Titans Promote David Fluellen
- The Titans announced that they’ve promoted running back David Fluellen from the practice squad and waived cornerback Cody Riggs. Fluellen’s signing could be an indication that Derrick Henry might miss multiple games with a calf injury, as head coach Mike Mularkey hinted at today. Henry tweaked his calf during warmups yesterday and didn’t play a single snap.
Titans Place Andre Johnson On Reserve-Retired List
- As expected, the Titans have placed veteran Andre Johnson on the reserve-retired list, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The wide receiver announced his retirement earlier this week.
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Titans Audition Five
- The Titans auditioned three wideouts and two guards, according to Caplan (on Twitter). Receivers Jeremy Ross, Dres Anderson, and Jonathan Krause were in for workouts, as were offensive guards Dallas Thomas and Josh LeRibeus.
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Titans Promote Tre McBride
- The Titans have promoted wide receiver Tre McBride from the practice squad, according to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com. The former seventh-round pick had a pair of catches in 2015, but he found himself on the team’s practice squad to begin the season.
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Andre Johnson To Retire
Andre Johnson told his Titans teammates this morning that he plans to retire, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Johnson, 35, won’t finish out his 14th season in the NFL and will instead hang up his cleats, and the Titans have confirmed his decision.
Johnson, of course, spent the entirety of his career in the AFC South, and will be most remembered for his 12 years with the Texans, during which he was consistently overlooked as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. With more than 13,000 yards receiving for Houston, he’s the club’s leader in yards by nearly 9,000, and his 64 touchdowns are more than double that of any other Texans receiver. But because Houston was on the fringes of playoff contention for most of Johnson’s career, he isn’t typically mentioned on the short list of the era’s best pass-catchers.
Johnson, however, will have a strong case for Hall of Fame enshrinement as soon as he’s eligible. His 1,062 career receptions places him eighth all-time (just behind Reggie Wayne), while he currently ranks ninth in receiving yards with 14,185. And Johnson was just as exceptional on a rate basis, as his 73.5 yards per game places him ninth in league history.
While Johnson put up tremendous seasons with the Texans, and twice lead the league in yardage, the last two seasons were not kind to him, as he sputtered with two other AFC South clubs. After signing a three-year deal with the Colts prior to 2015, Johnson had the worst year of his career, and was released after only a single campaign in Indianapolis. Johnson then accepted the veteran’s minimum to latch on with Tennessee for 2016, but had received only 22 targets on the year.
Johnson is the second Texans legend to announce his retirement in as many weeks, as running back Arian Foster also called it a career last Monday.
DeMarco Murray Receives Good News On Toe Injury
- Titans RB DeMarco Murray had an MRI on his toe after Thursday night’s victory over Jacksonville, and the prognosis is good, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport’s source indicated that Murray will be fine.
Latest On Titans’ Ownership, Bon Jovi
Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk insisted Tuesday that the franchise isn’t for sale, but her desire to keep the team could become irrelevant, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
When Strunk’s father, franchise founder Bud Adams, died in 2013, he left equal parts of the franchise to Strunk and two other heirs. The Titans are devoid of a true controlling owner as a result, and the NFL is going to force the franchise to rectify that at some point, according to Florio, who adds that an eventual sale is possible. The league has already penalized Strunk with a six-figure fine this year on account of the Titans’ failure to comply with its ownership rules.
In the event the Titans do go on the block, rock star Jon Bon Jovi would reportedly be a candidate to serve as part of a new ownership group. Bon Jovi refuted that possibility Wednesday, however.
“Let me dispel the rumors right now,” he told John Carucci of the Associated Press. “I wake up to these headlines with my name on them and they’re just not true. I want to make it perfectly clear that the team is not for sale, nor has it ever been, and I respect and admire (late franchise founder) Bud Adams’ legacy. End of story, I wish them all the success in the world.”
While Bon Jovi claims the Titans don’t interest him, Florio expresses skepticism, and Carucci writes that the 54-year-old does want to own an NFL team. That nearly came to fruition when a group including Bon Jovi bid $1 billion on the then-rudderless Bills in 2014, but they fell short of Terry Pegula’s winning offer of $1.4 billion.
“I love the NFL, and I did in fact try to buy the Buffalo Bills, but this has nothing to do with that. All I’m doing – I’m in the music business. End of story,” Bon Jovi declared.
Amy Adams Strunk: Titans “Not For Sale”
Rock star Jon Bon Jovi is reportedly interested in purchasing the Titans. There’s just one problem: Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk doesn’t plan to sell the franchise, she told Tom Pelissero of USA Today.
“The team is not for sale,” she said. “I don’t know how many different ways to say it. Haven’t talked to Bon Jovi or anybody else for that matter, and it’s not for sale.”
The 54-year-old Bon Jovi previously showed serious interest in buying the Bills in the wake of founder Ralph Wilson’s death in 2014. A group including Bon Jovi reportedly offered more than $1 billion for the Bills when the club was on the market, but they fell short of current owner Terry Pegula’s $1.4 billion winning bid.
Strunk took the Titans’ reins the next year – in 2015. That was two years after her father, franchise founder Bud Adams, died.
“It’s part of our heritage – my dad’s legacy. We’re not going anywhere,” she declared.
Adams’ heirs, including Strunk, have come under fire from the NFL because, in the league’s opinion, the organization still hasn’t put together a sufficient succession plan since Adams’ death. The league has already hit Strunk with a six-figure fine this year as a result. More punishment is possible in the future if the Titans don’t comply with the league, but Strunk isn’t worried.
“It’s going to get worked out,” she told Pelissero.
Titans president and CEO Steve Underwood added that the franchise has “had a conversation going on with the league now for over two years, and we expect to continue that discussion.”
Strunk lives in Houston, the team’s former home, but she spends two weeks a month in Nashville and insists she’s “involved.”
AFC Workout Notes: Colts, Chiefs, Ravens, Pats
Free agent receiver Aaron Dobson visited the Colts on Tuesday, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Dobson has worked out for several teams and had multiple stints with the Lions since the Patriots cut him Sept. 3. The three-year veteran has 53 receptions and four touchdowns in 24 games (13 starts).
The Colts also worked out running back David Cobb (Twitter link). The former Titan has tried out for a bevy of clubs since Tennessee cut him in August. Cobb briefly caught on with the Steelers, who waived him from their practice squad last week.
Along with Dobson and Cobb, receiver Marcus Leak, tight ends Alex Bayer and Darion Griswold, and linebackers Trevor Reilly and James Vaughters tried out with the Colts, tweets Howard Balzer of USA Today.
More workouts from the AFC (courtesy of Caplan, unless otherwise noted):
- In addition to defensive end Kendall Reyes, whom they signed, the Chiefs tried out fellow DE Lynden Trail on Tuesday, according to Nick Underhill of the Advocate (Twitter link). Joining them were linebackers Deion Barnes, Randell Johnson, and Kyle Kragen.
- Veteran offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds worked out for the Ravens on Tuesday (Twitter link). Reynolds has been on the radar of a few teams since Los Angeles released him prior to Week 1. The 29-year-old has 42 appearances and 23 starts on his resume.
- The Patriots tried out out two offensive tackles – Ryan Mack and Pearce Slater – as well as defensive end Jordan Williams, reports Doug Kyed of NESN (via Twitter).
- Along with linebacker Quentin Gaus and tight end Steven Scheu, both of whom joined their practice squad, the Broncos worked out linebackers Lenny Jones, J.R. Tavai and Kyrie Wilson; defensive ends Deonte Gibson, Ian Seau and Josh Shirley; and safety Elijah Shumate (Twitter links via Balzer).
- The Texans worked out safety Don Jones and a pair of cornerbacks, Denzel Rice and Charles Gaines (Twitter link).
- Running back Mekale McKay and Jhurell Pressley tried out for the Jets, according to Balzer (Twitter link).
- Three tight ends – Kivon Cartwright, Tim Semisch and Gannon Sinclair – worked out for the Titans, tweets Balzer.
Jon Bon Jovi Interested In Titans Ownership
Signer Jon Bon Jovi is watching the Titans ownership situation and continues to express interest in purchasing an NFL club, sources tell Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
[RELATED: Tennessee Titans Depth Chart]
A group involving Bon Jovi reportedly bid more than $1 billion for the Bills back in 2014, but that clan was ultimately outbid by Terry Pegula for the rights to own the Buffalo franchise. However, that experience has “not dampened [Bon Jovi’s] enthusiasm” for purchasing an NFL club, and while he would have competition for the Titans if the organization hit the market, Bon Jovi would certainly be “in the mix,” per La Canfora.
The Titans are still non-complaint with the league’s single owner mandate, and while they’ve already faced NFL discipline, more fines could be forthcoming. Amy Adams Strunk maintains that she will not sell the club, but the team still has “significant hurdles” to overcome to comply with the league’s structure requirements.
Former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, per La Canfora, also has interest in someday owning a part of the Titans franchise.