The Titans will see their first-round pick in practice for the first time soon. Jeffery Simmons will practice with the team this week, the Titans announced on their website.
Residing on the Titans’ NFI list, the rookie defensive lineman has been recovering from the ACL tear he suffered in February. NFI players can begin practicing with their teams after Week 6 while remaining off teams’ 53-man rosters.
Simmons’ debut would seem a ways away, given this injury’s timetable, but it’s nonetheless promising for the Titans to see him in on-field workouts. He traveled with the Titans to Denver this past weekend. Players have returned from ACL tears in playoff games in time for Week 1 of the following season, so a Simmons debut in the second half of this season would not be out of the question. That may also depend on Tennessee’s playoff prospects, which do not look especially promising after Sunday’s shutout loss.
The Titans will understandably want to be cautious with such a high-priority investment, so a full redshirt season — which was rumored in the offseason — should still be considered in play.
The Mississippi State-developed interior defender was viewed a potential top-10 pick before the injury and still went off the board 19th in a stacked class of defensive linemen. He registered 32.5 tackles for loss in three seasons.