Titans Sign Marc Mariani
After having spent the past couple of seasons in Chicago, Marc Mariani is back in Tennessee. According to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com, the Titans have signed the veteran WR/KR. The team has waived wideout Tre McBride to make the necessary roster spot, tweets ESPN’s Adam Caplan.
The former seventh-round pick broke onto the scene with the Titans as a rookie in 2010. The returner ended up making the Pro Bowl that season after having collected 27 punts for 329 yards and a touchdown and another 60 kickoffs for 1,530 yards and a touchdown. 2011 was another solid season for Mariani, but injuries kept him off the field in 2012 and 2013.
The receiver was ultimately cut by the Titans, and he landed on the Bears. In 2015, the 29-year-old finished with 29 punt returns for 129 yards, as well as 16 kick returns for 418 yards. Mariani also finished with career-highs in receptions (22) and receiving yards (300). The Bears re-signed the veteran this offseason, but he was cut by the squad this weekend.
McBride, a seventh-round pick out of William & Mary, initially made the Titans roster over former second-rounder Justin Hunter.
Waiver Wire Priority For All 32 NFL Teams
Yesterday was the 53-man roster deadline, but the madness will continue today as teams pick through the waiver pile for talented discards. Priority is dictated by the reverse standings with tiebreakers where necessary, which is to say that it will be the same as the 2016 draft order before all the trades. Unlike your fantasy league’s waiver wire, a team does not go to the back of the list upon making a successful claim. That means that the league’s worst teams from 2015 have a significant advantage today as they make late roster additions.
Here is the complete waiver priority order:
1. Titans
2. Browns
3. Chargers
4. Cowboys
5. Jaguars
6. Ravens
7. 49ers
8. Dolphins
9. Buccaneers
10. Giants
11. Bears
12. Saints
13. Eagles
14. Raiders
15. Rams
16. Lions
17. Falcons
18. Colts
19. Bills
20. Jets
21. Redskins
22. Texans
23. Vikings
24. Bengals
25. Seahawks
26. Packers
27. Steelers
28. Chiefs
29. Patriots
30. Cardinals
31. Panthers
32. Broncos
Titans Cut Justin Hunter, Bishop Sankey
4:00pm: The Titans have made more cuts this afternoon, including another big name. Running back/wide receiver Dexter McCluster has been let go. McCluster averaged 4.5 yards per carry last season in Tennessee and averaged 8.4 yards per reception, but the Titans saw a better use for his roster spot. McCluster already pocketed a $350k roster bonus earlier this year, but the Titans will save $2.275MM in cash by cutting him.
Here is the full, updated list of Titans cuts so far:
- WR Justin Hunter
- RB Bishop Sankey
- RB/WR Dexter McCluster
- G Jeremiah Poutasi
- FB Sam Bergen (via ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky on Twitter)
- LB J.R. Tavai (via Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com on Twitter)
- TE Alex Ellis
- TE Jerome Cunningham
- RB David Fluellen
- DT Antwaun Woods
- WR Ben Roberts
- CB B.W. Webb (Twitter link via McCormick)
- LB Curtis Grant (via Kuharsky on Twitter)
- OL Will Poehls (via Kuharsky on Twitter)
- CB Kalan Reed (via McCormick on Twitter)
- WR Ben Hunter (via Kuharsky on Twitter)
- DB Marqueston Huff (via Rand Getlin of NFL.com on Twitter)
- C Ronald Patrick
- T Tyler Marz (Twitter link via McCormick)
- WR Andrew Turzilli
- LB Justin Staples
- S Curtis Riley
- K Aldrick Rosas
11:07am: The Titans have jettisoned a pair of notable players from the old front office regime. Wide receiver Justin Hunter and running back Bishop Sankey have both been cut, as Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com reports (Twitter links). 
Hunter, an exceptionally talented receiver, was drafted 34th overall in 2013. Since then, the Titans have been frustrated with Hunter and there have been rumblings that his work ethic was not up to par. Days ago, the Titans shipped out another talented wide receiver with perceived motivation problems when they traded Dorial Green-Beckham to the Eagles.
“It is still going to be hard (to make the team) because we have a lot of talented receivers in the group. We are fighting for spots, and you have to keep up and progress at the same time,” said the 25-year-old Hunter last month, acknowledging that his spot on the roster was not guaranteed.
Hunter has an uninspiring 68 receptions and eight touchdowns in 35 career games (13 starts). While Hunter has averaged an impressive 16.8 yards per catch, that number dropped to a career-worst 12.0 on 22 grabs last season. The 2015 campaign was a short one for Hunter, who only appeared in nine games as a result of a mid-November fractured ankle.
Sankey was once viewed as the Titans’ best running back and was expected to break out as a rookie in 2014. Sankey, 24 later this month, appeared in all 16 games for the Titans as a rookie but amassed only 569 yards off of 152 carries. Last season, Sankey’s role was reduced even further has he had only 47 rushing attempts for 193 yards in 13 games.
The surprising cuts didn’t stop there. The Titans are going to waive guard Jeremiah Poutasi, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Poutasi was an early third-round pick of the Titans last year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Titans Waive David Cobb
The Titans have dropped a notable name on their way to the NFL-mandated 75-man limit. David Cobb was cut this afternoon, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Wide receiver Jarrod West has also been cut.
Cobb was considered to be on the bubble this offseason as he battled it out with fellow running backs Bishop Sankey, Antonio Andrews and David Fluellen for a spot behind DeMarco Murray, Derrick Henry, and Dexter McCluster.
Cobb, 22, was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 draft by the Titans, but saw his NFL regular-season debut postponed due to a calf injury. Tennessee placed him on injured reserve with the designation to return, and activated him in November. In seven games (one start), Cobb rushed for 146 yards off of 52 carries.
Offseason In Review: Tennessee Titans
After one of the busiest offseasons in the NFL, the Titans are looking to take one major step forward in their rebuilding process.
Notable signings:
- Ben Jones, C: Four years, $17.5MM. $7.5MM guaranteed.
- Al Woods, DT: Three years, $10.5MM. $3.75MM guaranteed.
- Rishard Matthews, WR: Three years, $15MM. $2.5MM guaranteed.
- Brice McCain, CB: Two years, $4.4MM. $1MM guaranteed.
- Matt Cassel, QB: One year, $2MM. $750K guaranteed.
- Sean Spence, LB: One year, $2.5MM. $500K guaranteed.
- Rashad Johnson, S: One year, $2MM. $500K guaranteed. $1MM available via incentives.
- Antwon Blake, CB: One year, $1.5MM. $200K guaranteed.
- Andre Johnson, WR: Two years, $2.985MM.
There was lots of activity in Tennessee over these last few months, but relatively little happening on the free agent market. One notable move they did make was the signing of center Ben Jones, which strengthened their interior line while hurting the rival Texans. Given the season-ending injury suffered by presumptive starter Nick Martin, the loss of Jones will sting extra hard in Houston. 
Jones, 26, was with the Texans since 2012, when he entered the league as a fourth-round pick out of Georgia. He became Houston’s full-time starter in 2014, and he’s started all 32 games since. Jones posted solid marks from Pro Football Focus, which ranked him as the No. 18 center in the league last season, noting that he was better in the pass game than as a run-blocker.
Early on in free agency, the Titans re-signed defensive tackle Al Woods to a three-year pact. Woods, who recently turned 29, picked up 22 tackles in 14 games (nine starts) for the Titans in 2015. With fellow nose tackle Sammie Lee Hill recovering from a knee injury to open the season, Woods saw most of the playing time at the position, earning 362 defensive snaps to Hill’s 190 for the season. While Pro Football Focus ranked Woods just 88th out of 123 interior defenders, PFF gave him a solid grade as a run defender, and he was primarily used on early downs. At the time of his new deal, it looked like Woods would be slotted in as the team’s starting nose tackle. However, the Titans found their new starter in the draft (more on that later).
Wide receiver Rishard Matthews was a pleasant surprise for Dolphins fans and fantasy owners alike in 2015. In 11 contests last season, Matthews totaled 662 yards and averaged 15.4 per reception as the Fins’ downfield complement to Jarvis Landry. Unfortunately, a season-ending injury later in the season ended his breakout campaign prematurely. That bad break also may have capped his free agent market somewhat. Ultimately, the Titans were able to sign Matthews to a three-year deal with a paltry $2.5MM guaranteed. After Dorial Green-Beckham was jettisoned to Philly, Matthews probably now stands as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver.
Matthews isn’t the only Miami import as the Titans also signed cornerback Brice McCain. McCain started 10 games and played 735 defensive snaps for the Dolphins in 2015, picking up an interception to go along with 39 tackles. However, the Dolphins decided to cut him this year in order to save $2.5MM against the cap. Despite making 10 starts for Miami last year, he’ll play a reserve role this year behind starters Jason McCourty and Perrish Cox.
The Titans reportedly made quarterback Matt Cassel a priority in free agency as they wanted to shore up the quarterback position behind Marcus Mariota. Evidently, the Cassel signing was made so that the Titans could move on from Zach Mettenberger later on in the offseason.
Titans Cut Ropati Pitoitua, 11 Others
The Titans have made 12 roster moves today, moving their roster to 77 men, the club announced. Tennessee has until 3pm CT Tuesday to get to 75 players.
The Titans have made the following transactions:
Cut:
- Lamarcus Brutus, S
- Will Campbell, OL
- Donte Foster, WR
- Amarlo Herrera, LB
- Reece Horn, WR
- Deiontrez Mount, LB
- Tyler Patmon, CB
- Ropati Pitoitua, DL
- Nick Ritcher, G
- Mike Smith, DE
- Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB
Waived/Injured:
- Andy Gallik, C
Pitoitua, 31, seemed liked one of the likeliest cuts in the entire NFL. Pitoitua only played 31 defensive snaps last season, but was scheduled to count more than $3.8MM on the Titans’ salary cap. By releasing him, Tennessee will save $3.078MM.
Gallik, meanwhile, will revert to the Titans’ injured reserve list if he clears waivers.
Titans TE Craig Stevens Retires
Titans tight end Craig Stevens is calling it a career. After eight NFL seasons, Stevens is walking away from the game, a source tells Alex Marvez of the Sporting News. 
Stevens, 32 in September, appeared in all 16 games for the Titans last season. He caught 12 passes for 121 and 2 touchdowns. The pair of scores matched a previous career high set in 2010. Stevens, a blocking specialist, has been a member of the Titans since being selected in the third round of the 2008 draft. With eight straight years in Tennessee, he was one of the longest tenured members of the Titans.
Stevens leaves the game with 60 receptions for 724 yards and six touchdowns in his career.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dorial Green-Beckham On Titans-Eagles Trade
Newly minted Eagles receiver Dorial Green-Beckham commented Thursday on the unexpected trade that sent him from Tennessee to Philadelphia on Tuesday, telling Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer he’s “not necessarily sure” why the Titans dealt him. In return for the talented Green-Beckham, its second-round pick a year ago, Tennessee received offensive lineman Dennis Kelly.
The Titans were reportedly disappointed in Green-Beckham’s work ethic and conditioning, but the 23-year-old shot down the idea that he gave anything less than maximum effort with the club. DGB showed up to training camp “in great condition” this summer and did “everything” he needed to do, including put in extra work after practice, he informed Berman. Moreover, Green-Beckham refuted the notion that off-field concerns may have helped cause new Titans general manager Jon Robinson to part with him.
“Totally a whole different person,” he said. “The off-the-field stuff is in the past, has been in the past. That stuff, I’ve never heard anything since then being brought up from anyone. That tells me I’m doing the right things.”
Green-Beckham dealt with multiple legal issues at the University of Missouri, which led then-head coach Gary Pinkel to dismiss him from the team in April 2014. That came on the heels of allegations that Green-Beckham forced his way into a fellow student’s apartment and pushed her down at least four stairs. Police quickly closed the case, citing reluctant witnesses fearing retaliation, after the alleged victim and another woman (Green-Beckham’s then-girlfriend) told a detective they didn’t want to press charges. Prior to that ordeal, Green-Beckham was arrested twice for marijuana-related incidents – the first of which led to a one-game suspension.
When his time at Missouri ended, Green-Beckham transferred to Oklahoma, but he didn’t play a game with the Sooners and left school after the 2014 season to pursue his NFL career. In his first season in the pros, the 6-foot-5, 225-pounder hauled in 32 receptions, four touchdowns and averaged a lofty 17.2 yards per catch in 16 games (five starts). That wasn’t enough for the Titans to keep him around, though, and he’ll now try to make good on his vast potential in Philadelphia.
“I feel like being in this offense, I can catch a lot balls, score a lot of touchdowns,” he said.
Green-Beckham made his first appearance as an Eagle in their preseason game against the Steelers on Thursday, going without a catch while logging some second-half playing time.
Related links:
- Q&A with Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com
- Titans’ Justin Hunter on roster bubble?
- Despite DGB pickup, Eagles still seeking receivers
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Titans’ Justin Hunter On Roster Bubble?
Wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham was a second-round pick just a year ago, but that didn’t stop new Titans general manager Jon Robinson from trading DGB to Philaelphia on Tuesday. Now, another of Tennessee’s previous second-round picks – fellow wideout Justin Hunter – is worried about his job security.
[RELATED: Q&A with Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com]
In regards to the Green-Beckham deal, Hunter told Adam Vingan of the Tennessean, “I feel like it sent a message out to everybody — you better get your stuff right. I don’t think anyone in the locker room was expecting it.”
Hunter, whom the Titans drafted 34th overall in 2013, then admitted that cracking the Titans’ roster is going to be difficult.
“It is still going to be hard (to make the team) because we have a lot of talented receivers in the group. We are fighting for spots, and you have to keep up and progress at the same time,” said the 25-year-old.
Like the 6-foot-5, 237-pound Green-Beckham, Hunter (6-4, 203) is a big target. But that hasn’t led to much production in the NFL for the ex-Tennessee Volunteer. Hunter has an uninspiring 68 receptions and eight touchdowns in 35 career games (13 starts). While Hunter has averaged an impressive 16.8 yards per catch, that number dropped to a career-worst 12.0 on 22 grabs last season. The 2015 campaign was a short one for Hunter, who only appeared in nine games as a result of a mid-November fractured ankle.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota likes what Hunter has shown in returning from the injury.
“Coming back from an injury like that, being able to run routes, he’s been pretty clean and crisp in and out of his breaks,” the second-year signal-caller told Vignan.
Despite a vote of confidence from his QB, Hunter is wary about his status under a new regime.
“I feel like everybody is on the chopping block,’’ Hunter stated. “We have a new GM, and he didn’t draft too many people in here. Anybody could go at this point, and we are all fighting for a spot.”
It remains to be seen how many receivers will make the Titans’ initial 53-man roster in the first full season of the Mike Mularkey era, of course, but Vingan notes that they only kept four last year. As Roster Resource indicates, the club currently has free agent signings Rishard Matthews and Andre Johnson, Kendall Wright, Harry Douglas, fifth-round rookie Tajae Sharpe, second-year man Tre McBride and Hunter among its wideout options.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Titans Sign Two Receivers, Waive O-lineman
- The Titans announced that they have signed wide receivers Jarrod West and Donte Foster. The team also waived/injured offensive lineman Josue Matias. Matias, a 2015 UDFA addition, spent last year on Tennessee’s practice squad and is facing a six-month recovery.