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Tennessee Titans News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/28/23

October 28th, 2023 at 7:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are the gameday elevations and other minor moves made around the league in advance of Week 8:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Wilkinson’s loss will be notable for the Cardinals, given his status as an entrenched starter at the left guard spot. The 28-year-old joined Arizona on a one-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum in free agency after stints in Denver, Chicago and Atlanta. Trystan Colon replaced him in the starting lineup in Week 7, and that will likely continue for the time being. Wilkinson will be out for at least four weeks as a result of the IR move.

Ridgeway has been out since Week 1, his Texans debut. The former 49er joined the Texans in a move which allowed him to continue working under head coach DeMeco Ryans. Ridgeway ended last season on IR, so he will be looking for an extended run of availability in his new home. A veteran of 78 games (and 19 starts), he will aim to carve out a rotational role up front.

Peters was brought in by the Seahawks while they were dealing with injury problems at both tackle spots. Blindside blocker Charles Cross has since returned, so Peters’ most familiar spot will not be available if he is to make his Seattle debut on Sunday. The fact the latter is healthy and in game shape does mean, however, that he will be eligible to play in a 19th NFL season.

Titans Planning To Start Will Levis In Week 8; Malik Willis Expected To See Time

October 27th, 2023 at 1:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

OCTOBER 27: As expected, the Titans ruled out Tannehill for Week 8. After not missing a start during his first three seasons with Tennessee, the former injury-prone Miami starter has seen ankle trouble sideline him again. This will be Tannehill’s sixth ankle-driven absence in the past two seasons.

OCTOBER 25: Exiting their bye at 2-4, the Titans made a notable trade Monday in sending All-Pro safety Kevin Byard to the Eagles. On the heels of that decision, Tennessee is expected to roll with an unorthodox plan at quarterback in Week 8.

Mike Vrabel said both Malik Willis and Will Levis are likely to play against the Falcons, but NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds the rookie is expected to make the start in the event Ryan Tannehill cannot go. Dealing with an ankle injury, Tannehill is unlikely to play against Atlanta. The Titans may go as far to alternate Levis and Willis by series, Vrabel added (via ESPN.com’s Turron Davenport), though the sixth-year Tennessee HC did not confirm Tannehill would miss the game.

When Tannehill went down during the Titans’ loss to the Ravens in London, Willis received the first call. The 2022 third-round pick worked as Tannehill’s backup for much of last season, though he experienced initial struggles acclimating to the NFL. Willis still beat out Levis for Tennessee’s QB2 job coming into this season, but the Titans will take a longer look at the second-round rookie. The No. 33 overall pick is on track to see more time than Willis, per Rapoport.

The Titans are in the unusual position of attempting to develop two quarterbacks behind Tannehill. While Willis qualifies as a developmental option, he did not threaten Tannehill’s job security last season. Willis’ first-year woes (50.8% completion rate, 4.5 yards per attempt) led the Titans to sign Josh Dobbs off the Lions’ practice squad late last year and use the latter as their starter in Weeks 17 and 18. Willis also arrived under since-fired GM Jon Robinson, whereas new GM Ran Carthon selected Levis in April.

Closely linked to a quarterback trade-up in Round 1, the Titans engaged in talks with the Cardinals about moving up to No. 3. C.J. Stroud was believed to be the team’s target, but when the Texans chose Stroud at No. 2 overall, the Titans are believed to have backed out of trade talks and regrouped. Tennessee chose guard Peter Skoronski at No. 11 but made its QB strike early the following night, reengaging with the Cards by moving up eight spots for Levis, who was heavily rumored to be a first-round pick.

Mentioned as a Colts target at No. 4 overall, Levis indeed had fans in Indianapolis’ building. But the Colts look to have run a bit of a smokescreen aimed at drafting Anthony Richardson. A two-year starter at Kentucky, Levis tumbled out of Round 1 and hit the developmental track as the other top QBs in this class received calls to start in Week 1.

The Titans entered their bye week bracing for another Tannehill absence. The 12th-year quarterback missed two sections of last season because of ankle trouble, the first of which coming around midseason and leading Willis into the lineup. Vrabel likened Tannehill’s current injury to the one he sustained midway through last year, as opposed to the malady that required a season-ending surgery last December. Tannehill, 35, is in the final season of a four-year Titans contract. Levis seeing extended time this season makes sense, and signs of a long Levis look open the door to more seller’s trades from a Titans team that made several cost-cutting moves this offseason.

Jets’ Dalvin Cook Seeking Trade; Carl Lawson Eyeing Larger Role

October 27th, 2023 at 10:19am CST by Sam Robinson

While veteran additions highlighted the Jets’ offseason plan, their Aaron Rodgers-centered blueprint quickly changed. Although the future Hall of Fame quarterback has not given up hope of returning late this season and is under contract through 2024, some of the vets the Jets eyed as complementary pieces this year do not presently possess notable roles.

The Jets already traded Mecole Hardman because of the speed merchant’s reduced playing time, and Dalvin Cook is seeking to follow him out the door. Going from a free agent linked to a few teams to an afterthought, Cook said (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) he is planning to approach GM Joe Douglas about a trade. Cook’s name has already come up in trade rumors, with a recent report indicating the Jets would be fine with moving him.

“It’s something I can’t control, that my name is being floated around in trade rumors,” Cook said, via Cimini. “It might be a good thing. Maybe [it’s] a bad thing.”

The Vikings attempted to trade Cook for weeks before releasing him in May. The Dolphins had discussed a trade with the Vikings, but Cook ended up spending several weeks in free agency. Connected to Miami and New England, Cook instead ended up in New York, with Rodgers playing a key part in bringing the former Pro Bowler to town. Cook, who is tied to a one-year deal worth $7MM, entered the season as the only back who had surpassed 1,100 rushing yards in each of the past four seasons. Through six Jets games, he has 109 yards on 39 carries. Breece Hall‘s return from an October 2022 ACL tear has marginalized Cook, whose 2.8-yard average ranks last out of qualified backs this season.

Cook said he expected more responsibilities with the Jets, per Cimini. After an 11-touch Week 4, Cook has combined for 16 over the past three games. Of course, Cook’s performance will not make him an appealing trade piece. Austin Ekeler pushed for a Chargers exit this year and was not believed to have generated much interest. Derrick Henry‘s name has resurfaced in pre-deadline rumors, but teams appear to be angling for the Titans to eat a chunk of his salary. Even with Cook not being attached to the lucrative Vikes contract, his production would not stand to generate much trade interest.

The Jets are still giving Cook reps; Carl Lawson was a healthy scratch in Week 5. The Jets have gone from giving the ex-Bengal a three-year, $45MM contract ahead of Robert Saleh‘s first season to burying the former big-ticket free agent on their defensive line depth chart. Connected to trade rumors along with Hardman last week, Lawson confirmed he would be interested in being dealt to a team that would use him more frequently.

“I definitely want to play and contribute. I know I can; I’ve proven that,” Lawson said. “Yeah, I always want to contribute, but right now I’m with the Jets, but I definitely want to play more. I definitely want to do what I did last year. … I’m a football player, not a cheerleader.”

Lawson, 28, accepted a pay cut this offseason but is still attached to a $6MM salary. The Jets turning him from starter to bench stash has also obviously dented his trade appeal. Lawson’s seven sacks and 24 QB hits played a major role in helping the Jets go from 32nd to fourth in scoring defense last season. Now two years removed from the Achilles tear that wiped out his 2021 season, the former third-round pick has not factored in prominently thus far this year. This surprising contract-year demotion also stands to impact his 2024 free agency value.

Looming as a franchise tag candidate in Cincinnati two years ago, Lawson has seen his career hit a crossroads. He will have a much better chance of earning another noteworthy contract next year than Cook will, but the Jets will likely continue to see if any trade materializes for either first.

Ravens, Cowboys Eyeing Derrick Henry?

October 26th, 2023 at 10:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Derrick Henry has emerged as, at least, a fringe candidate to be traded before Tuesday’s deadline. The greatest running back of the Oilers-Titans franchise’s Tennessee years is in the final year of his contract, and with the Titans dealing away Kevin Byard, rumors have emerged about other marquee players exiting.

The latest round of Henry buzz connects the Ravens and Cowboys to the two-time rushing champion. Baltimore is viewed around the league as an interested party, per Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline, who adds the Ravens are on track to explore trades for running backs.

Jerry Jones has made some interesting proclamations at his recent availability sessions, indicating the Cowboys are not planning to reach out to teams about trades. Thursday, the Dallas owner doubled down on this stance. The Cowboys are 4-2 and rank in the top five on offense and defense, though given the firepower at the top of the NFC, the team would obviously be taking a risk by standing pat.

“I don’t see anything heated up to a level that would cause something to happen,” Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken. “… If we don’t do anything at this trade deadline, we’ve got a team, in my mind, that can get us where we want to go.”

The Cowboys cut Ezekiel Elliott and have bumped Tony Pollard into a full-time role, but Pauline adds the Cowboys are expected to look into Henry. A caveat here: the NFC East team would want the Titans to eat some of Henry’s salary. This component came up Wednesday regarding Henry, whose walk-year salary is $10.5MM. An acquiring team would only be on the hook for barely $5.5MM if it landed Henry after Week 8, which would be the expectation if the eighth-year standout is traded. Considering how the RB trade market unfolded this offseason, that $5.5MM number is seen as too rich for a team to take on. The Ravens would likely require this as well, holding just more than $6MM in cap space. The Cowboys are at $7.7MM.

It is interesting to see Henry pop up as a trade option, seeing as Austin Ekeler was not believed to have generated much of a market after requesting a trade this offseason. The Colts also did not see their Jonathan Taylor asking price met, though Indianapolis also did not appear motivated to seek out a trade partner. The dual-threat Charger led the NFL in touchdowns in 2021 and ’22, while Henry’s throwback skillset does not include much of a passing-down role.

Henry, 29, is averaging 4.3 yards per carry (425 total), despite a shaky Titans offensive line — one Pro Football Focus ranks last presently — and Next Gen Stats’ rushing yards over expected metric measures the former Heisman winner’s total seventh. While Henry is likely near the end of his run as a full-time starter, he would be an interesting trade chip. The Ravens rank eighth in yards per carry; the Cowboys sit 21st.

The Ravens have been the NFL’s most run-oriented team during Lamar Jackson‘s career. Baltimore’s 230 rushing attempts trail only the Eagles (235) this season. The Ravens lost J.K. Dobbins to another season-ending injury and have been rolling with Gus Edwards and Justice Hill as their primary ball carriers. Speedy rookie Keaton Mitchell came off IR recently but has not factored into the Ravens’ run game much yet. Ravens officials have downplayed the team’s need for a starter-caliber back, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec notes (subscription required), but Henry would not be Maryland-bound to become a backup.

It is not yet clear if the Titans are truly motivated to move Henry, nor is it locked in the team would recoup a needle-moving asset for a veteran with 1,848 career carries. A weekend report classified Henry interest as scarce. But Tennessee rosters intriguing rookie Tyjae Spears positioned as the former All-Pro’s successor. The third-round pick is averaging 5.5 yards per tote and has carved out a bigger role than any of Henry’s backups since the bulldozing starter began his back-to-back run of rushing titles.

Henry trade buzz circulated this offseason, however, and the Titans may be in transition soon. Contract-year QB Ryan Tannehill is not expected to play this week, which would lead to Will Levis‘ first start. Will it double as Henry’s last game with the Titans?

Trade Rumors: Packers, Smith, Byard, Raiders, Broncos, Jeudy, Sutton, Rams

October 26th, 2023 at 5:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Attached to his second Packers contract, Preston Smith is signed through 2026. During a 2022 offseason in which the Packers released Za’Darius Smith, they reupped Preston Smith on a four-year, $52.5MM pact. With the team going through considerable change since that point, the soon-to-be 31-year-old outside linebacker is a name being tossed around in scouting circles ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline, Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post notes. It would cost the Packers just more than $4MM in dead money to trade Smith before the deadline, and the team has a clear extension candidate on the edge in Rashan Gary. Green Bay also used the No. 13 overall pick on pass rusher Lukas Van Ness in April.

In his fifth year with the Packers, Smith has two sacks and five QB hits. Smith posted 17.5 sacks between the 2021 and ’22 seasons, however. His contract would not be difficult for a team to absorb, with a March restructure knocking the 2023 salary to $1.17MM. No guaranteed money remains on the deal post-2023.

With five days remaining until trades are shut down for the year, here is the latest on potential moves:

  • Kevin Byard refused a Titans pay-cut request this offseason, later agreeing to a resolution that helped the Titans afford DeAndre Hopkins. Even as the Titans fell to 2-4, the eighth-year safety did not request a trade, Terry McCormick of mainstreetmediatn.com notes. Byard, 30, still wanted to finish his career with the Titans, per McCormick, who adds the Titans became receptive when the Eagles inquired on the All-Pro’s availability. The Eagles sent fifth- and sixth-round picks, along with safety Terrell Edmunds, to the Titans for Byard. While Byard is a Philly native, he has played his entire college and pro careers in Tennessee. Jon Robinson‘s first draft as Titans GM produced Byard in Round 3 out of Middle Tennessee State; Byard is signed through 2024.
  • On the wrong end of one of this season’s worst losses — a 30-12 rout at the hands of the Justin Fields-less Bears — the Raiders are 3-4. But the team is not shifting into sell mode just yet, with Tashan Reed of The Athletic indicating the team is still looking at buyer’s moves (subscription required). A pass rusher remains a clear target for the team, per Reed, though a move to separate from Hunter Renfrow continues to be circulated. The Raiders used the No. 7 overall pick on Tyree Wilson, but their plan of grooming the Texas Tech alum behind Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones combusted after Jones’ messy saga led to an arrest (and later a second arrest) before a release from the NFI list. Wilson has one sack so far, and Crosby remains the only Raider with more than 1.5 this season.
  • While could certainly be classified as posturing, the Broncos are not committed to moving one of their receivers before the deadline. Trade targets before last year’s deadline as well, Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton came up frequently as trade chips this offseason. Should Denver not receive a substantial offer, The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider notes the team is fine moving forward with each and continuing to build on an offensive improvement after last season’s disaster. Jeudy, who is tied to a $12.99MM fifth-year option salary in 2024, has been viewed as more likely to be moved. But his value has dropped compared to where it was this offseason, which could put the Broncos to a big-picture decision. Sutton, whose $15MM-per-year contract runs through 2025, has been more effective in Sean Payton‘s offense. Although the Broncos will drop to 2-6 if they lose yet again to the Chiefs this week, it is far from a lock the team trades one of its wideouts.
  • Rumblings about the Rams going back to the buyer’s well surfaced recently, but The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue indicates the team is not expected to be a notable player before the deadline. Sean McVay said recently the team would likely stand down this year, which will be a letdown for headline-driving purposes, considering what the Rams have done at past McVay-era trade deadlines.

Titans To Move Nicholas Petit-Frere To Left Tackle, Demote Andre Dillard

October 26th, 2023 at 1:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Titans completed an offensive line revamp this offseason, jettisoning fixtures Taylor Lewan and Ben Jones to create cap space and then letting four-year right guard Nate Davis leave in free agency. Nicholas Petit-Frere‘s gambling suspension meant Tennessee started four new blockers in Week 1.

Although Peter Skoronski represented the biggest offseason investment up front, the Titans gave Andre Dillard a three-year, $29MM deal to replace Lewan. Drafted to take over for Jason Peters in Philadelphia, Dillard was never able to do so and ended up a swing tackle. While Dillard still drew interest at past trade deadlines and created a decent market for himself in free agency, the Titans are preparing to demote him in Week 8.

Tennessee is set to move Petit-Frere from right to left tackle, Mike Vrabel said (via ESPN.com’s Turron Davenport). While Dillard has experience as a right tackle, playing the position at points in Philly, Vrabel confirmed he will slide to a swing role. The Titans signed Chris Hubbard this summer, and despite the former Steelers and Browns starter settling in as a backup during his final years in Cleveland, he has manned the right tackle job throughout the season.

The NFL reinstated Petit-Frere earlier than expected, updating its gambling policy in-season. The Titans did not activate the second-year blocker when first eligible, waiting a week, and still started Hubbard at RT in Week 6. Petit-Frere played 32 snaps off the bench. This will be a big step for Petit-Frere, who finished his Ohio State career as the team’s right tackle starter. He beat out Dillon Radunz for the Titans’ RT gig before the 2022 season and started 16 games at the position for the injury-battered team last season, but with Will Levis (feat. Malik Willis) likely to start Sunday, it will be Petit-Frere guard his blind side.

Dillard’s demotion represents an obvious step back for the former first-round pick. Pro Football Focus ranks Dillard outside the top 60 among tackles and has charged him with a whopping seven sacks allowed through six games. Despite Hubbard’s 2020s inactivity coming into this season, PFF ranks him 24th overall among tackles this season. The Titans guaranteed Dillard $10MM. While this demotion would put the four-year Eagle on the 2024 cut radar, the Titans would eat at least $4MM in dead money next year even in a post-June 1 release scenario.

Another intriguing option for Tennessee would be to relocate Skoronski to left tackle, where he starred at Northwestern. Skoronski did some tackle work during the Titans’ offseason program, but Vrabel squashed the notion he would move off guard. The college tackle whom most scouts projected as an NFL guard has been the Titans’ left guard this season.

DL Denico Autry Drawing Trade Interest; Titans Open To Moving Derrick Henry?

October 25th, 2023 at 10:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Denico Autry is in his age-33 season and operates as a sidekick of sorts on a Titans front seven anchored by Jeffery Simmons and Harold Landry, trade interest has emerged. With Autry in a contract year, teams are monitoring him as a deadline buy.

The 10th-year defensive lineman has become a hot name of sorts ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline, Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post notes. Should the Titans be prepared to unload the experienced pass rusher, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds this would be an interesting market.

During a period in which the Titans missed on a few pass rushers — Bud Dupree, Jadeveon Clowney, Vic Beasley, Cameron Wake — since-ousted GM Jon Robinson did well to land Autry, who has been a central component on Tennessee’s defense despite moving toward his mid-30s. Autry signed a three-year, $21.5MM deal ahead of his age-31 season, with the contract coming during the same week in which the Titans overpaid Dupree. But Autry helped compensate for that miss, totaling 17 sacks and 37 quarterback hits between the 2021 and ’22 seasons. Thus far this year, the versatile D-lineman has four sacks and nine QB hits.

Autry is tied to a $6.75MM base salary, giving other teams a price tag barely north of $3MM to pick up in the event of a post-Week 8 trade. A former Raiders UDFA who has been a late-bloomer, Autry has done his best work in the AFC South. A midcareer Colts stay drove up his market in 2021, and he has not slowed down with the Titans. Earning another midlevel contract in 2024 will likely be on the table for Autry, but the issue now will be if the Titans like an offer enough to move on early.

Tennessee traded Kevin Byard to Philadelphia on Monday, a move that will likely prompt teams to investigate if the 2-4 club will be willing to deal away more parts. Ryan Tannehill‘s expected Week 8 absence will lead to the strange setup of Will Levis and Malik Willis each playing — perhaps alternating series, per Mike Vrabel — against the Falcons. That may be by design to showcase Willis, with Fowler adding the second-year QB is more likely to be dealt than Tannehill. The latter’s injury makes it fairly certain he will stay in Tennessee for the season’s remainder, but with the 35-year-old passer on an expiring contract, the Titans will have big questions to answer at the position soon. Considering Willis’ early-career form, the Titans will not recoup anything close to the No. 86 overall pick they invested last year.

Derrick Henry joins Tannehill and Autry on an expiring deal. The Titans reupped Tannehill and Henry during the 2020 offseason, tagging and then extending Henry in July of that year. The dominant running back came up loosely in trade rumors before the draft, but a report last week indicated the team was more likely to stick with the potential Hall of Famer. But Fowler views Henry as a player the Titans would likely consider trading, adding that some league personnel believed the team was open to doing so this offseason.

The two-time rushing champion received a raise for the 2022 season, but he remains attached to the four-year, $50MM extension he signed three summers ago. Henry, 29, is playing on a $10.5MM salary. With more than $5.5MM due between Weeks 9 and 18, the Titans would stand to run into an issue in an effort to unload one of their all-time greats. Execs around the league believe this will be an impediment to the point Tennessee would likely need to pick up some salary to move on, Fowler adds, and it is far from certain the team would be willing to do that in order to cut ties with a three-time Pro Bowler.

The Titans have third-round pick Tyjae Spears in place once Henry departs, and while teams do not make a habit of re-signing workhorse backs ahead of age-30 seasons, it is not a lock the parties do not discuss a third contract before free agency. For now, however, Henry is playing out a contract year and looms as a fringe trade candidate for a team in transition.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/25/23

October 25th, 2023 at 7:33pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves from around the league:

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Seattle Seahawks

  • Designated to return from IR: RB Kenny McIntosh
  • Designated to return from PUP: NT Austin Faoliu

Tennessee Titans

After being waived yesterday by the team who submitted a waiver claim for him at the start of the season, Wallace finds himself on the third NFL team of his career. While the trade that sent star Titans’ defender Kevin Byard to Philadelphia returned another safety in Terrell Edmunds, Wallace will come in and attempt to compete for some key playing time with Edmunds and Amani Hooker.

Humphrey has been promoted as a standard gameday elevation three times already, the limit for a practice squad contract, so in order to see any further game action, he needed to be on the active roster. If he is released and re-signs to the team’s practice squad, he’ll be able to be elevated three more times under a new practice squad deal.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/25/23

October 25th, 2023 at 7:11pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: LB Donavan Mutin

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Tennessee Titans

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/24/23

October 24th, 2023 at 7:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Released: CB Quavian White

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

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