Latest On Jeffery Simmons’ Recovery
Despite two major issues that damaged his draft stock, DT Jeffery Simmons was selected by the Titans with the No. 19 overall pick of this year’s draft. When team owner Amy Adams Strunk signed off on the selection, that helped Simmons put one of those issues, an assault against a woman that Simmons committed while in high school, in the rearview mirror. And now, Simmons is a little closer to overcoming his second hurdle, a torn ACL that he suffered in February.
In early June, Simmons told Erik Bacharach of the Nashville Tennessean that he had not yet started running or jogging. He said, “I’m not rushing anything. If I don’t play this year, I’m fine with it, but my goal is to get healthy on my time and on this team’s time. There’s no time limit [on] when I can come back. Every day I come to work, I’m putting my mindset, you know, ‘I want to get back today.’ That’s how I come to work everyday and try to get better.”
But Simmons recently posted to his Instagram account a clip of himself running across a football field (h/t Titans Tape on Twitter). The clip is not long, and much of it is in slow motion, but the fact that he has been cleared to run is a major step in the right direction.
Of course, as Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk points out, the fact that Simmons is running in a straight line does not mean that he will be ready to hit the practice field when training camp opens next month. He likely won’t be cleared until the end of the regular season, and depending on where the Titans are in the playoff race at that point, he may ultimately miss his entire rookie campaign. But progress is progress, and Tennessee is doubtlessly encouraged by this latest development.
The Titans’ D-line is still a bit thin outside of star Jurrell Casey, and Simmons’ presence could go a long way towards bolstering that unit.
Poll: Will The Titans Reach .500 In 2019?
For three straight seasons, the Titans have finished with a 9-7 record. Naturally, Las Vegas has set their over/under around the eight-win mark, and they might be one of the trickiest plays for gamblers in 2019.
This wasn’t a flashy offseason for the Titans, but they did make some quietly savvy moves. With injury questions surrounding starting quarterback Marcus Mariota, they added former Dolphins starter Ryan Tannehill as a backstop. If Mariota stays healthy, he’ll have Adam Humphries and rookie A.J. Brown as new targets and distractors for defenses who may key in on incumbent Corey Davis. Meanwhile, they beefed up the interior offensive line by signing Rodger Saffold, who graded out as Pro Football Focus’ ninth-best guard in the NFL last year, and drafted Nate Davis in the third-round, who could be primed to unseat Kevin Pamphile for a starting role.
On the other side of the ball, the Titans picked up Cameron Wake and first-round pick Jeffery Simmons to bolster their lackluster pass rush, and they should easily offset the retirement of Brian Orakpo and the potential departure of Derrick Morgan, who remains in free agent limbo. The common thread to the Titans offseason across every position group is this – they didn’t grab headlines, but they made some smart under-the-radar moves without losing a whole lot in the process.
How do you see things playing out for the Titans? Will they, at minimum, reach the .500 mark?
Cast your vote below (link for app users) and back up your choice in the comments section:
Titans Not Expected To Re-Sign Jonathan Cyprien; Kamalei Correa On Roster Bubble
- Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com believes linebacker Kamalei Correa will make the Titans‘ roster and will have an impact in 2019, but he is on the bubble and will need to fight for a spot on the club. In the same piece, Wyatt says that he does not expect Tennessee to bring back safety Johnathan Cyprien, although the team said after releasing Cyprien in March that it would like to re-sign him at a cheaper rate.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/13/19
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Jordan McCray
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Obum Gwacham
- Waived: DT Chunky Clements
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Tre McBride, DT Kalani Vakameilalo
- Waived: LB Nick Deluca, LS Christian Kuntz
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Neal Sterling
- Waived: LB Gary Johnson, T Justin Senior, RB James Williams
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Mark Myers
- Waived: S John Battle
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Ryan Hewitt
- Waived: TE Keith Towbridge
Titans Sign Second-Round WR A.J. Brown
The Titans have wrapped up their 2019 draft class by signing second-round wide receiver A.J. Brown, the club announced today.
Brown was the fourth wideout off the board — following Marquise Brown (Ravens), N’Keal Harry (Patriots), and Deebo Samuel (49ers) — when Tennessee selected him at 51st overall. Brown was the second Ole Miss alum to be drafted, following offensive tackle Greg Little, one of two Rebel receivers (joining fellow second-rounder D.K. Metcalf), and one of six Ole Miss products to be drafted in 2019.
Although he was viewed as a pro-ready pass-catcher coming out of college, Brown may not become an immediate starter for the Titans. 2017 first-round pick Corey Davis and free agent addition Adam Humphries — inked to a four-year, $36MM deal — are locked into starting spots, so Brown will compete with the likes of Taywan Taylor and Tajae Sharpe for snaps as Tennessee’s third wide receiver.
Brown led Ole Miss in receptions (85), yards (1,320), and touchdowns (six) during his final collegiate season, and topped 1,000 yards in each of the past two years. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compared the 6’0″, 225-pound Brown to Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, lauding Brown’s route-running ability and competitiveness.
Here’s the Titans 2019 class in its entirety:
- 1-19: Jeffery Simmons, DT (Mississippi State)
- 2-51: A.J. Brown, WR (Ole Miss)
- 3-82: Nate Davis, G (Charlotte)
- 4-116: Amani Hooker, S (Iowa)
- 5-168: D’Andre Walker, LB (Georgia)
- 6-188: David Long Jr., LB (West Virginia)
Kevin Pamphile Titans RG Favorite?
- The left side of the Titans‘ offensive line appears set, with Rodger Saffold set to play in between Taylor Lewan and Ben Jones. As for the guard who lines up next to right tackle Jack Conklin, Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com tabs Kevin Pamphile as the favorite at this point. Pamphile started 35 Buccaneers games from 2014-17 and was a full-time first-stringer in ’16 and ’17. The former fifth-round pick started two Titans games last year. The Titans did use a Day 2 pick on a guard, No. 82 overall choice Nate Davis out of Charlotte.
Titans Sign Third-Round OL Nate Davis
The Titans have have signed third-round guard Nate Davis to his rookie contract, the club announced today.
A Charlotte product, Davis made 37 starts over three seasons while playing both tackle and guard. Per the Pro Football Focus draft guide, Davis allowed only seven sacks during his collegiate career. In 2018, he gave up just four pressures on 237 pass-blocking snaps.
Tennessee will field an all-new guard tandem in 2019 after cutting Josh Kline and allowing Quinton Spain to leave via free agency. Free agent addition Rodger Saffold will take over at left guard, but right guard is wide open. Davis, the 82nd overall selection, will compete with veterans like Kevin Pamphile and Austin Pasztor for a starting role.
With Davis under contract, Tennessee has only one 2019 draft choice — second-round wideout A.J. Brown — left unsigned.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/29/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed off waivers: DL Pita Taumoepenu (from 49ers)
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: G Kofi Amichia
- Waived: OL Landon Turner
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: OL Chidi Okeke
Oakland Raiders
- Waived/Injured: FB Ryan Yurachek
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Marcelias Sutton
- Waived/Injured: RB Adam Choice
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released: DT Stevie Tu’ikolovatu
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Frank Herron
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/28/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: OL Trevon Tate
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Chunky Clements
- Waived: DT Johnny Robinson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: TE John Phillips
- Waived: QB T.J. Linta
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: RB Matthew Dayes
New York Jets
- Claimed off waivers from Dolphins: LB James Burgess
- Placed on NFI List: RB Jalin Moore
Oakland Raiders
- Waived: G Chaz Green
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Devin Ross
- Waived: G Johnny Gibson
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Dontae Johnson
- Waived: LB Pita Taumoepenu
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: DL Dee Liner
Washington Redskins
- Signed: T Brian Wallace, T Jylan Ware
- Waived: T Adam Bisnowaty, T Juwann Bushell-Beatty
Adam Jones Retires From NFL
This is the end of the line for Pacman. On Friday, cornerback Adam Jones took to social media to announce his retirement from football. 
Jones, 35, hooked on with the Broncos late in the 2018 preseason. At the time, the Broncos saw him as a strong No. 4 cornerback and punt returner, but he didn’t quite live up to expectations. After seven games and ten punt returns for just 25 yards in total, the Broncos released him in November. Jones was not on the NFL radar after that, so his retirement does not come as a shock.
Jones legacy may be clouded by his string of off-the-field incidents, but he was a force while on the field in his prime. After being selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2005 draft by the Titans, Jones made some head-turning plays, including three punt return touchdowns in his sophomore year.
Years after being ID’d as a suspect in the now-infamous Atlanta shooting incident, Jones found his second wind with the Bengals. Jones spent eight years in the Bengals’ secondary and put together three straight seasons with three interceptions in each. In 2014, Jones earned his first ever First-Team All-Pro nod and received a Pro Bowl selection in 2015.
Jones leaves the game after 12 NFL seasons (he was out of football for the ’07 and ’09 campaigns), 146 games played, and nearly $40MM in career earnings.