Tennessee Titans News & Rumors

Titans Waive DL Jaleel Johnson

Jaleel Johnson has seen his latest Titans stint come to an end. The veteran defensive lineman was waived on Tuesday, per a team announcement.

Johnson had been elevated from the practice squad multiple times this season, leading to Tennessee’s decision to add him to the active roster last month. The 29-year-old originally joined the Titans in May, but he was among the team’s final roster cuts ahead of Week 1. Now, he will hit the waiver wire with the chance of heading elsewhere via a claim.

Shuffling on and off Tennessee’s roster, Johnson made six total appearances. He served in a rotational capacity behind starters Jeffery SimmonsTeair Tart and Denico Autry, logging a 22% snap share on defense and making 12 tackles. He also failed to register any quarterback pressures, something which has yet to happen over a full season during his career. The former fourth-rounder has made a slight impact in the passing game in past campaigns, including the 2019 season in which he posted a career-high 3.5 sacks.

Johnson spent the first four years of his career in Minnesota, before bouncing around the NFL. He spent time with the Texans, playing 15 games across the 2021 and ’22 seasons. The Iowa product also had a brief stint with the Falcons last year. Overall, he has totaled 137 stops and 6.5 sacks in 80 career games.

That experience could make him an attractive option to teams looking for depth along the defensive interior. In the event he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, however, Johnson would be free to sign with any team, including another stint on the Titans’ taxi squad.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/21/23

Tuesday’s taxi squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Released: DB Cameron McCutcheon

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Titans T Chris Hubbard Out For Season

On pace for their worst season in eight years, the Titans continue to navigate injuries along their offensive line. For the second time this month, the team received news one of its starting tackles will be out for the season’s remainder.

Chris Hubbard sustained a biceps injury that is expected to shelve him for the rest of the year, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. This news follows Nicholas Petit-Frere‘s injury, a shoulder issue that led the Titans to place him on IR. Petit-Frere, who had moved from right to left tackle just before his injury, is not expected back this season.

The Titans revamped their O-line this offseason. Cornerstones Taylor Lewan and Ben Jones received their walking papers in an early-offseason salary purge, and four-year right guard Nate Davis signed with the Bears. Petit-Frere’s second season involved only 117 snaps. A six-game gambling suspension — one ultimately reduced to four once the NFL changed its betting policy in-season — sidelined the returning right tackle, leading to the Hubbard signing.

Hubbard, 32, did not sign with the Titans until training camp. A summer workout led to the ex-Browns and Steelers blocker becoming the Titans’ Petit-Frere fill-in, but the Titans did not bench Hubbard once their RT regular saw his suspension shortened. Instead, Tennessee slid Petit-Frere to left tackle to replace a struggling Andre Dillard. Hubbard, meanwhile, made nine starts — his most in a season since 2019.

Following a stint replacing Marcus Gilbert as Pittsburgh’s right tackle, Hubbard fetched a nice payday from Cleveland in 2018. Hubbard did not end up becoming a long-term Browns solution at right tackle, but the team kept the former UDFA around for five seasons. The UAB product made 35 Browns starts and eventually settled in as a backup in 2020, when the team handed Jack Conklin a three-year, $42MM deal. Arm trouble has knocked out Hubbard for an extended stretch previously; he suffered a triceps injury in October 2021.

Seventh-round rookie Jaelyn Duncan replaced Hubbard against the Jaguars. The Titans initially rostered Jamarco Jones as a right tackle option, but the team released the veteran during camp. Tennessee also played without Dillard in Week 11, moving third-year blocker Dillon Radunz into the lineup on the left side. While Will Levis‘ tackle situation leaves much to be desired, Tennessee’s rookie starter has first-stringers present at each of the interior O-line spots.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/18/23

This week’s callups and minor moves heading into Sunday:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers:

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Evans had been called up from the practice squad three times by the Cowboys, meaning he needed to be added to the 53-man roster this week to continue suiting up. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports “several teams” attempted to poach the veteran off the taxi squad, but his decision to remain with Dallas has culminated in today’s move. Evans has logged 74 combined defensive and special teams snaps with the Cowboys so far, recording three tackles.

James was out of the lineup for one game after being designated for return, but he will be eligible to suit up for the upcoming Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles. Mentioned as a trade candidate earlier this year, he will be able to add depth to a WR corps which has underperformed to date, and add to his single catch recorded in his two Kansas City games at the start of the campaign.

Titans’ Ryan Tannehill Not Seeking Release

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

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

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

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

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

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