Tennessee Titans Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Packers Trade Reggie Gilbert To Titans

By Andrew Ortenberg | at August 28, 2019 6:28 pm

We’ve got another minor trade for you. This time, it’s the Packers sending outside linebacker Reggie Gilbert to the Titans in exchange for a seventh-round pick, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Gilbert entered the league as an undrafted free agent back in 2016, and he’s been in Green Bay ever since. Gilbert spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad, and then managed to get on the active roster for a bit in 2017. He was finally able to carve out a real role last season, when he appeared in all 16 games.

Playing in a rotational role, Gilbert racked up 38 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two passes defended. All told he ended up playing over 45 percent of the defensive snaps, so he was more than just a bit contributor. The Arizona product will be a free agent after the season. The Titans could use some pass-rushing depth, so their interest makes some sense.

It’s not a coincidence that all these minor trades are starting to take place. It’s a way for teams to circumvent the waiver process and add depth before roster cutdowns by giving up late-round picks. These type of moves will continue to happen more and more as we get closer to cutdown day.

6 comments Green Bay Packers Tennessee Titans Transactions Reggie Gilbert

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/19

By Zachary Links | at August 28, 2019 4:36 pm

We’ll keep track of today’s roster shuffling here as teams gear up for major cuts at the end of the week:

Buffalo Bills

Placed on IR: DE Mike Love
Waived: P Corey Carter
Waived from IR: OL De’Ondre Wesley

Carolina Panthers

Signed: LS Andrew DePaola
Placed on IR: DT Destiny Vaeao

Chicago Bears

Claimed off waivers: OL Tommy Doles

Detroit Lions

Signed: RB James Williams

Green Bay Packers

Signed: CB Jackson Porter
Waived (failed physical): LB Nicholas Grigsby

Houston Texans

Waived: DB Deante Burton, DB Derrick Jones

Jacksonville Jaguars

Waived from injured reserve: RB Roc Thomas

New England Patriots

Waived from injured reserve: WR Maurice Harris

Philadelphia Eagles

Signed: OT Riley Mayfield
Placed on IR: WR Charles Johnson

Tennessee Titans

Waived: TE Cole Wick
Waive/injured: OLB Josh Smith

Seattle Seahawks

Signed: T Will Holden, DE Logan Tago
Waived: DT Jay-Tee Tiuli

5 comments Buffalo Bills Carolina Panthers Chicago Bears Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Houston Texans Jacksonville Jaguars New England Patriots Philadelphia Eagles Seattle Seahawks Tennessee Titans Transactions Andrew DePaola Charles Johnson (WR)Cole Wick De'Ondre Wesley Deante Burton Derrick Jones Destiny Vaeao Jackson Porter James Williams Jay-Tee Tiuli Josh Smith Logan Tago Maurice Harris Mike Love Nicholas Grigsby Riley Mayfield Roc Thomas Tommy Doles Will Holden

AFC South Notes: Texans, Robinson, Colts

By Sam Robinson | at August 23, 2019 5:33 pm

Rumblings about the Texans attempting a last-ditch Jadeveon Clowney trade have cooled down, with the team unlikely to recoup too much value for the three-time Pro Bowler after the franchise tag extension deadline passed (and with Clowney being able to effectively block a trade by virtue of not signing his tender). The last report on Clowney’s return indicated he was expected to report back between the start of next week and the end of the preseason. Clowney also has a grievance rumored, seeking to be tagged as a defensive end ($17.1MM) instead of as an outside linebacker ($15.9MM). But the former No. 1 overall pick should be fighting to ensure the Texans cannot tag him again in 2020, Joel Corry of CBS Sports writes. However, with this prohibition clause having not occurred since 2008 (Albert Haynesworth with the Titans), Corry predicts the sixth-year Texans edge defender will fail on this front and end up being tagged again in 2020.

Here is the latest news from the AFC South, shifting to a player who will draw Clowney blocking assignments this season:

Recently deemed iffy for Week 1, Cam Robinson appears a good bet to suit up against the Chiefs in two-plus weeks. The Jaguars‘ left tackle starter took snaps with the first unit in the team’s third preseason game, with Phillip Heilman of The Athletic tweeting Robinson joined the likely starting line of Andrew Norwell, Brandon Linder, Will Richardson and Jawaan Taylor on Thursday night. Robinson tore one of his ACLs in September of last year and spent the next several months rehabbing.
D’Onta Foreman will not have a chance to exact any revenge on the Texans this season, with the now-Colts running back set to miss the season. But the Colts still have him in their plans. A torn biceps will shelve Foreman, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets, but the team will not opt for an injury settlement. The Colts plan to stash the former third-round pick on IR and have him learn their system in time for a hopeful 2020 debut in Indianapolis.
While Matt Kalil was recently named the Texans‘ starting left tackle, Wilson adds that Roderick Johnson is “firmly” in the conversation to start against the Saints in Week 1. The Texans have held Kalil out of recent practices for conservation purposes, per Bill O’Brien. Kalil missed all of last season with a knee injury. Encouraging work in games and practices has allowed Johnson, a former Browns fifth-round pick and Texans waiver claim, to improve to the point of being a first-stringer. The Florida State product appears set to receive the first crack if Kalil cannot go, pointing to first-round rookie Tytus Howard staying at left guard.
Titans running back David Fluellen underwent knee surgery recently, but Paul Kuharsky (of PaulKuharsky.com) notes the backup is expected to be ready by Week 1. Fluellen is expected to keep his job as Tennessee’s No. 3 back.

2 comments Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Tennessee Titans Cam Robinson D'Onta Foreman David Fluellen Matt Kalil Roderick Johnson

Titans’ Taylor Lewan Loses Appeal

By Zachary Links | at August 23, 2019 3:29 pm

Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan has officially been suspended for the first four games of the 2019 season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, according to a team announcement. Lewan was first hit with the ban late last month and the official denial of his appeal means that he will be out for the first four games of the season.

Lewan vehemently denied the use of PEDs and even said that he took a polygraph test to prove his innocence. Unfortunately for him, that wasn’t enough to sway those in charge.

“It’s a really horrible situation to feel like this, and to walk into the locker room and tell those guys you’re not going to be with them for four games – it breaks my heart,” Lewan said last month. “It’s tough, man. But I’ve been very candid with [GM] Jon (Robinson) and [head coach] (Mike) Vrabel and [owner] Amy (Adams Strunk) and told them right away. I don’t want the legacy, or whatever I have done in the last five years, to be tarnished because of this, because of something like this, that was a complete accident that I’m going to try and make up for.”

According to the league, Lewan popped positive for ostarine, which is used to combat muscle wasting. Lewan, meanwhile, says he didn’t “knowingly” take anything to skirt the rules.

Lewan will be eligible to play for the first time in 2019 on October 6 vs. the Bills.

9 comments Tennessee Titans Taylor Lewan

Biggest Roster Weakness: AFC South

By Dallas Robinson | at August 21, 2019 8:27 pm

The 2019 regular season is right around the corner, but every NFL team still has at least one position on its roster that could use improvement. And there’s still plenty of time to address those areas of need! Free agents are readily available on the open market, while preseason trades provide another avenue of player procurement. 19 NFL trades were executed between August 1st and September 1st of 2018, and that number could increase this year.

Let’s take a look at the weakest positional group — and a potential solution — for each NFL club. Today we’ll examine the AFC South:

Houston Texans

Weakness: Offensive line. The Texans made a number of notable additions to their offensive line during the offseason, but it’s unclear how much those reinforcements will actually help. New left tackle Matt Kalil is seemingly always injured or ineffective, while first- and second-round rookies Tytus Howard and Max Scharping both come from small schools and could take some time to develop. Houston’s offensive line was one of the NFL’s worst in 2018, ranking 27th in adjusted line yards and dead last in adjusted sack rate, per Football Outsiders.
Solution: Sign Ryan Schraeder. Even if Kalil, Howard, and Scharping find success along the Texans’ front five, the club could still have a gaping hole at right tackle. Seantrel Henderson is going unchallenged on the right side, but he hasn’t played more than 47 offensive snaps since the 2015 season. The former seventh-round pick has never been all that productive even when he has been on the field, so Houston could look for a late upgrade. The Texans were reportedly interested in Schraeder in March, but it’s unclear if he ever actually met with the team’s staff. With 73 starts under his belt, Schraeder would bring experience to a Houston offensive line that desperately needs it.

Indianapolis Colts

Weakness: Defensive line depth. This almost feels too nit-picky: the Colts have one of the best rosters in the NFL, so it’s difficult to pinpoint a weak area. Indianapolis has a number of interesting pieces along its defensive line, but veteran defensive end Jabaal Sheard could potentially miss regular season action.
Solution: Trade for DeMarcus Walker. I don’t think the Colts should necessarily go out and sign a street free agent to take snaps away from their intriguing young defensive line prospects, but trading for Walker would represent a buy-low on an intriguing defender. Walker posted 16 sacks during his final season at Florida State and has flashed during his time with the Broncos, but he simply hasn’t been able to secure any real playing time (121 career defensive snaps). That’s probably not going to change any time soon in Denver, so the Colts could send a late-round pick in exchange for a player who could theoretically line up at outside linebacker, defensive end, or defensive tackle.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Weakness: Inside linebacker to play opposite Myles Jack. Telvin Smith‘s unexpected retirement put the Jaguars in a bind at inside linebacker, and no recent developments have added clarity at the position. Third-round rookie Quincy Williams was expected to fill the void left by Smith’s absence, but he’s dealing with a torn meniscus and will miss the start of the regular season. Free agent addition Jake Ryan, meanwhile, suffered a July setback in his recovery from a torn ACL and hasn’t practiced since.
Solution: Trade for Reggie Ragland. Ragland has already been traded once is career, going from Buffalo to Kansas City in 2017 in exchange for a fourth-round pick. Given that he has only one year remaining on his contract, the former second-round pick shouldn’t cost that much to acquire this time around. The Chiefs acquired fellow linebacker Darron Lee from the Jets this offseason to team with Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson, so Ragland could be expendable.