Roger McCreary Aims To Remain With Titans
Roger McCreary has served as a mainstay in the Titans’ secondary during his three years in the league. The team’s slot corner is eligible for a new deal, and an extended stay in Tennessee would be welcomed in this case. 
“The Titans drafted me, I feel like this is always home for me, so I’ll always be happy to come back,” the 25-year-old said (via veteran Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky). “But I feel like it’s really not my decision – it’s in the upper room. So I’ve got to come out and just keep playing and if it comes it comes… If I play good, that’s going to come.”
Selected in the second round during the 2022 draft – then-GM Jon Robinson‘s final one at the helm, as it turned out – McCreary saw plenty of time on the outside during his rookie season. A shift inside began to take effect the following year, though, and last season he played almost exclusively in the slot. That will remain the case for 2025 with Jarvis Brownlee having played his way into a starting role on the perimeter.
Robinson was replaced by Ran Carthon, but that proved to be a short-lived setup. Carthon’s firing paved the way for Chad Brinker to take on the general manager role this offseason, although Chad Brinker resides as the Titans’ top decision-maker regarding roster moves. As Kuharsky notes, Brinker said at the start of training camp that no extension talks have taken place with McCreary to date. No deadline is in place for any potential negotiations to be cut off, however.
McCreary graded out as PFF’s No. 69 corner during his rookie season, but a step forward took place in 2023 (resulting in a 34th-place finish amongst qualifying players). Last year (as the Titans dealt with L’Jarius Sneed‘s absence for mush of the campaign but still managed a strong showing against the pass), he regressed and received a career-worst PFF grade of 61.3. The Auburn product would help his value considerably with a strong showing in 2025.
Sneed represents a potential cut candidate next spring based on his injury issues and the financial implications of moving on. Releasing the former Chief would eliminate the Titans’ most lucrative contract amongst defensive backs, something which could pave the way for a McCreary investment. It will be interesting to see if serious contract talks take place in the closing stages of the offseason.
Jaguars OL Dennis Daley Retires
Early this morning, the Jaguars announced that they have placed offensive lineman Dennis Daley on the reserve/retired list. Not much information has followed the announcement, but it appears Daley is hanging up his cleats at only 28 years old. 
Daley came into the league as a sixth-round pick out of South Carolina in 2019. After injuries to the interior offensive line forced the team to move starting left tackle Daryl Williams inside to cover and Greg Little, the rookie second-round tackle called in to replace him, went down, as well, Daley stepped into the starting left tackle role for nine games of his rookie year.
After starting Year 2 injured, Daley made three starts (two at right guard, one at left tackle) in five game appearances before getting placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the year. His third year in Carolina saw him continue to shuffle around, starting nine of 15 game appearances at right guard, left guard, and left tackle.
In 2022, the Panthers traded Daley and a seventh-round pick in 2024 to Tennessee in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round selection. When Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan went down on the first play of the team’s Week 2 matchup with a season-ending knee injury, Daley was inserted and started the remainder of the season as the Titans’ blindside blocker. Though the line helped running back Derrick Henry to finish second in rushing yards that year, Daley tied for the most sacks allowed in the NFL that season, and the line as a whole was considered one of the league’s worst.
In free agency, Daley signed a two-year, $3.2MM contract in Arizona. He ended up on IR just before the start of the regular season and only ended up playing in four contests with one start. The Cardinals released him in training camp last year, and he landed on the Jaguars’ practice squad. Ending the season with no game appearances, Daley signed a reserve/futures deal to spend the offseason with Jacksonville. In the end, he’ll never appear in a game with the Jaguars, now that he’s calling it a career.
In his short time with the NFL, Daley did more than a lot of sixth-round picks get to do. Starting 37 games in 54 appearances at multiple positions across the line, Daley made himself a reliable backup option despite a few major injuries of his own.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/3/25
Here are the minor NFL moves to close out the first weekend of August:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on IR: OL Valentin Senn
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: T Ozzie Hutchinson
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed off waivers (from Falcons): T Kilian Zierer
- Waived: FB Troy Hairston, WR Winston Wright
Dallas Cowboys
- Reverted to IR: T Matt Waletzko
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived (with injury settlement): CB David Long Jr.
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Kawaan Baker, TE Albert Okwuegbunam
- Waived: TE Pat Conroy, WR Kyle Philips
New York Jets
- Reverted to IR: S Jaylin Simpson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LS Christian Johnstone
- Waived: CB BJ Mayes
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Josiah Bronson, G Arlington Hambright
- Waived: WR Ramel Keyton, DE Devonte O’Malley
A couple more players waived with injury designations recently have made their way back to their teams on injured reserve.
In Philadelphia, Johnstone won an audition in which the Eagles worked out four longsnappers. This is Johnstone’s first NFL contract after going undrafted out of Appalachian State this year.
Titans Waive WR Treylon Burks
JULY 29: Burks cleared waivers and heads to the Titans’ IR list, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. An injury settlement, removing Burks from IR, will be the likely next course of action. That would lead him to free agency.
JULY 28: Treylon Burks‘ tenure in Tennessee is on track to come to an end. In the wake of his latest injury, the former first-rounder has been waived. 
This move has come with an injury designation, which comes as no surprise given the broken collarbone Burks recently suffered in training camp. Injuries have plagued the 25-year-old throughout his brief NFL tenure, which began when Tennessee selected him with the No. 18 pick in the 2022 draft. That selection was acquired by dealing A.J. Brown to the Eagles.
Given the link between the two wideouts created by the trade, Burks’ evaluations have always been measured against Brown’s Philadelphia success. During each of his three seasons with the Eagles so far, Brown has earned a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro acclaim; the 28-year-old was also a key figure in the team’s Super Bowl success in 2025. Burks, by contrast, entered this summer on Tennessee’s roster bubble.
The Arkansas product managed a career-best 444 yards as a rookie while being limited to 11 games. Optimism was high that, with better luck on the health front, he could round out his game and develop into a regular on offense with the Titans. Staying on the field has proven to be an issue, however – Burks missed six games again in 2023 and an ACL tear limited him to five contests last season – and when available he has not managed to meet expectations. The collarbone injury accelerated the timing for what could have been a decision to move on from the Titans closer to the start of the regular season.
Tennessee’s receiver depth chart will once again be headlined by Calvin Ridley this season. Veteran Tyler Lockett was added in free agency, as was Van Jefferson. The Titans used the draft to add a pair of Day 3 prospects at the position (Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor), and they will look to handle backup roles during their rookie seasons. Tennessee entered Monday with nearly $30MM in cap space, so finances will not be an issue if one of the veterans still on the market is targeted in the wake of this move.
Burks is now headed to waivers, with all teams free to claim him. Provided he goes unclaimed, he will revert to injured reserve. Situations such as these often result in a release being worked out along with an injury settlement. If that proves to be the case for Burks, his Titans stint will end on an unwanted but unsurprising note.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/25
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Keni-H Lovely
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from non-football injury list: LB Jake Hummel
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Deon Cain
- Waived: CB Daryl Porter Jr.
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from active/NFI list: DT Bobby Brown, P Sam Martin
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: RB Toa Taua
Detroit Lions
- Signed: CB Nick Whiteside
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from active/NFI list: OL Elgton Jenkins
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Josh Tupou
- Placed on IR: OT Jack Wilson
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: RB Nate Noel
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from active/PUP list: LB Chaz Chambliss
New England Patriots
- Activated from active/NFI list: S Josh Minkins
New Orleans Saints
- Released: OT Josh Ball
New York Jets
- Placed on reserve/retired list: RB Zach Evans
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: WR Quintez Cephus
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Donovan Kaufman
- Placed on IR: RB Kenny McIntosh (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Ramel Keyton
Jenkins, who switched to center this offseason, was dealing with a back injury in training camp and participated in a limited capacity on Monday, per USA Today’s Ryan Wood.
Evans, a sixth-round pick by the Rams in 2023, played in 10 games as a rookie but didn’t make the 53-man roster in 2024. He joined the Jets’ practice squad in December and signed a reserve/futures contract in January, but opted to retire instead.
Titans WR Treylon Burks Suffers Fractured Collarbone
Heading into perhaps his most meaningful season, former-first round wide receiver Treylon Burks experienced a significant setback today. The 25-year-old, coming off a season in which he missed the final 12 games with an ACL injury, fractured his collarbone today on a diving catch, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. A recovery timeline will come after he undergoes further testing, but he’ll certainly miss the start of the final year on his rookie contract. 
2025 is set to be a contract year for Burks after Tennessee opted to decline his fifth-year option. His rookie year showed some promise through a bit of adversity. Catching passes in one of Ryan Tannehill‘s last two years in a Derrick Henry-heavy offense, Burks was the second-leading wide receiver on the team with 444 yards and a touchdown off of 33 receptions. His rookie year had potential to be more, but a turf toe injury in Week 4 of the season led to an inconsistent, 11-game campaign. Year 2 was more of the same as a preseason LCL sprain hampered him coming into the year. Missing two separate three-game blocks, Burks’ inconsistency continued to the tune of only 16 receptions for 221 yards in 11 games.
After letting injury derail his first two seasons before they really had a chance to get going, Burks was in a tough spot. New head coach Brian Callahan told reporters before the season that Burks would need to contribute on special teams in order to justify his roster spot. Burks was healthy heading into Year 3, but his usage and targets began to dwindle. In the week following a nine-snap offensive performance in a home loss to the Colts, Burks suffered a knee injury in practice that would be reported weeks later as a “loose ACL” that, ultimately, required season-ending surgery.
With injuries having defined his career thus far, it’s extremely unfortunate for Burks to suffer this injury today. Rapoport claims that Burks showed up to training camp “in great shape,” and we saw reports back in June that he looked ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation. The collarbone is, at the very least, a setback, as he’ll need to get back up to full speed in the midst of the regular season.
Burks already faced the challenge of trying to gel with a new passer in rookie quarterback Cam Ward. Burks was set to be the clear WR2 to Calvin Ridley after the team neglected to re-sign free agents Tyler Boyd and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. The Titans, though, imported a ton of competition in the offseason, signing veteran free agents Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson, drafting two fourth-round rookies in Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor, and even signing Ward’s favorite target in college, Xavier Restrepo, as an undrafted free agent.
With the influx of new talent and only $2.66MM in cash owed to him this year, there was a non-zero chance that Burks could fail to make the initial 53-man roster. Honestly, if he wasn’t going to end up making it on the team, this injury may have helped him stay on the roster with an injury designation.
The Titans will make their decisions on how to handle all of that business in the days and weeks to come, but in the meantime, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that former Raiders wide receiver Ramel Keyton is signing with Tennessee to fill in the spot vacated by Burks. Keyton made the Raiders’ initial 53-man roster last year, despite going undrafted out of Tennessee, with a stellar preseason. After failing to appear in the team’s first three games, Keyton was waived and put on the practice squad. He was signed back to the active roster again in Week 9, playing significant snaps on the offense that week, but spent the rest of the season mostly as a special teamer.
At 6-foot-3, Keyton brings size to the room as he heads back to the state of his alma mater. With the Titans off tomorrow, Keyton will join the team on Monday. Burks, on the other hand, will conclude medical testing and begin determining his path back onto the field. He has one more year to show Tennessee he can play up to his draft stock when healthy, he’ll just be doing so with a late start to his 2025 campaign.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/25/25
Friday’s minor moves as we head into the weekend:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Mello Dotson, OLB J.J. Weaver
- Waived (with injury designation): CB M.J. Devonshire
- Waived: OLB Amare Barno
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Winston Wright
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): RB Israel Abanikanda
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: WR JaQuae Jackson
- Waived: T Elijah Ellis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Reverted to reserve/PUP list: T Silas Dzansi
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Matt Landers
- Waived: WR Colton Dowell
CB Rumors: Flott, Giants, Sneed, Titans, Hill, Bengals, Barron, Broncos, Diggs, Packers
The Giants used a first-round pick on Deonte Banks in 2023 but have not seen the Maryland product justify his draft slot yet. This led to the Paulson Adebo signing. While Adebo is entrenched as a first-stringer, Banks may not be merely set to slide from New York’s No. 1 cornerback to a sidekick role. Cor’Dale Flott‘s latest summer ascent continues, as The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes the fourth-year defender received the first crack at the CB2 role during team drills. This appears a full-on competition. Flott had received minicamp work with the 1s, doing so after he impressed last summer en route to a slot-to-boundary shift.
Banks has started all 29 games he has played; being unable to hold off Flott would represent another setback for the former No. 24 overall pick. Flott would not have a path back to the starting slot role were he to lose this battle, as 2024 third-rounder Dru Phillips resides there now. This competition represents a big chance for the 2022 third-round pick, who is due for free agency in 2026.
Here is the latest from NFL secondaries:
- A quad injury led to a lengthy L’Jarius Sneed absence last season; it was severe enough to end his season five games in. The trade acquisition did not receive full clearance during the Titans’ offseason program; this came before he proclaimed himself fully healthy in late June. Sneed has since landed on the active/PUP list. Brian Callahan said (via ESPN.com’s Turron Davenport) a knee surgery led to placement on the injured list. The knee cleanup, rather than the quad injury, kept Sneed out of Tennessee’s offseason program. An ominous June report suggested anything the Titans receive from Sneed in 2025 would be “a bonus.” This is a situation to monitor, as Sneed is on a four-year, $76.4MM extension.
- In better AFC CB news, Dax Hill avoided Cincinnati’s active/PUP list. Coming back from a Week 5 ACL tear, Hill avoided the Bengals‘ camp injured list despite not participating during Cincy’s offseason program, SI.com’s Jay Morrison notes. While Hill will be eased into work slowly, new DC Al Golden said the former first-round pick — a converted safety — has the flexibility to play outside or in the slot. Hill saw just 23 slot snaps last season before going down, playing mostly on the boundary. Despite Hill not contributing much just yet, the team picked up the young DB’s fifth-year option in May.
- On the versatility topic, Jahdae Barron could land at multiple positions in Denver. While the first-round pick has been viewed as most likely to replace Ja’Quan McMillian in the slot this year, the Denver Post’s Luca Evans notes he opened Broncos camp as the starting outside corner opposite Patrick Surtain. This would threaten Riley Moss‘ job security, but the Broncos have been cross-training their top draftee. Barron played across the secondary at Texas, including at safety, giving Denver a chess piece of sorts, but primarily manned the perimeter during his standout 2024. Moss impressed before a late-season MCL injury last year, but Barron could carve out some time at the CB2 spot rather than merely being a slot-focused cog.
- Bo Melton‘s wide receiver-to-corner switch is sticking. With the Packers loaded at wide receiver following first- and third-round investments, Matt LaFleur said (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman) Melton will indeed play mostly corner during training camp. A wideout during his first three seasons, Melton began working at corner during the Pack’s offseason program. While not a roster lock at corner, Melton will switch and avoid a logjam that includes the team’s four top incumbent WRs (Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Christian Watson) along with Matthew Golden and Savion Williams.
- Trevon Diggs saw a $500K salary reduction for not working enough at the Cowboys‘ facility this offseason, per the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins. Diggs needed to attend 84% of Dallas’ offseason workouts to ensure the $500K. Although the former All-Pro corner said he was surprised the Cowboys are withholding the $500K, he indicated he remains happy in Dallas (Twitter links via Watkins and CBS Sports’ Patrik Walker). Diggs, whose knee rehab leaves him likely to miss early-season time, is due $8.5MM in base salary this season.
Titans Unlikely To Add Another Quarterback
The Titans are down a quarterback following Will Levis‘ sudden season-ending shoulder surgery. While the injury opens up even more camp reps for first-overall pick Cam Ward, there was some speculation that the organization could look to add another player at the position.
[RELATED: Titans QB Will Levis To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery]
It sounds like that won’t be the case. Titans GM Mike Borgonzi told reporters that he feels good about his current grouping of quarterbacks and doesn’t anticipate adding another player to the mix (via Jim Wyatt of the team’s website). Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com passed along a similar sentiment yesterday, stating that the Titans are unlikely to add a fourth QB to the depth chart.
To the Titans’ credit, the team did add a pair of veteran QBs to their roster this offseason, bringing in both Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle. Allen brings 10 games of starting experience to Tennessee, one of which came last season with the 49ers. In that contest, the veteran completed 17 of his 29 pass attempts for 199 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a San Francisco loss. Boyle is winless in his five career starts, including a two-game starting gig with the Jets during the 2023 campaign.
Those two options are uninspiring, and there’s a chance the team only carries one backup heading into the regular season. Allen would appear to have the upper hand in the QB2 competition, as the player previously worked with head coach Brian Callahan when the two were in Cincinnati.
“He’s got a great feel for the system, how to operate,” Callahan said of Allen (via John Glennon of the Nashville Post). “He understands the role of the backup quarterback. He’s got a lot of experience he can share with Cam as well, from all the places he’s been, and things he’s done and seen … He can help manage the offense, operate it when he steps in there.”
Despite being in the NFL for only two seasons, Levis brings more starting experience than his two potential replacements, as the former second-round pick got an extended look as QB1 between 2023 and 2024. The team’s addition of Ward put Levis in a somewhat awkward spot, and the incumbent was a popular name in trade rumors this offseason. With Levis now out for the season, he’ll be sticking in Tennessee at least through the 2025 campaign.
Titans Signing OLB Jihad Ward
July 24: The Titans waived defensive tackle Keondre Coburn in a corresponding move, according to Paul Kuharsky. Head coach Brian Callahan indicated (via Main Street Media’s Terry McCormick) that he wants to give the team’s younger defensive linemen more reps in training camp.
July 23: A day after watching their free agent pass rushing addition Lorenzo Carter announce his retirement, the Titans have moved on a body to replace him. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, Tennessee is signing veteran outside linebacker Jihad Ward.
The Titans had been hoping that Carter’s veteran starting experience would help improve a defensive unit that tied for third-worst in the NFL in team sacks in 2024 with only 32. Losing leading sack-getter Harold Landry this offseason — they released him when they were unable to find a suitable trade partner for him — didn’t help much in that regard, and Carter bowing out before training camp even started made the team’s job of improving that much more difficult.
Ward’s never exactly been a world-beater, but his recent production is not all that far off from Carter’s. Both are on the larger size for defensive ends, as well, so Ward is a curiously fitting replacement for Carter coming in. Where Ward brings a bit more potential, though, is his ability to learn new systems. Whereas Carter had only played for two teams before signing with Tennessee, the Titans will be Ward’s eighth franchise, and he’ll just need a stint in Houston now to check the entire AFC South off his list.
A second-round pick in 2016, Ward never quite lived up to his draft stock. The 13 games he started in his rookie campaign were the most in any season of his career, and they didn’t result in a single sack. After a left foot injury held him out of 10 contests in his second season, the Raiders traded Ward to Dallas, but the team waived him in final roster cuts. He landed on the Colts’ practice squad but was signed to the active roster a little over a week later. In six games of play, Ward recorded three sacks, but an ankle injury ended his season early once again. Indianapolis re-signed him based on the potential he showed but ended up releasing him four games into the following season.
Over the next three seasons, Ward spent time coming off the bench for the Ravens and Jaguars, but in 2022, Ward signed with the Giants and earned a starting role on the defense. In two seasons with New York, Ward started 20 of 34 contests recording eight sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and 22 quarterback hits. He spent last season with the Vikings. Ward only made two starts while appearing in every game, and though he only recorded one sack, he was constantly getting to the passer with a career-high 14 quarterback hits.
The starters for Tennessee will still be Arden Key and Dre’Mont Jones, and the team will still mainly be relying on Key, Jones, and Jeffery Simmons for their sack numbers, but Ward acts as a decent depth piece to a defense that needs it. At worst, he’s a pretty perfect plug and play in lieu of Carter.