Tennessee Titans News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/23/21

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

  • Signed to active roster: LB Sam Kamara

Houston Texans 

New York Jets

  • Signed off 49ers’ practice squad: S Kai Nacua

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Designated for return: OL Jamarco Jones

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Titans Place Rodger Saffold On COVID-19 List, Rule Out Taylor Lewan For Week 16

THURSDAY: Backup left tackle Kendall Lamm also revealed he tested positive (Twitter link via Buck Reising of WGFX), putting the Titans in a bind up front ahead of a matchup with the 49ers’ Nick Bosa-spearheaded defensive line.

WEDNESDAY: The Titans’ two most experienced offensive linemen will miss Thursday night’s game. Rodger Saffold landed on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, while Tennessee also ruled out Taylor Lewan due to injury.

A 2019 free agent addition, Saffold has been the Titans’ left guard starter in 44 of a possible 47 games over the past three seasons. He practiced fully on Monday and Tuesday but will be scratched for Week 16.

Lewan is down because of a back injury. The Titans’ longtime left tackle did not practice this week. This will be the eighth-year blocker’s third absence this season. Lewan finished last season on IR, missing 11 games. Both blockers have made significant contributions to both Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill‘s success over the past three years.

Missing the left side of their O-line will certainly add to the Titans’ issues on offense. They have been without Henry, A.J. Brown and Julio Jones for most of the past month and change. However, Brown has a chance to come back to face the 49ers on Thursday; the Titans designated him for return from IR earlier this week. Jones, despite leaving another game early because of his recurring hamstring issue, does not have an injury designation and will suit up against San Francisco.

Titans To Activate A.J. Brown For Week 16

Ryan Tannehill will have both his top wide receivers available against the 49ers. A.J. Brown will be activated off IR to rejoin the team for Thursday night’s game, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Cameron Wolfe (on Twitter).

Out since Week 11 with a chest injury, Brown returned to practice earlier this week. He was on track to return barring a setback. Evidently setback-free during practice, the young pass-catching talent will play tonight.

[RELATED: Derrick Henry On Track For Playoff Return]

The Titans have seen their offensive production crater for much of the season’s second half. They lost Henry in Week 8 and have seen Julio Jones bounce in and out of action because of a nagging hamstring issue. Jones, however, does not have an injury designation going into tonight’s matchup.

After posting back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to start his career, Brown has missed four games during his third campaign. Brown, who is less than a month from being eligible for an extension, enters Thursday’s game with 46 receptions for 615 yards and three touchdowns this season. His presence will certainly help a Titans outfit attempting to hold off the Colts, a team they swept with their playmakers available but one that has made up a bit of ground during the stretch without Henry and Brown.

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/22/21

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list today. In some instances (including Christian McCaffrey and Travis Etienne), players activated from the list remain on IR:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Placed on list: T Le’Raven Clark

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Titans Planning Henry Playoff Return

Initially floated last month, the prospect of Derrick Henry coming back for the playoffs is moving closer to reality. Henry returning for the Titans‘ first postseason game is the plan, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes. Once thought to be out for the season, Henry has recovered well enough, per Rapoport, that the Titans would consider bringing him back for Week 18 — should the team need a win to reach the playoffs. Henry has been out since Week 8, when he suffered a Jones fracture in his foot. This would obviously be a tremendous development for the Titans, who have not been the same without the two-time reigning rushing champion. Henry’s 937 rushing yards still rank fifth in the NFL, despite the dominant back having missed the past six games. Henry underwent surgery Nov. 2.

Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order

Have you been waiting all day for Tuesday night? Thanks to COVID rescheduling, we still have two games to go in Week 15. While the Eagles, Rams, and the Washington Football Team are all jockeying for postseason berths/positioning, the Seahawks are — for all intents and purposes — out of playoff contention.

If the season ended today, the Seahawks would own a top ten pick…that is, if they owned it. The Jets, who hold the Seahawks’ 2022 first-round pick by way of the Jamal Adams trade, will be cheering for the Rams tonight.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.

Before the games begin, here’s a look at the currently projected 2022 NFL Draft Order:

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-12)
  2. Detroit Lions (2-11-1)
  3. Houston Texans (3-11)
  4. New York Jets (3-11)
  5. New York Giants (via Bears)
  6. New York Giants (4-10)
  7. Carolina Panthers (5-9)
  8. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
  9. Atlanta Falcons (6-8)
  10. Philadelphia Eagles (6-7)
  11. Washington Football Team (6-7)
  12. Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
  13. Denver Broncos (7-7)
  14. New Orleans Saints (7-7)
  15. Cleveland Browns (7-7)
  16. Las Vegas Raiders (7-7)
  17. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6-1)
  18. Baltimore Ravens (8-6)
  19. Minnesota Vikings (7-7)*
  20. Buffalo Bills (8-6)*
  21. Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)*
  22. Los Angeles Chargers (8-6)*
  23. Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)*
  24. Detroit Lions (via Rams)*
  25. Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)*
  26. Tennessee Titans (9-5)*
  27. Arizona Cardinals (10-4)*
  28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-4)*
  29. New England Patriots (9-5)*
  30. Dallas Cowboys (10-4)*
  31. Kansas City Chiefs (10-4)*
  32. Green Bay Packers (11-3)*

* = Playoffs

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/20/21

A long list of players were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. We listed the players who landed on the list today, as well as those who were activated off the list:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE John Franklin-Myers, DB Sharrod Neasman

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Titans Designate A.J. Brown For Return

The Titans have designated wide receiver A.J. Brown and defensive back Chris Jackson to return from injured reserve. It’s welcome news for the Titans as they await word on Julio Jones‘ hamstring injury. 

Jones was limited to just 26 snaps and one target before leaving Sunday’s game against the Steelers. The Titans went on to lose 19-13, dropping them to 9-5 on the year.

Brown, 24, was well on his way to a third 1,000-yard season, up until his November chest injury. So far this year, he’s got 46 catches for 615 yards (still enough to lead the Titans) and three touchdowns. It’s not yet clear if he’ll dress for Thursday night’s game against the Niners, but it’s a promising sign for his availability heading into the playoffs.

Jackson has been out for roughly a month, but his foot seems to have healed up. To date, he’s got 31 tackles, two quarterback pressures, one tackle for loss and four passes defensed across nine games.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/18/21

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order

The Chiefs (9-4) and Chargers (8-5) are getting set to kick off Week 15 in a matchup that could decide the AFC West crown. Meanwhile, more than one-quarter of the NFL’s teams have either been mathematically or effectively eliminated from playoff contention.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record. (Ex: Washington would own the No. 19 pick if they were eliminated in the Wild Card round with the worst record of the group.)

With that in mind, here’s a look at the currently projected 2022 NFL Draft Order:

1. Detroit Lions (1-11-1)
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-11)
3. Houston Texans (2-11)
4. New York Jets (3-10)
5. New York Giants (via Bears)
6. New York Giants (4-9)
7. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
8. Carolina Panthers (5-8)
9. Atlanta Falcons (6-7)
10. Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
11. Philadelphia Eagles (6-7)
12. Minnesota Vikings (6-7)
13. New Orleans Saints (6-7)
14. Las Vegas Raiders (6-7)
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6-1)
16. Denver Broncos (7-6)
17. Cincinnati Bengals (7-6)
18. Cleveland Browns (7-6)
19. Washington Football Team (6-7)*
20. Buffalo Bills (7-6)*
21. Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)*
22. Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)*
23. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5)*
24. Detroit Lions (via Rams)*
25. Baltimore Ravens (8-5)*
26. Dallas Cowboys (9-4)*
27. Kansas City Chiefs (9-4)*
28. Arizona Cardinals (10-3)*
29. Tennessee Titans (9-4)*
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-3)*
31. New England Patriots (9-4)*
32. Green Bay Packers (10-3)*

* = Playoffs