The only ray of hope in this gloomy forecast was the preseason game with the Rams, when the guards actually blocked well. However, just a week later, they regressed back to their normal ineptitude when they faced the Bears.
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We'll continue our preseason positional analyses by taking a look at how the Tennessee Titans stack up at tight end.
Since our last examination of the TE position, there's certainly been a change or two. Much-maligned and everyone's favorite safety valve, Bo Scaife, has left the building and his presence has been replaced by fellow veteran Daniel Graham.
Of course, as they say..some things never change, such as the yearly expectation that Jared Cook is finally going to have his long-awaited breakout campaign.
More on whether or not this is finally the season that Jared Cook steps up and other matters regarding the Titans' state of affairs at the TE position...after the jump.
Needing to reduce the roster to 80 players by Tuesday afternoon, the Titans today waived 9 players, most notably defensive tackle Jovan Haye. The second-biggest name the Titans released was S Nick Schommer, while the other cuts were relatively obvious camp bodies: LB Jonathan Cornell, P Chad Cunningham, FB Patrick Hills, LB Kevin Malast, QB Bret Ratliff, WR Owen Spencer, and LS John Stokes. The Titans also moved Chris Johnson to the Reserve/Did Not Report list.
Haye was the Titans' big defense free agency acquisition of 2009, signing a four year, $16 million contract to help fill the void at defensive tackle created by the loss of Albert Haynesworth. Haye was never supposed to replace Haynesworth's production, but he struggled to have any sort of sustained production in a Titans uniform. The Titans asked him to lose weight first, then he added the weight back this offseason in an effort to fit in with Jerry Gray's philosophy of larger defensive tackles, but neither change seemed to help. It would seem like a surprise given Haye has been listed at first-team on the depth chart, but realistically he was no higher than fifth on the defensive tackle pecking order, behind Shaun Smith, Sen'Derrick Marks, Jurrell Casey, and Karl Klug. Scheduled to make $3 million this year and $3.7 million next year (unless I missed a renegotiation), the salary helped ease his departure.
Schommer appeared in 13 games last season after being selected by the Titans in the seventh round in the 2010 draft. He mostly played special teams and only had 3 tackles, though he did also get credited for a safety. Unfortunately for him, he spent way too much time during training camp in the trainer's room and couldn't seize a roster spot.
With today's moves, the Titans roster stands at 80 players. They'll have to get down to 53 by Saturday's deadline. One note: Ryan Mouton cannot be officially played on injured reserve until Saturday, so he currently counts as part of the 80. Chris Johnson, though, does not, so if the Titans get a deal worked out with him, Mouton and Johnson effectively cancel each other out and the Titans do have to make 27 cuts, not 26. no comments
Haye was the Titans' big defense free agency acquisition of 2009, signing a four year, $16 million contract to help fill the void at defensive tackle created by the loss of Albert Haynesworth. Haye was never supposed to replace Haynesworth's production, but he struggled to have any sort of sustained production in a Titans uniform. The Titans asked him to lose weight first, then he added the weight back this offseason in an effort to fit in with Jerry Gray's philosophy of larger defensive tackles, but neither change seemed to help. It would seem like a surprise given Haye has been listed at first-team on the depth chart, but realistically he was no higher than fifth on the defensive tackle pecking order, behind Shaun Smith, Sen'Derrick Marks, Jurrell Casey, and Karl Klug. Scheduled to make $3 million this year and $3.7 million next year (unless I missed a renegotiation), the salary helped ease his departure.
Schommer appeared in 13 games last season after being selected by the Titans in the seventh round in the 2010 draft. He mostly played special teams and only had 3 tackles, though he did also get credited for a safety. Unfortunately for him, he spent way too much time during training camp in the trainer's room and couldn't seize a roster spot.
With today's moves, the Titans roster stands at 80 players. They'll have to get down to 53 by Saturday's deadline. One note: Ryan Mouton cannot be officially played on injured reserve until Saturday, so he currently counts as part of the 80. Chris Johnson, though, does not, so if the Titans get a deal worked out with him, Mouton and Johnson effectively cancel each other out and the Titans do have to make 27 cuts, not 26. no comments
We continue our preseason trip around the Titans position by position with a look at the wide receiver group.
It's been over six months since Drexel examined the receiving group before free agency, and not much has changed. That's actually very good news, as we learned yesterday Kenny Britt wouldn't be facing any discipline from the league. Health permitting, he'll starting every game and presumably lead the team in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Unfortunately, health has been a problem for him again this year as his hamstring has kept him out of the three preseason games thus far. Mike Munchak said at a press conference today he'll play Thursday against the Saints, but he may still be limited against the Jaguars in two weeks.
Nate Washington will be the starter opposite Britt. He had a nice game against the Bears after a quiet first two games. Chances he develops into a lead wideout are slim, but if Britt's in he should be a solid veteran number two wideout.
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It's been over six months since Drexel examined the receiving group before free agency, and not much has changed. That's actually very good news, as we learned yesterday Kenny Britt wouldn't be facing any discipline from the league. Health permitting, he'll starting every game and presumably lead the team in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Unfortunately, health has been a problem for him again this year as his hamstring has kept him out of the three preseason games thus far. Mike Munchak said at a press conference today he'll play Thursday against the Saints, but he may still be limited against the Jaguars in two weeks.
Nate Washington will be the starter opposite Britt. He had a nice game against the Bears after a quiet first two games. Chances he develops into a lead wideout are slim, but if Britt's in he should be a solid veteran number two wideout.
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The Tennessee Titans improved their preseason record to 2-1 tonight, beating the Chicago Bears at LP Field by a final score of 14-13 thanks a 90-yard interception return for a touchdown by rookie defensive back Tommie Campbell.
The final result masked a relatively dreary performance by the Titans' first-stringers on both offense and defense in what's normally the big tune-up for most teams for the regular season, as the Bears had over 11 minutes more in time of possession (not that I care about that) and almost 200 yards more in total offense.
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The final result masked a relatively dreary performance by the Titans' first-stringers on both offense and defense in what's normally the big tune-up for most teams for the regular season, as the Bears had over 11 minutes more in time of possession (not that I care about that) and almost 200 yards more in total offense.
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The Titans' inactives for today's game against the Bears are out. WR Kenny Britt, DE Jason Jones, C Kevin Matthews, DE Derrick Morgan, and T Troy Kropog will not play tonight. Newly-acquired wideout Kevin Curtis is not expected to play, and of course RB Chris Johnson is not with the team. Dave Ball gets the start for Jones, Damian Williams for Britt, and Harper for Ringer/CJ.
One player who will be making his preseason debut is Sen'Derrick Marks. I don't think he's anywhere close to roster danger, but I'll be interested to see how he plays. David Stewart is also officially active; I'm not sure how much he'll play, but I don't expect it to be much. Nick Schommer and Barrett Ruud also return after missing the Rams game. Schommer could use a big performance tonight to improve his case for a roster spot.
I'll be chiming in during tonight's game a little in the comments section and probably more frequently on twitter, as I'll be watching the Bears broadcast, and then with a recap post tonight and likely more tomorrow. no comments
One player who will be making his preseason debut is Sen'Derrick Marks. I don't think he's anywhere close to roster danger, but I'll be interested to see how he plays. David Stewart is also officially active; I'm not sure how much he'll play, but I don't expect it to be much. Nick Schommer and Barrett Ruud also return after missing the Rams game. Schommer could use a big performance tonight to improve his case for a roster spot.
I'll be chiming in during tonight's game a little in the comments section and probably more frequently on twitter, as I'll be watching the Bears broadcast, and then with a recap post tonight and likely more tomorrow. no comments
