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Titans Poach Two From Practice Squads, Place Two On IR

December 13th, 2023 at 10:03pm CST by Ely Allen

The Titans made two pairs of roster moves today, according to NFL beat writer Paul Kuharsky, placing cornerback Kristian Fulton and defensive tackle Kyle Peko on injured reserve and signing defensive tackles Quinton Bohanna and Keondre Coburn to fill their spots on the active roster. Bohanna was signed from the Lions‘ practice squad, Coburn from the Chiefs‘.

The loss of Fulton is difficult, as he has been a starter for Tennessee at the position since his sophomore season. At the same time, though, Fulton has been a liability in the team’s secondary, taking a huge step back in play this year. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Fulton settles in as the 112th-ranked cornerback out of 119 graded players. Absences on IR have become an annual occurrence for Fulton, who missed 10 games as a rookie in 2020, four games in 2021, and six games last year. He’s missed Monday’s win over the Dolphins and will now miss at least four more games in 2023.

Peko is unfortunately in a similar position as Fulton. He has served as a starter in Tennessee for most of the season, as well, but also grades out extremely poorly per PFF, ranking at 127th out of 131 interior defensive linemen.

At cornerback, the team will ask last year’s second-round pick Roger McCreary and undrafted rookie Eric Garror to step up in Fulton’s place. In Peko’s place, Tennessee could turn to Jaleel Johnson for more snaps, but new arrivals Bohanna and Coburn should get plenty of opportunities to step in and contribute.

Bohanna spent his first two years in Dallas, starting nine games in his sophomore season. After falling behind Johnathan Hankins and first-round rookie Mazi Smith on the depth chart, Bohanna was waived by the Cowboys and signed to the Lions’ practice squad. Detroit elevated him in three games this year, two of which he started, but couldn’t find a place for him on the active roster. The Titans, on the other hand, should give him an immediate chance to enter the rotation.

Coburn is a sixth-round rookie out of Texas. After initially making the 53-man roster in Kansas City, Coburn has bounced back and forth between the Chiefs’ and Broncos’ practice squads. His only game action has been a brief appearance in the Chiefs’ season-opening loss. In Tennessee, he’ll get a new chance to find his place on the depth chart and potentially contribute as a Titan.

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

December 13th, 2023 at 2:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two different teams have held the No. 1 overall pick in consecutive years since 2017. Amid a radical rebuild effort, the Browns carried the top pick into the 2017 and ’18 drafts. The Jaguars did the same in 2021 and ’22. It is possible the Bears will follow that up in back-to-back years. The big difference here would be the Bears traded the 2023 top choice and may unload the 2024 top pick for another windfall, depending on their evaluation of Justin Fields.

The Bears and Panthers’ March trade, giving Carolina access to Bryce Young, has become a seminal moment for both teams. As it stands now, Chicago holds two top-five picks. The Panthers are 1-12, giving the Bears a two-game lead on the Patriots and Cardinals for the top slot with four games left. Chicago finishing with the first overall selection, providing access to the quarterback of its choice, would create a big-picture decision for a Bears team that already passed on the 2023 quarterback class to stick with Fields — a QB the Ryan Poles regime did not draft. North Carolina’s Drake Maye has declared for the draft, while USC’s Caleb Williams is widely expected to follow suit.

A new Cardinals regime is also evaluating its QB, though Kyler Murray‘s $46.1MM-per-year contract (which runs through 2028) will be much harder to escape compared to Fields’. This creates an interesting scenario that will have teams who do not land two-two draft slots monitoring how Chicago and Arizona proceed. The Patriots are widely expected to pursue a quarterback in the draft, and they are likely to do so without Bill Belichick.

With gridlock forming in the AFC and NFC wild-card races, considerable movement will take place over the next month. The winner of the NFC South will likely lose several spots in the ’24 draft, as the Buccaneers did this year by winning the ’22 division title at 8-9. Here is how the draft order looks going into Week 15:

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

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/11/23

December 11th, 2023 at 5:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Green Bay Packers

Miami Dolphins

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

The Packers signed Drake to their practice squad last week, doing so as Aaron Jones continues his rehab from an MCL sprain. The Packers ruled out Jones for a third straight game Monday night. Drake has been with four teams (Colts, Ravens, Browns, Packers) since training camp.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/8/23

December 8th, 2023 at 6:38pm CST by Ely Allen

Minor moves heading into the weekend:

Kansas City Chiefs

Tennessee Titans

Ross was placed on the Commissioner Exempt List back in October after getting arrested on misdemeanor domestic battery and misdemeanor property damage charges. Adam Schefter of ESPN now reports that the ordeal will result in a six-game suspension by the NFL for violating the league’s Personal Conduct Policy. Since Ross has missed the past five games on the exempt list, those five games will count towards his six-game suspension, meaning that he may rejoin the team after their contest with the Bills this weekend. Unlike his time on the exempt list, though, the six-game suspension is meant to be unpaid, meaning that Ross will be required to pay back the game checks that he received over that five-game period.

We were told recently that Stonehouse would be out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery. Today’s transaction sets that in stone as he’ll find his way to injured reserve alongside the former practice squad linebacker.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/6/23

December 6th, 2023 at 8:26pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor transactions from around the league:

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tennessee Titans

The Cowboys made some adjustments to their injured reserve list today. Waletzko returned to practice today as he continues to work his way back from a shoulder injury. McKeon was placed on IR in order to make room for Hendershot after the latter’s activation. This will give McKeon a chance to deal with an ankle injury that’s bothered him this year and a chance to serve as a potential activation candidate for the playoffs.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/6/23

December 6th, 2023 at 8:25pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

The Dolphins swapped out a young secondary defender for a veteran defensive lineman. McKinley came in to play as an undrafted rookie last year after some injuries to the secondary, starting two games and notching an interception. Ellis is a former starter for the Raiders, Ravens, and Giants and could add some serious depth to the Dolphins’ line.

Nchami comes in to fill the practice squad spot vacated when defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher was signed to the Saints’ active roster today.

Saints Claim LB Monty Rice

December 6th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Unable to reclaim a starting job with the Titans this season, Monty Rice landed on waivers Tuesday. The third-year linebacker will not reach free agency. The Saints submitted a successful claim Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Rice had played behind free agency addition Azeez Al-Shaair and second-year UDFA Jack Gibbens on the Titans’ defensive second level this season. From 2021-22, however, the former third-round pick made 10 combined starts. He has not logged any this season.

The Saints picked up Rice’s through-2024 rookie contract. No guaranteed money remains on the Round 3 deal, giving the Saints a low-cost opportunity to gauge the Georgia alum’s fit in their defense. The Titans drafted Rice 92nd overall two years ago, doing so after he finished as a 2020 Butkus Award finalist and a first-team All-SEC linebacker. That top-tier college success has not equated to steady playing time just yet.

Injuries to Zach Cunningham and David Long led to increased Rice work last season, when he logged 366 defensive snaps. Rice made 66 tackles (four for loss) last year, and he was expected to be a starter alongside Al-Shaair this season. Gibbens, however, won the job. Both he and Al-Shaair have stayed healthy, keeping Rice in a reserve role. He ended up playing only 86 defensive snaps with Tennessee this season and did not sound particularly broken up about his separation from the AFC South club.

The Saints played Week 13 without Pete Werner, but the young talent managed a limited practice Wednesday. Ageless veteran Demario Davis still anchors New Orleans’ linebacking corps, with 2020 third-rounder Zack Baun also in the picture. No other Saints ‘backer has played more than 50 defensive snaps this season, though Rice’s addition bumps the team’s LB total to seven on the 53-man roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/5/23

December 5th, 2023 at 6:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

  • Waived from PUP list: LB Drew White

A 2021 third-round pick, Rice started 10 games over his first two seasons. Although the Titans cut Zach Cunningham and let David Long sign with the Dolphins, they brought in Azeez Al-Shaair and have used second-year UDFA Jack Gibbens as starters this season. Rice has been strictly a backup, and a post-transaction tweet suggested the young defender was not too broken up about this Tennessee cut.

Hyder joined the Texans earlier this season. The 49ers had waived the rotational pass rusher after trading for Randy Gregory. Reuniting with DeMeco Ryans, Hyder spent much of his Texans stay on their practice squad. The team used the defensive end in two games this season, giving him 40 defensive snaps as a backup. Hyder would be eligible to return to Houston’s P-squad if he clears waivers.

Titans DL Jeffery Simmons To Miss “A Couple Weeks”

December 4th, 2023 at 6:08pm CST by Ben Levine

The Titans will be without a key defender for a handful of games. Coach Mike Vrabel told reporters that Jeffery Simmons will definitely miss Monday’s game against the Dolphins and will likely be sidelined for “a couple weeks.”

[RELATED: Titans P Ryan Stonehouse Out For Season]

Simmons exited Sunday’s loss to the Colts with a knee injury but ended up returning to the contest. The team’s training staff ultimately forced him to leave the game for good, and they later determined that the veteran will have to miss multiple games while dealing with the issue.

“I think he really did everything that he could and even made a play,” Vrabel said (via the team’s website). “He just wasn’t going to be able to do anything. And if you can’t protect yourself out there, nobody wants to put a player in harm’s risk. We’re going to trust Jeff to say when he can go and when he can’t.”

The former first-round pick has turned into Tennessee’s top defender, earning two-straight All-Pro nods after finishing with 16 sacks between 2021 and 2022. This year, Simmons has collected 44 tackles and 5.5 sacks while ranking 33rd among 126 qualifying interior defenders, per Pro Football Focus. The site also gave him a top-25 positional grade for his pass-rushing ability.

With Simmons limited to a season-low 37 defensive snaps this past weekend, Teair Tart and Kyle Peko soaked up the majority of the leftover snaps. Jaleel Johnson also earned one of his highest snap totals of the season after having previously seen an inconsistent role on defense.

Titans Fire ST Coordinator Craig Aukerman; P Ryan Stonehouse Out For Season

December 4th, 2023 at 12:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

After a disastrous day from a special teams standpoint, the Titans will be making a few third phase adjustments. Special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman has been fired, head coach Mike Vrabel announced on Monday.

Tom Quinn will take over for Aukerman, as noted by ESPN’s Turron Davenport. The latter had been in place since 2018, having assumed the coordinator role after serving as an assistant the year prior. This had been Aukerman’s second stint with the Titans, after he first worked with the team as an assistant ST coordinator from 2013-15.

The 47-year-old made his NFL coaching debut in 2010 when he joined the Broncos as a defensive assistant. He held the same title one year later with the Jaguars, and it was in 2012 that he first began working as a special teams staffer. After his first Titans stint, Aukerman spent one year as the Chargers’ special teams coordinator before returning to Nashville.

The Titans rank ninth in the league in special teams DVOA in 2023, but the team’s Week 13 loss included multiple punts being blocked. On the second such occasion, punter Ryan Stonehouse was injured, and the play has proven to be the final one of the year for him. Stonehouse will undergo season-ending surgery, Vrabel said, via Davenport.

The 24-year-old proved to be a valuable addition last season, when he led the league in gross punting yards (4,779) and average (53.1 yards per punt). Stonehouse had matched the latter figure exactly during his 12 games this season, so his loss will be acutely felt for the remainder of the campaign. A new punter (and holder) will be needed to close out the year.

Quinn has considerable experience as a ST coordinator at the NFL level. He served in that role with the Giants from 2007-17, then remained in New York through 2021 as an assistant. The 55-year-old was out of coaching last year before joining Tennessee’s staff this past offseason. He will look to avoid a repeat of Sunday’s poor showing as the 4-8 Titans finish a disappointing campaign.

“There’s no real precedent to anything – you try to get a feel for what’s best and what’s needed,” Vrabel said when speaking about the move (video link via team reporter Jim Wyatt). “And whether we’ve done something in the past, there’s times we haven’t run a certain coverage or we haven’t run certain plays. And these decisions are about timing and feel. So, that’s the decision that was made.”

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