Tennessee Titans News & Rumors

Titans To Sign Trevor Siemian

The Titans have agreed to sign quarterback Trevor Siemian, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Meanwhile, the Titans will also welcome tight end Geoff Swaim to the roster, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. To make room for Siemian, the Titans have dropped seventh-round rookie Cole McDonald.

Siemian auditioned for the Titans earlier this week, alongside fellow QB DeShone Kizer, running back D’Onta Foreman, and Swaim. The 28-year-old can provide experience behind starter Ryan Tannehill, where Logan Woodside currently sits as the QB2. Unfortunately, he’s appeared in just one game over the past two years, thanks in part to his brutal ankle injury in 2019. The last time he got an extended look was 2017, when he went 5-5 as a starter for the Broncos.

Swaim played four seasons for the Cowboys before moving on to the Jaguars last year. He played in six games for the Jags before landing on IR. In March, the Jaguars dropped him from the roster. Swaim’s best season came in 2018 when he notched a career-high 26 catches for 242 yards and one touchdown. Now, he’ll push to make the final cut, even though the Titans already have Jonnu Smith, Anthony Firkser, MyCole Pruitt, Parker Hesse, and Tommy Hudson at tight end.

McDonald, a University of Hawaii product, finished third in the nation in passing yards. Hawaii’s aggressive offensive scheme had a lot to do with that, but the Titans also saw some pro potential in the youngster. If he clears waivers, it stands to reason that the Titans will try to stash him on the practice squad.

Titans Work Out QBs Trevor Siemian, DeShone Kizer

The Titans were busy today, as the organization worked out four notable offensive players. USA Today’s Mike Jones reports (via Twitter) that the team auditioned quarterbacks Trevor Siemian and DeShone Kizer, running back D’Onta Foreman, and tight end Geoff Swaim.

It’s not too surprising that the Titans are sniffing around for help at quarterback. After all, the team has a pair of unproven options behind Ryan Tannehill in Logan Woodside and Cole McDonald. Siemian would certainly provide the Titans with the experience they’re presumably seeking, although the 28-year-old has only seen time in one game over the past two years (thanks in part to a season-ending ankle injury during the 2019 campaign). The last time he got an extended look was 2017, when he went 5-5 as a starter for the Broncos.

Following an ugly 2017 campaign that saw him go winless in 15 starts for the Browns, Kizer has spent time with the Packers and Raiders. Still only 24 years old, the former Notre Dame standout has 11 career touchdowns vs. 24 career interceptions.

Following an award-winning career at Texas, Foreman was drafted in the third round of the 2017 draft by the Texans. He saw time in 10 games as a rookie, compiling 327 rushing yards and two scores on 78 carries. A torn Achilles suffered towards the end of that 2017 campaign limited him to only a single appearance in 2018, and he was cut the following preseason. He briefly caught on with the Colts, but he sat as a free agent for all of the 2019 season.

Swaim, a former seventh-round pick, spent four seasons with the Cowboys, including a 2018 season where he hauled in a career-high 26 receptions for 242 yards and one touchdown. He signed with the Jaguars last season, but he was limited to only 13 receptions in six games.

It wasn’t just those four players who auditioned for Tennessee today. As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets, the Titans also hosted wide receivers Krishawn Hogan and A.J. Taylor, cornerback Andre Chachere, and running back Marcus Marshall.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/17/20

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

  • Waived: OT Nick Kaltmayer (Sunday)

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Jets

  • Signed: TE Connor Davis
  • Waived: S Anthony Cioffi

New York Giants

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: LB/DE Jamal Davis II (Sunday)

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/13/20

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Houston Texans

  • Waived: T David Steinmetz

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Waived: LB DeMarquis Gates

New England Patriots

  • Placed on reserve/retired list: C Dustin Woodward
  • Waived: DE Nick Coe

New York Giants

  • Claimed off waivers (from Jaguars): WR C.J. Board

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/11/20

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon.

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

  • Signed: C Tyler Gauthier

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Vic Beasley Reports To Titans

Vic Beasley is in the building. The outside linebacker reported to the Titans for COVID-19 testing on Friday morning, according to beat reporter Paul Kuharsky (on Twitter). 

Beasley has no-showed throughout the offseason, despite having just signed a one-year, $9.5MM free agent deal with the Titans in March. The deal – fully guaranteed – was set to place him as one of the team’s starting defensive ends, opposite of Harold Landry. Instead, GM Jon Robinson has been left to answer questions about Beasley’s whereabouts.

I have been in contact with Vic, he is not here, he understands his absence is unexcused, and he told me he will be reporting to camp in the near future,” said the GM, after placing Beasley on the Reserve/Did Not Report list. “Our current focus is on the players that are here now, getting everyone acclimated to the protocols, our building, and our football program. We will have the same acclimation process with Vic when he reports.”

A former first-round pick of the Falcons, Beasley broke out in 2016, his sophomore NFL season. He managed 15.5 sacks that year but couldn’t reprise that performance in 2017 or 2018. Then, in 2019, he turned in eight sacks, giving him some momentum heading into free agency.

2020 NFL Cap Space, By Team

A total of 67 NFL players opted out of the 2020 season, leaving teams with major roster holes and newly-found cap space. Here’s the rundown of every team’s official cap figure, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter):

  1. Cleveland Browns – $40.5MM
  2. New England Patriots – $33.4MM
  3. Washington Football Team – $30.6MM
  4. Denver Broncos – $29.5MM
  5. New York Jets – $29.3MM
  6. Tennessee Titans – $25.2MM
  7. Miami Dolphins – $24.7MM
  8. Buffalo Bills – $24.2MM
  9. Philadelphia Eagles – $23.7MM
  10. Detroit Lions – $22.9MM
  11. Indianapolis Colts – $22.3MM
  12. New York Giants – $21.4MM
  13. Houston Texans – $21.1MM
  14. Cincinnati Bengals – $18.6MM
  15. Chicago Bears – $17.2MM
  16. Jacksonville Jaguars – $17MM
  17. Seattle Seahawks – $14.5MM
  18. Los Angeles Chargers – $13.7MM
  19. Green Bay Packers – $12.3MM
  20. Carolina Panthers – $13.2MM
  21. Kansas City Chiefs – $13MM
  22. San Francisco 49ers – $12.5MM
  23. Minnesota Vikings – $12.4MM
  24. Dallas Cowboys – $9.9MM
  25. New Orleans Saints – $7.8MM
  26. Atlanta Falcons – $7.4MM
  27. Baltimore Ravens – $7MM
  28. Arizona Cardinals – $5.6MM
  29. Pittsburgh Steelers – $4.5MM
  30. Los Angeles Rams – $3.9MM
  31. Las Vegas Raiders – $3.3MM
  32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $1.4MM

2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker

Per an agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA, players with COVID-19 health concerns can opt out of the 2020 season. Initially, the deadline was believed to be Tuesday, August 4. Talks between the league and the union have pushed it to August 6.

Chiefs guard and medical school graduate Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was the first player to officially opt out. Scores of players followed.

Here’s the rundown, so far:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • T Brad Seaton

Tennessee Titans

  • OL Anthony McKinney

Washington Football Team

Free agents

Latest On Titans’ Vic Beasley

In March, the Titans signed Vic Beasley to fortify their edge rush. In August, they’re just hoping to see him sometime soon. Beasley has yet to report, and the team hasn’t had “a lot of conversation with him,” head coach Mike Vrabel says (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of the team website). 

Beasley has been MIA throughout the offseason and he didn’t speak with anyone from the team until late last month. His absence, GM Jon Robinson says, is unexcused. The team hasn’t offered much clarity on Beasley’s situation and neither has his camp.

A former first-round pick of the Falcons, Beasley broke out in 2016, his second NFL season. He managed 15.5 sacks that year, but things cooled off after that – he notched five sacks in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, Beasley finished out with eight sacks, though that number was bolstered by a disproportionately strong home stretch.

Beasley is under contract for this year only. His one-year, $9.5MM deal is fully guaranteed, however. The Titans signed the former top-10 pick to fill a need opposite Harold Landry, who largely represented their only strong edge presence last season. If Beasley ends up a no-show, that would be quite the development. It would also seemingly strengthen Tennessee’s motivation to chase Jadeveon Clowney. The Titans have been on the fringe of that situation for months.

Titans Sign First-Round OL Isaiah Wilson

The final unsigned first-rounder has officially inked his deal. The Titans have signed Isaiah Wilson to his rookie contract, according to Jim Wyatt of the team website.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the rookie offensive tackle received a four-year, $11.57MM contract with a $5.974MM signing bonus. As Rapoport observes, picks No. 25-32 all ended up getting paid more guaranteed money than previous rookies drafted in that range, with each of those 2020 rooks earning at least 90% fully guaranteed deals.

Before he was selected with the 29th overall pick in this past year’s draft, Wilson was a standout at Georgia. The 6-foot-6, 350-pound lineman earned All-SEC second team honors in 2019 after starting 10 of his 11 games. He was previously named to the Football Writers Association of America freshman All-America Team.

In Tennessee, Wilson is expected to fill the hole left by Jack Conklin, who left for the Browns in free agency. The rookie will likely compete with Dennis Kelly for the starting right tackle spot, and he’s already looking forward to blocking for the likes of Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry.

“I am sure I am going to learn a lot of great things from Derrick Henry about run blocking, about where he expects his holes to be as a back who has been in the league for years,” Wilson told Wyatt. “Ryan Tannehill can definitely teach me certain things about protection and things of that nature. I definitely plan on learning from those guys and bettering my game off of those guys and polishing up what I do and try and be the best player for the team.”