Titans Release Several Players
Rather than releasing 30+ players on Saturday morning, the Titans got ahead of the game on Friday by making some early cuts. The following players have been dropped from the 90-man roster (all links go to Twitter, unless noted otherwise):
- CB Trey Caldwell (via McCormick)
- DB Rico Gafford (via McCormick)
- DB Demontre Hurst (via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com)
- DE Francis Kallon (via McCormick)
- DE David King (via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM)
- DL Johnny Maxey (via McCormick) (waived/injured)
- DL Mike Ramsay (via Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com)
- DB Steven Terrell (via McCormick)
- RB Lenard Tillery (via McCormick)
- WR Jordan Veasy (via McCormick)
King was an exclusive rights free agent this offseason and was retained on a one-year deal for the league minimum. Last season marked his most successful campaign to date as he played on a quarter of the club’s defensive snaps and 16% of the Titans’ special teams snaps.
The Titans wrapped their preseason on Thursday night with a 13-3 loss to the Vikings. The Titans went 0-4 in exhibition games, but that’s rarely an indicator of regular season success.
Per league rules, the Titans must trim their way down to a 53-man roster by Saturday afternoon. They’ll get there by releasing more players and placing others on injured reserve.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Darius Victor
Buffalo Bills
- Released: S L.J. McCray
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Darius Hillary
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: OL Kyle Bosch, OL Matthew Diaz
- Waived: WR Ricky Jeune, OL Dustin Stanton
Houston Texans
- Released: WR Chris Thompson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released from IR: S Don Carey
Los Angeles Chargers
- Claimed off waivers (Texans): DT Marcus Hardison
- Waived/injured: OL Zachary Crabtree
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: RB Larry Rose
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Anthony Denham
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB Ja’Quan Gardner
- Waived: S Chanceller James
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: LB Deontae Skinner
Ravens Trade LB Kamalei Correa To Titans
The Ravens have left traded linebacker Kamalei Correa to the Titans, accoridng to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (on Twitter). The Ravens will receive a 2019 sixth-round pick in return. 
Correa was a second round pick of the Ravens in the 2016 draft. Although the Ravens had high hopes for him at the time, Correa hasn’t done much at the NFL level. In 25 games over the last two years, Correa has totaled just eleven tackles.
This summer, Correa was given an opportunity to play at his preferred outside linebacker position as well as inside linebacker. Although he flashed at times, the Ravens still had Terrell Suggs, Matthew Judon, Za’Darius Smith, Tim Williams, Tyus Bowser ahead of him on the LB depth chart.
Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees is obviously a fan of Correa, so he should be in for an uptick in playing time now that the two are reunited. In Tennessee, Correa will have an opportunity to back up Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan and he may get even more chances to play if Harold Landry misses time with his ankle injury.
In his three-year career at Boise State, Correa totaled 110 tackles, 20 sacks, 31.5 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/27/18
NFL teams are making roster moves in advance of Saturday’s 53-man deadline. We’ll keep track of the minor moves here:
Detroit Lions
- Released: CB Josh Okonye
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Brandon Chubb
- Waived: RB Tion Green
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: C Jacob Judd
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: CB Jarell Carter
New England Patriots
- Signed RB Kenneth Farrow, WR K.J. Maye, RB Khalfani Muhammad
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S Ironhead Gallon
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: RB Lenard Tillery
Titans Activate WR Rishard Matthews
The Titans have activated receiver Rishard Matthews from the physically unable to perform list and placed fellow pass-catcher Michael Campanaro on injured reserve, the club announced today.
Matthews reportedly underwent a meniscus operation earlier this month, but was expected to be removed from Tennessee’s PUP list at some point this week. The 28-year-old agreed to an odd one-year extension last week, a self-negotiated deal that will tack on what is essentially a 2019 option onto his current pact. Matthews can earn $7.75MM next season, but there’s no guaranteed money associated with that year.
In 2017 (his second season with the Titans), Matthews posted 53 receptions for 795 yards and four touchdowns, all of which were tops among Tennessee’s receivers. This year, Matthews is projected to start alongside 2017 first-rounder Corey Davis, while another 2017 rookie — third-round pick Taywan Taylor — should enter in three-wideout looks.
Campanaro, meanwhile, inked a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal with the Titans in April, but rarely participated in either camp or Tennessee’s preseason contests. Primarily a return man, Campanaro could conceivably be released from injured reserve in the coming weeks if he works out a settlement with the Titans.
Patriots WR Eric Decker To Retire
Patriots wide receiver Eric Decker today announced his intention to retire from the NFL, according to a post from his Instagram account.
“It has been my childhood dream and my passion to play the game of football,” reads Decker’s statement, in part. “I was very fortunate and blessed to have had the opportunity to have those dreams fulfilled and to have played with such extremely talented and hard-working teammates, coaches and staff. This has been a passion inside of me since I was a little boy but I know now this is time to hang my helmet up and start a new chapter in my life.”
Decker, 31, inked a one-year, $1.5MM deal with New England earlier this month, but he’d been facing an uphill battle to earn a spot on the Patriots’ 53-man roster. New England, which released fellow pass-catcher Kenny Britt earlier this week, is now down to Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Patterson, among others, as it waits for Julian Edelman to return from a four-game suspension.
A third-round pick in 2010, Decker became a starting receiver for the Broncos in 2011, but his career took off the following season when Denver added Peyton Manning under center. Decker averaged 86 receptions, 1,176 yards, and 12 touchdowns per year with Manning, and subsequently inked a five-year, $36.25MM pact with the Jets.
Decker was excellent through two seasons in New York, but injuries limited him to three games in 2016 and led to his release. A one-year accord with the Titans followed, and Decker posted 54 catches, 563 yards, and one score in what will become his final NFL action.
Interestingly, Decker’s name had recently appeared in trade talks, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. Decker had reportedly been struggling with the Patriots, so it’s unclear what kind of market may have existed for the veteran receiver.
Derrick Morgan, Rishard Matthews Recovering From Knee Surgeries
Although they’re on different timetables due to the junctures of their respective knee surgeries, both Derrick Morgan and Rishard Matthews underwent meniscus operations this month, Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com reports.
While the Titans’ recently extended wide receiver may be ready to come off the PUP list by next week, Kuharsky notes Morgan will probably miss some regular-season time. He pegs the outside linebacker’s chances at being ready by Tennessee’s opener as less likely than him missing time.
Morgan suffered a knee injury in Tennessee’s second preseason game last week, per Kuharsky, who reports this is likely going to be a four- to five-week recovery process for the ninth-year defender. In the event Morgan misses time in September, Harold Landry figures to have a bigger role in his first NFL month. Morgan’s registered 44 sacks in eight seasons, collecting 7.5 in 2017.
Matthews underwent his surgery during the first week of August, but he’s back to running routes, Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com notes. Matthews has been shelved throughout the 2018 offseason, but Kuharsky notes the veteran was dealing with a different injury during the spring. The Titans did not disclose Matthews’ ailments throughout the offseason.
Matthews has posted more than 1,700 receiving yards in his two Titans seasons, scoring 13 touchdowns in that time. Second-year receivers Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor have worked as the Titans’ starters during Matthews’ lengthy absence. Both Matthews and Morgan played in 14 regular-season games last season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/21/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: G Kyle Bosch
Denver Broncos
- Re-signed: T Leon Johnson
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Bryce Jones
- Waived/injured: CB Josh Thornton
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB Nick DeLuca
- Placed on injured reserve: S Don Carey
- Waived/left squad: LB Brooks Ellis
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: C Jacob Judd
- Claimed off waivers: RB Luke McNitt
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: WR Josh Huff
- Waived/injured: S Rickey Jefferson
New York Jets
- Waived: WR Jonah Trinnaman
Oakland Raiders
- Claimed off waivers: CB Antwuan Davis (Lions)
- Waived/injured: CB Tevin Mitchel
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived from injured reserve: S Terrell Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE Matt Weiser
- Waived/injured: TE Colin Jeter
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Jeff Knox, LB Nyles Morgan, LB Deontae Skinner
- Waived: LB Brandon Chubb, LB Davond Dade, OL Matthew Diaz
Titans, Matthews Agree To Extension
The Titans and wide receiver Rishard Matthews have agreed to an unusual extension. Matthews now has a team option tacked onto his deal for 2019 with a base value of $7.75MM, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Matthews fired his agent and negotiated the deal himself, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That would explain this arrangement, which is unusual to say the least. It’s not clear what the wide receiver is getting in exchange for giving up his right to enter the free agent market next year, especially since there is no guaranteed money in the deal.
Prior to the extension, Matthews was set to enter the final year of a three-year free agent deal signed in 2016. He’ll make $5MM in the final year of that original contract.
Matthews led all Titans receivers last season with 795 yards off of 53 receptions and four touchdowns. Unfortunately, he has been unable to practice this summer due to an undisclosed injury. If he can get back in time for the opener, he’ll be a part of an intriguing Titans receiving group.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/20/18
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: FB Jalston Fowler, WR Julian Williams
- Waived: FB Luke McNitt, WR Taj Williams
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed WR Cobi Hamilton
- Waived: RB Tion Green
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: FB Kobe McCrary, G Kareem Are
- Placed on IR: DE Ade Aruna
- Waived/Injured: OL Cedrick Lang, FB Johnny Stanton, TE Josiah Price
New York Giants
- Signed: RB Jhurell Pressley
- Waived/Injured: LB Thurston Armbrister
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DT Jerel Worthy
- Waived/Injured: LB Shaheed Salmon
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DB Joshua Kalu
- Placed on IR: DB Kalan Reed