HEADLINES

Tennessee Titans News & Rumors

Titans’ Ryan Tannehill Not Seeking Release

November 17th, 2023 at 10:29pm CST by Adam La Rose

Speculation (and at least one false report) has emerged recently indicating Ryan Tannehill intends to depart the Titans to pursue a starting role elsewhere in 2023. The veteran quarterback made it clear on Friday that is not the case.

Tannehill, who entered the season with questions about his future in Tennessee given his age and contract status, has seen his run as a starter come to an end. Despite returning to health from an ankle injury, the 35-year-old has been demoted to backup behind rookie Will Levis. The latter has started each of the past three games, and he will remain the No. 1 moving forward.

That appeared to make Tannehill a trade chip ahead of the deadline, though the Titans would have needed to retain a portion of his remaining 2023 salary ($27MM) for a swap to be feasible. With the trade deadline having come and gone, a release would now be necessary for him to find a new team – either by being claimed off waivers or clearing and signing with an interested suitor as a free agent. When speaking to the media, Tannehill confirmed that is not in the cards.

“I was kind of caught off guard by those reports as well,” the former Comeback Player of the Year said, via Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky (video link). “Obviously, I have a desire to play, but I just don’t know what that looks like at this point.” 

Tannehill added no discussions have taken place with head coach Mike Vrabel on the topic of releasing him before the end of the campaign. While a number of teams in contention for a postseason berth could certainly use a veteran signal-caller, Tannehill will be a valued member of a QBs room which features Levis and Malik Willis, who has 66 pass attempts to his name. Unless Levis loses his grip on the starter’s role, though, Tannehill is in line for an interesting free agent period.

The latter will see his four-year, $118MM deal expire in March, setting him up for a departure from Nashville. As things currently stand, though, he is content for that to mark the point at which he entertains offers on a contract allowing him to reclaim a starting gig.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/15/23

November 15th, 2023 at 7:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor roster moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

So far this year, Zakelj, the second-year interior offensive lineman, has only appeared in four games on special teams, but the team intended for him to compete with free agent signing Jon Feliciano for the backup center job behind starter Jake Brendel. With Aaron Banks out last week, and with the coaches wanting to get Feliciano more involved at right guard anyway, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports, Zakelj became a key backup at center. Unfortunately for Zakelj and the 49ers, a torn bicep will require surgery, taking Zakelj out for the remainder of the season.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/15/23

November 15th, 2023 at 7:06pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s practice squad moves:

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Price was brought in to serve as center depth after an injury to starting center Tyler Biadasz. He ended up losing the backup center job to Brock Hoffman, who has played in nine games and started one of them for the Cowboys this year.

Verrett, a veteran cornerback, has been stuck on the Texans practice squad for just over a month now without making an appearance. Despite following former defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to Houston, he reportedly didn’t fit the plan for the team moving forward, mostly due to the fact that he doesn’t play on special teams. This extends Verrett’s NFL absence as he has still not seen regular season action since September of 2021.

Assault Charge Against Titans RB Hassan Haskins Dropped

November 12th, 2023 at 11:40am CST by Rory Parks

At the end of September, Terry McCormick of MainStreetMediaTN.com reported that the charge of aggravated assault by strangulation against Titans running back Hassan Haskins had been dropped. Haskins was charged in June following an argument with his girlfriend, Makiah Green (who was, at the time of McCormick’s report, still facing her own charges of aggravated assault by strangulation, vandalism over $2,500, and assault with a deadly weapon).

Haskins will nonetheless be unable to suit up for Tennessee this year, as he was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury before roster cutdowns at the end of August. One day later, he was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List due to the pending criminal charge, though he was removed from the list shortly after his assault charge was dropped, which made him eligible to return to the team facility.

Even though he avoided criminal penalties and will apparently avoid any league discipline as well, Haskins’ future with the Titans remains unclear. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft by the club’s prior GM, Jon Robinson, and received just 25 carries in his rookie campaign (which did give him the second-most rushing attempts among Tennessee’s running backs, as bell cow Derrick Henry once again served as the team’s offensive fulcrum). The Titans’ new GM, Ran Carthon, added promising talent Tyjae Spears in the third round of this year’s draft, and in July, it was reported that Haskins had fallen behind Spears on the depth chart.

Obviously, missing the entirety of his second pro season will not help Haskins’ cause. On the other hand, Henry is eligible for free agency at the end of the season, and if the Titans decide against giving a new contract to the two-time rushing champion, Haskins may have a chance to earn a larger workload.

At present, Tennessee’s other running backs include the likes of Julius Chestnut (currently on IR) and Jonathan Ward.

Injured Reserve Return Tracker

November 11th, 2023 at 9:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a 2022 rule change, teams can activate up to eight players from injured reserve. That has reintroduced some strategy into how franchises proceed with their activations, and teams will again need to be cognizant of their activation counts in 2023.

The NFL had reintroduced IR-return options in the 2010s, after a period in which an IR move meant a player’s season was over. But the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the league to loosen restrictions on IR from 2020-21. Teams were permitted to use unlimited activations to start the decade, but roster math is again a consideration.

Players who land on IR after cutdown day must miss at least four games. Once a team designates a player for return, the activation clock starts. Clubs have 21 days from a player’s return-to-practice date to activate that player. If no activation commences in that window, the player reverts to season-ending IR.

Here is how the NFL’s remaining two IR situations look for Super Bowl LVIII:

Kansas City Chiefs

Activated:

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 3

San Francisco 49ers

Designated for return:

Reverted to season-ending IR:

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 4

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/11/23

November 11th, 2023 at 9:06pm CST by Ely Allen

The NFL’s minor moves, including gameday callups for Sunday of Week 10:

Atlanta Falcons

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

November 10th, 2023 at 8:44am CST by Adam La Rose

Yesterday’s Panthers-Bears game carried signficant draft implications, as many noted in the build-up to the primetime matchup. With Carolina having dealt its 2024 first-round pick to Chicago as part of the deal involving last year’s No. 1 selection, the Bears were able to boost their chances of picking first in April with a win.

Owning the top selection in a draft touted for having multiple high-end options at the quarterback spot would of course add further to the speculation surrounding Justin Fields. The Bears gave the 24-year-old a vote of confidence last spring by trading out of the No. 1 slot, but he has yet to develop as hoped this season. Chicago could opt for a fresh start under center (particularly if they declined Fields’ fifth-year option) this spring while also having the opportunity to add help elsewhere on the roster with their own first-rounder, which seems destined to fall within the top 10 or perhaps even top five selections.

Of course, teams like the Giants, Cardinals and Patriots have experienced signficant troubles of their own this year. A continuation of their first half performances could leave them in pole position for the Caleb Williams–Drake Maye sweepstakes. All three teams face potential uncertainty with respect to their current passers’ futures, despite each having term remaining on their respective contracts.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. With plenty still to be sorted out over the coming months, here is an early look at the current draft order:

  1. Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
  2. Arizona Cardinals: 1-8
  3. New York Giants: 2-7
  4. New England Patriots: 2-7
  5. Chicago Bears: 3-7
  6. Los Angeles Rams: 3-6
  7. Green Bay Packers: 3-5
  8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3-5
  9. Denver Broncos: 3-5
  10. Tennessee Titans: 3-5
  11. Atlanta Falcons: 4-5
  12. Washington Commanders: 4-5
  13. Indianapolis Colts: 4-5
  14. Las Vegas Raiders: 4-5
  15. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
  16. New York Jets: 4-4
  17. Los Angeles Chargers: 4-4
  18. Buffalo Bills: 5-4
  19. New Orleans Saints: 5-4
  20. Minnesota Vikings: 5-4
  21. Dallas Cowboys: 5-3
  22. Pittsburgh Steelers: 5-3
  23. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  24. Cincinnati Bengals: 5-3
  25. Seattle Seahawks: 5-3
  26. San Francisco 49ers: 5-3
  27. Miami Dolphins: 6-3
  28. Jacksonville Jaguars: 6-2
  29. Detroit Lions: 6-2
  30. Baltimore Ravens: 7-2
  31. Kansas City Chiefs: 7-2
  32. Philadelphia Eagles: 8-1

Titans To Keep Will Levis As Starter; Ryan Tannehill Moved To Backup Role

November 7th, 2023 at 10:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Will Levis did not beat out Malik Willis for the backup role out of training camp, but after two starts in relief of Ryan Tannehill, the second-round rookie will make a major jump. Mike Vrabel named Levis his starter going forward.

Once Tannehill recovers from his latest ankle injury, Vrabel confirmed (via ESPN.com’s Turron Davenport) he will be the backup. This will be Tannehill’s first time in a backup role since the opening weeks of the 2019 season, when Tennessee kept Marcus Mariota in place as the starter.

Like Mariota in 2019, Tannehill is in a contract year. Following the ex-Dolphins starter’s surprisingly productive (and surprisingly healthy) stretch upon replacing Mariota four years ago, the Titans gave Tannehill a four-year extension worth $118MM. This came just before the start of free agency in 2020, allowing the team to use its franchise tag on Derrick Henry. Tannehill started 61 games for the Titans over the past five seasons. Barring a Levis injury, it looks likely he will not start a 62nd for the team.

Although Warren Moon and Dan Pastorini started more games than Tannehill with the franchise, only Steve McNair outranks the 2012 first-rounder for QB starts as a Titan. The team was believed to have considered Tannehill trades this past April, when it was regularly linked to moving up for a first-round quarterback. New GM Ran Carthon was believed to have bowed out of the running for a Round 1 move up when the Texans chose C.J. Stroud. In Round 2, however, Carthon resumed the pursuit by trading up with the Cardinals for Levis.

As Tannehill moves toward free agency, Levis joins Stroud and Anthony Richardson as long-term options under center in the AFC South. The No. 33 overall pick, Levis took a more complicated route to this point. He was widely expected to become a first-round pick, with the Colts frequently connected to the Kentucky product. After Indianapolis went with Richardson, Levis tumbled down the board and out of the first round. The Titans traded a 2024 third-rounder to move up for Levis, who has an extended runway to show he can be Tennessee’s unquestioned starter for the ’24 season.

In two games as a starter, Levis has completed 60.3% of his passes — at 7.4 yards per throw — and tallied four touchdown tosses compared to one interception. The Titans topped the Falcons in Week 8, with Levis hitting DeAndre Hopkins for three scores, and narrowly lost to the Steelers in Week 9. Had the Titans drifted off track to start the season, an extended look was always likely for Levis. Now that Tennessee sits 3-5, the team will see what Levis can offer down the stretch.

Both Tannehill and Willis were acquired during GM Jon Robinson‘s run. With Carthon drafting Levis, this could begin a new era for the Titans. Willis remains on Tennessee’s 53-man roster, but after Levis leapfrogged him, the raw passer has a cloudy future in Nashville. Tannehill has now missed seven games over the past two seasons due to ankle trouble. That will likely affect his 2024 free agency bid, though teams should still be interested in a quarterback who piloted the Titans to three playoff berths and the 2019 AFC championship game.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/7/23

November 7th, 2023 at 8:35pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Tuesday’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Price finds his way to injured reserve with an undisclosed injury in order to make room for quarterback Kyler Murray, who was activated from IR this afternoon. Price spent time on IR last year with a knee injury before missing the first five games of this season, as well.

Vilain and Wooten join eight other defenders on IR as Carolina continues to deal with injury issues on that side of the ball. They recently added veteran pass rusher Justin Houston to the injured list but may soon get back linebacker Marquis Haynes after opening his 21-day practice window yesterday.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/7/23

November 7th, 2023 at 7:59pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the NFL’s practice squad moves from today:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: LB Ace Eley

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

  • Signed: WR T.J. Luther

New York Giants

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

The Jets have decided to shoulder the risk of bringing on Winfrey, who was waived by the Browns in July after facing his second allegation of violence against a woman. He was not charged with anything in the case that led to his release from Cleveland, but combined with past off-field incidents, the allegations were enough to propel him towards free agency.

Load More Posts