Titans To Activate WR Julio Jones From IR
Julio Jones will be in uniform for the Titans tomorrow when they take on the Jaguars. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), the Titans plan to activate the veteran wide receiver off injured reserve. Jones returned to practice earlier this week.
A hamstring injury has limited Jones to just six games so far this season. Last month, the Titans moved to place him on IR, freeing up an additional roster spot for a few weeks. Jones missed time in previous seasons with a hamstring ailment, as well. Fortunately, Rapoport says Jones’ latest hamstring injury “has healed.”
Jones was limited to only nine games and 771 yards in 2020, but he was a 1,000-yard receiver as recently as 2019 (when he was a second-team All-Pro after finishing with 99 receptions for 1,394 yards and six touchdowns). So, the Titans were naturally expecting big things this past offseason when they acquired Jones (along with a sixth-round pick) from the Falcons for a second-round pick and a future fourth-round pick. However, in the veteran’s six games this season, he’s averaging only 56 receiving yards per game, a major dip from his previous career-low (73.8 yards during his rookie campaign in 2011).
Still, Jones will be welcomed back with open arms by a Titans offense that had to go without Jones, A.J. Brown, and Derrick Henry in their most recent loss to the Patriots.
Titans Claim Zach Cunningham Off Waivers
Zach Cunningham has a new home in the NFL. After being waived by the Texans on Wednesday, the linebacker has been claimed by the Titans, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). 
The Titans could easily afford that figure for now, with just over $3.7 MM in cap space before the move. Cunningham’s cap number jumps into eight figures starting in 2022 and continuing through to 2024, and includes $500,000 per game roster bonuses throughout. For now at least, the Titans could use his services. They have been without Rashaan Evans since Week 7, and Jayon Brown has missed five games throughout the campaign.
The Titans could have Cunningham as early as this Sunday’s game when they host the Jaguars.
Titans Add RB Jordan Wilkins To Practice Squad
As the Titans continue to roll forward without Derrick Henry, the team has added another running back option. The team announced that they’ve signed running back Jordan Wilkins to the taxi squad.
Wilkins was a fifth-round pick by the Colts in 2018, and he saw time in 45 games (four starts) through his first three seasons in the NFL. The running back had at least 350 yards from scrimmage in each of his first three NFL seasons, including a 2020 campaign where he collected 413 yards and one touchdown on a career-high 96 touches. Wilkins saw time in each of Indy’s first four games this season, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams. He was waived by the team back in October, and he’s since had a brief stint on the Jaguars practice squad.
The Titans have cycled through a number of options at running back since Henry suffered an injury in Week 8. D’Onta Foreman, Adrian Peterson, and Dontrell Hilliard have all started games for Tennessee, while fellow RB Jeremy McNichols has 43 touches of his own.
The Titans made a handful of additional practice squad moves today, including the signing of defensive back Rodney Clemons. The former SMU standout went undrafted during the 2020 draft, and he spent much of his rookie season on the Chiefs practice squad. To make room on the practice squad, the Titans released running back Rodney Smith and placed linebacker Jamal Carter on the practice squad injured list.
Titans Cut John Simon
Julio Jones is on his way back. To help make room for him — as well as wide receiver Racey McMath and safety Dane Cruikshank — the Titans have released linebacker John Simon.
[RELATED: Titans Designate J. Jones For Return]
Simon joined the Titans in July, replacing fellow pass rusher Tuzar Skipper on the offseason roster. Before that, he spent three years with the Patriots. In 2020, he started in all 16 games and registered 53 stops with two sacks. This year, he’s been on-and-off of the Titans’ roster, resulting in two appearances with four total tackles.
All in all, he’s got 99 appearances and 52 career starts to his credit for the Ravens, Texans, Colts, Patriots, and Titans. Now, he could be en route to yet another NFL club, though the Titans have made a habit of bringing him back to Nashville.
The Titans dropped their last two games before the bye, but they’re still 8-4 and atop the AFC South. On Sunday, they’ll look to get back in the win column when they host the Jaguars.
Titans Designate Julio Jones For Return
The Titans have designated wide receiver Julio Jones for return from injured reserve. Jones will be eligible to practice starting today, which means that he can be activated any time within the next 21 days.
[RELATED: Former Titans S Kenny Vaccaro Retires From NFL]
A hamstring injury has limited Jones to just six games so far this season. Last month, the Titans moved to place him on IR, freeing up an additional roster spot for a few weeks.
Jones, who has a history of hamstring trouble, has caught 21 passes for 336 yards and no touchdowns so far in his first Titans season. The good news is that the Titans are still 8-4, despite playing most of the year without Jones or star running back Derrick Henry.
The 11th-year receiver could come back as soon as Sunday, the Titans’ first game off of their bye week. A win will put them one step closer to officially clinching the AFC South and, potentially, capturing a first-round bye.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/6/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: DE Breeland Speaks
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Cre’Von LeBlanc
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: QB James Morgan
New York Giants
- Signed: S Natrell Jamerson
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Austin Mack, LB Curtis Robinson
- Released: WR Devin Funchess, LB Justin March
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Tuzar Skipper
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/6/21
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: P Dustin Colquitt
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Trent Scott
Cleveland Browns
- Designated for return: LB Jacob Phillips
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Jalen Richard
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Keenan Allen
New York Jets
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Blake Cashman
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: LS Zach Triner
Tennessee Titans
- Released: LB John Simon (story)
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/4/21
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: LS Beau Brinkley, RB Tavien Feaster, LB Joe Walker, LB Tahir Whitehead, CB Jace Whittaker
- Placed on IR: S James Wiggins
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from IR: DE Steven Means
- Promoted: RB Qadree Ollison
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: DB Robert Jackson, RB Nate McCrary
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Frankie Luvu
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on IR: WR Auden Tate
- Promoted: G Keaton Sutherland, WR Pooka Williams, RB Trayveon Williams
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: RB Damarea Crockett
- Waived: WR Tyrie Cleveland
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: LB Tavante Beckett, LB Rashod Berry, DE Bruce Hector
Houston Texans
- Activated from IR: C Justin Britt, LB Christian Kirksey
- Promoted: S Jonathan Owens, RB Jaylen Samuels, DL Chris Smith
- Waived: CB Cre’von LeBlanc
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from IR: DT Jay Tufele
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: TE Matt Bushman, FB Sutton Smith, WR Dillon Stoner
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted: WR Brandon Powell, RB Mekhi Sargent
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: RB Jake Bargas, DB Myles Dorn, DE Kenny Willekes
- Waived: DE Eddie Yarbrough
New York Giants
- Promoted: WR Pharoh Cooper, DB Steven Parker, DB Jarren Williams
New York Jets
- Signed: K Alex Kessman
- Waived: K Matt Ammendola
- Promoted: DE Ronald Blair, TE Dan Brown, RB Austin Walter
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: S Jared Mayden
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from IR: DL Carlos Davis
- Promoted: OL Chaz Green
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: LB Tyrell Adams, WR River Cracraft, LB Justin March
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: RB Adrian Peterson (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Logan Woodside
Kenny Vaccaro Retires From NFL
Kenny Vaccaro is calling it a career. On Wednesday, the longtime NFL safety announced that he is stepping away from the game to focus on a new e-sports venture (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
“This isn’t a reflex decision for me; it’s something I’ve thought about for a long time,” Vaccaro said. “I’ve been a gamer for even longer than I’ve played football, and I’ve always thought of myself as a gamer first. So this is the realization of a long-term dream for me…Life doesn’t end just because you put down the helmet. You can reinvent yourself.”
Vaccaro, a 2013 first-round pick, spent his first five years with the Saints and started in 67 of his 68 regular season games. After that, he found himself in a severely depressed market for veteran safeties. But, after settling for a cheap one-year deal with the Titans in 2018, he parlayed a strong season into a four-year, $26MM extension.
The veteran made 42 for the Titans before his release earlier this year. In 2020, his last NFL campaign, he finished out with 62 stops, one sack, and five passes defensed. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus — which have never been especially fond of his work — gave him a 58.8 overall grade, slotting him just 68th out of 84 qualified safeties.
After 110 career games, multiple postseason trips, and over $28MM in career earnings, Vaccaro is now set to enter the e-sports arena.
Stephen Gostkowski Won't Rule Out NFL Return
While preparing to watch Sunday’s Titans-Patriots game, kicker Stephen Gostkowski made a noteworthy revelation. The 37-year-old isn’t opposed to resuming his NFL career in the future, reports ESPN’s Mike Reiss. 
After an illustrious Patriots career that saw him win three Super Bowls and earn two All-Pro honors, Gostkowski signed with the Titans in 2020. He played in 15 games, converting 18 of 26 field goals and 46 of 48 extra points.