Brian Schwenke Seeing Left Guard Reps
- Brian Schwenke has taken reps at left guard during Titans workouts, as his center position figures to belong to the recently signed Ben Jones, Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com notes. Going into his contract year, Schwenke has started in each of the 25 games he’s played. But that streak may come to an end if the former fourth-round pick out of Cal can’t beat out Jeremiah Poutasi at left guard. This poses as an interesting competition, considering Poutasi saw most of his snaps at right tackle last season and Schwenke has played center since 2013, although Schwenke played guard for three years with the Golden Bears. The latter broke his leg last October and continues to rehabilitate toward 100% health.
Titans Waive Nick Harwell And Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil
- The Titans waived wide receiver Nick Harwell and waived/injured linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets, adding that Cudjoe-Virgil could revert to injured reserve if he clears waivers.
Four Titans Running Backs Seemingly Fighting For One Roster Spot
- Running backs DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry are locks to make the Titans roster, and Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com believes Dexter McCluster will also make the team. As a result, Wyatt sees David Cobb, Bishop Sankey, Antonio Andrews and David Fluellen fighting for one roster spot.
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Titans Place Byron Bell On IR, Sign Reece Horn
- The Titans announced that they have officially placed tackle Byron Bell on injured reserve. Bell, 27, suffered a dislocated ankle in May which ended his season before it could even begin. The veteran restored his value by moving across the offensive line across a full 16-game season. In a related move, the Titans have added undrafted wide receiver Reece Horn, a University of Indianapolis product who managed nearly 1,400 yards receiving in 2015. Horn participated in the Colts’ rookie minicamp last month.
Texans Sign Second-Round Pick Kevin Dodd
- The Titans have signed second-round outside linebacker Kevin Dodd, as Jim Wyatt of Titans Online writes. Nine of the team’s ten draft picks have now reached deals with the team and safety Kevin Byard stands as the lone straggler. Dodd, who recorded 12 sacks last season at Clemson, has been sidelined from OTAs after undergoing foot surgery last week. The Titans have high hopes for Dodd and so does veteran Brian Orakpo. “He is just a natural pass rusher,’’ Orakpo said of Dodd. “He knows how to get after the quarterback. I love what he brings to the table. I am very excited to have him on the team. He is going to make everyone better, and we’re going to get him better and he is going to help the pass rush.”
Titans Could Be Looking for Wideouts
- The Titans have the top spot in the waiver wire, and Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com suggests that the team could looking to add another receiver. With eight wideouts on the current roster, Wyatt believes the coaching staff will likely take a look at their own guys before making any moves.
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Peyton Manning Was "Pretty Close" to Signing With Titans in 2012
- Speaking of quarterbacks, Peyton Manning told Tennessean sports editor Dave Ammenheuser that he “was pretty close” to signing with the Titans instead of the Broncos in 2012. Having played for the University of Tennessee, Manning has an obvious connection to the state, and there were previous rumors that he could take a front office role with the organization.
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Minor NFL Transactions: 5/25/16
Today’s minor moves:
- The Buccaneers have signed undrafted free agent Javien Elliott, formerly of Florida State, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Elliott accrued 37 tackles, a sack and an interception for the Seminoles last season.
- Offensive lineman Darius Johnson, whom the Lions cut on Tuesday, has cleared waivers, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Johnson signed with the Lions as an undrafted free agent from Middle Tennessee State earlier this month.
- The Buccaneers have waived cornerback C.J. Wilson, according to Auman (Twitter link). Wilson missed all of last season after losing two fingers in a July 4 fireworks accident. Prior to that horrific accident, he appeared in a total of four games from 2013-14 – his first two seasons in the league. Wilson will continue his career in a vastly different climate, per Auman, who reports that he has signed with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
- Wide receiver Andre Debose, whom the Raiders waived/injured Tuesday, cleared waivers and has reverted to injured reserve, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- The Titans have been awarded tight end Jerome Cunningham off waivers, reports Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. Cunningham, whom the Jets waived Tuesday, appeared in nine games last season and caught eight passes for 59 yards.
- The Broncos have an agreement with second-round defensive lineman Adam Gotsis, Mike Klis of 9NEWS tweets. As per his slot, Gotsis’ deal comes with a signing bonus of just over $1MM. Gotsis, a Georgia Tech product, is currently sidelined due to the torn ACL he suffered last year.
- The Bengals signed fourth-round defensive tackle Andrew Billings, as Wilson tweets. In related news, the team signed fullback Andrew Bonnet and waived-injured kicker Jonathan Brown.
- The Bears announced that they have signed linebacker Jarrett Grace, an undrafted rookie from Notre Dame. To make room, fellow linebacker Danny Mason has been placed on waivers.
- The Falcons announced that they have waived offensive lineman Cody Elenz. Elenz was signed as a college free agent following the draft. Even after cutting Elenz, Atlanta has 15 offensive linemen on their 88-man roster.
- The Packers released guard/tackle Vince Kowalski, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets.
Titans’ Byron Bell Out For Season
Bad news for the Titans as offensive lineman Byron Bell has suffered a dislocated ankle that will sideline him for the entire 2016 season, coach Mike Mularkey tells reporters (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of Titans Online). 
Bell was expected to “be in the mix” for the right tackle job in 2016 prior to the draft, though the selection of Jack Conklin probably put him in line for a key spot in the offensive line rotation instead. Last year, Bell started eight games at right tackle, seven games at left guard, and then started the season finale at left tackle when Taylor Lewan was sidelined.
“Since I’ve been in the league, I have played four positions,’’ Bell said at the end of the season. “I am blessed to still be playing ball. I just want to be a guy who is dependable, and be a guy a team can count on.”
Bell, 27, spent his first four NFL seasons with the Panthers, starting 56 of the 62 regular season contests he played for the club since 2011. In 2014, the New Mexico product was handed the reins at left tackle for the first time, and the results were not pretty. Bell graded out as the second-worst offensive tackle in football out of 84 qualified players, with a -33.4 overall rating, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Only Jake Matthews of the Falcons (-36.8) finished lower. Last year, he restored his value by moving across the O-Line across a full 16 game season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Titans To Sign Jack Conklin
The Titans have agreed to sign first-round draft pick Jack Conklin, Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com writes. With the No. 8 overall pick in the fold, the Titans have now signed eight of their ten draft picks from this year’s class. 
Conklin is currently working at both left and right tackle in his early practices with the Titans. Conklin is projected to start at right tackle this season, but he could also be the team’s top option in the event that left tackle Taylor Lewan gets hurt. Conklin played at right tackle in his first three games at Michigan State before taking over the left tackle spot.
In recent years, the Titans have pushed for offset language to be included in their first-rounders’ rookie contracts. It will be interesting to see whether the Titans got their way when it comes to offset language or whether they made an exception for the Michigan State product. Last year, the Titans and Marcus Mariota had protracted contract talks over that exact issue.
The Titans, of course, started out with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. When they still had the top pick, Tennessee was widely connected to Ole Miss lineman Laremy Tunsil. When the Rams offered up a bounty of picks to get into the top spot, the Titans likely had Conklin in mind, which made them comfortable enough to move down. At Conklin’s introductory press conference late last month, Titans GM Jon Robinson described Conklin as a perfect fit for the team.
“When coach (Mike) Mularkey and I set out three months ago, we talked about building a tough, team-first, accountable football team and we were able to add a player (in Jack) to this roster that embodies everything that Tennessee Titans football is going to be about,’’ Robinson said. “He is an outstanding football player, and more importantly for us he is an outstanding young man. He is going to represent this football team, his family and the Tennessee Titans family and (make) the city of Nashville proud.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.