Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Depth Chart Review, More Roster Changes & Jurrell Casey Retirement

Episode Date: September 3, 2021

The Tennessee Titans still have a lot of roster shuffling to do. Tyler goes over what the Offense & Defense will look like after the shuffling is complete. How do the COVID returns impact the 53 and the practice squad? Also, the Titans made a flurry of roster moves on Thursday. Tyler goes over each move made. Also, Titans legend Jurrell Casey retired on Thursday in Nashville. Tyler discusses his illustrious career.Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP3332GMOh4y5PX3q9NFybwSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.NorthOneWith NorthOne, you’ll never pay overdraft or NSF fees again, saving you hundreds of dollars per month. To get started, visit apply.northone.com/locked.RunYourPoolCheck ‘em out TODAY and get $10 off at RunYourPool.com and use promo code LockedOn at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Locked On Titans Podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, this Friday edition of the Locked On Titans Podcast is presented by the Locked On Podcast Network's Ultimate Season Preview 2021. The NFL season is here and nobody covers it like the Locked On Podcast Network. August the 30th through September the 8th,

Locked On's Ultimate Season Preview is taking you through every team and every division with the help of Odyssey's experts Ross Tucker and Jason LaCanfora. Follow the Ultimate Season Preview 2021 feed on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcast and make sure to tune in right now. But we have a ton to discuss on this Friday episode of the Locked On Titans podcast. First, we have one of the greatest Tennessee Titans of all time announcing their retirement. I'm going to tell you who that was and talk about their career in Nashville.

Then the Titans made a ton of roster moves and roster changes on Thursday afternoon. I'm going to tell you exactly what those moves were. And that leads us into what the back half of our show is about to be. It's another visual aid day here on the Locked on Titans podcast. I'm going to share my screen and show you guys exactly what I think is about to happen with the Tennessee Titans roster as the 10, nine players come back from the COVID list. That's going to shake things up.

So I'm going to show you where the Titans roster is right now and then show you where I think it will be this time next week. So very excited to talk a ton of Tennessee Titans roster here on a Friday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. Let's get it. You are Locked On Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Nashville on Thursday. Before we get into that, I do want to remind you guys, I'm going to be putting out daily Monday through Friday Tennessee Titans content here on the Locked on Titans podcast, not only during the preseason, not only during the regular season, but all year long.

Make sure that you never miss an episode of the number one Tennessee Titans podcast in the world by subscribing to the Locked on Titans podcast on whatever platform you do stream and subscribe to the Locked on Titans YouTube page and smash that notification bell so you know when all of my content goes live. Remember, the Locked on Titans podcast is on every platform and always free. Follow me on social media as well. On Twitter, at TicTacTitans. You do not want to miss the film breakdowns and the film content I will be putting out

during the regular season and follow the show on Facebook at Locked on Titans pod. But with all that housekeeping out of the way, it is time to dive into today's content. Number one, we saw the retirement of Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jarrell Casey. Casey spent 10 years in the NFL, the majority of that coming with the Titans. He spent one year in Denver last year, but I think we can all collectively agree to go ahead and remove that from our minds. Casey played 139 games for the Titans, amassed 51 sacks, including a 10.5 sack effort in 2013. He had eight forced fumbles during that time, 493 tackles, and 85 tackles for loss. Jarrell Casey made five straight Pro Bowls from 2015 to 2019. He played in five playoff games with the Titans, had two and a half sacks in those games,

and had 15 tackles, two of those sacks coming in the Titans' divisional round win over the Baltimore Ravens in 2019. He made big plays, and quite frankly, the reality here is the Titans had a very long, drawn-out, tough period during the mid-2010s. And really, the only bright spot for us Titans fans was the play of Jarrell Casey. He was the one nationally recognized player throughout that time. So Jarrell Casey will always hold a special place in my heart and in the hearts of many Titans fans. And drill case, he did a press conference in Nashville on Thursday, kind of mending fences with the Titans organization after he was publicly upset about the trade. But in that press conference, he talked about a lot of things. He said one

that once Jeffrey Simmons showed up, he knew that his time was limited with the Titans. And he said Jeffrey Simmons has some big shoes to fill, but complimented him as a player, and he's not wrong there. He also did tell Kevin Byard to continue to lead this team and lead these guys, and I think Kevin Byard has done a great job taking that mantle up from Jarrell Casey. He also talked about some of his favorite moments in his career. He talked about his very first sack ever, which came against Big Ben and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He said he literally tried to just drive through Big Ben's chest. He was so excited to get that sack.

He also brought up the brawl that took place against the Jets earlier in his career when he decked then-Jets quarterback Geno Smith in the mouth. And it just started a big brawl out on the field. So he had fond memories there. And then, of course, he mentioned the AFC Championship game run that the Titans had in 2019. Very fortunate that Jarrell Casey got to be a part of the most Titan success that they have had in over a decade.

I think at this point in time, Jarrell Casey should be inducted into the Titans' ring of honor, but I also think that a guy like Keith Bullock as well deserves to be in that ring of honor. So how quickly or whether or not they get Drill in there, we will see. But I definitely do think that he is deserving. Now, Hall of Fame for the NFL, sorry guys, I can't quite go there. But most certainly one of the greatest Tennessee Titans of all time. But with that being said, it is time to move into today's news.

And there was a ton of Tennessee Titans activity late in the afternoon. So I'll go through this quickly before we actually look at what has taken place in the next few segments. Number one, the Titans signed two players to their practice squad. One we already knew, quarterback Matt Barkley. And then a familiar face in defensive linemen, Amani Bledsoe. The Titans waved tight end Luke Stalker

from the active roster, and then they placed three players on injured reserve, running back Darrington Evans, who was hurt during the preseason, wide receiver Marcus Johnson, who played very well during training camp for the Titans, but he struggled with injuries throughout his career. So this is kind of why he has never stuck on a roster before.

And then offensive lineman Daniel Murner also added to IR. Now, because those guys made the initial 53-man roster and then went on IR, they have to be on IR for a minimum of three weeks. But unlike guys who were placed on the IR in the preseason, they do have the opportunity to return this year. on IR for a minimum of three weeks. But unlike guys who were placed on the IR in the preseason, they do have the opportunity to return this year. Also, the Titans got one guy back from the COVID-19 list, and it was linebacker Nick DeZubnar.

So those are the moves. I'm going to tell you how those moves impact the Tennessee Titans roster. What we're going to do is, next, I'm going to give you guys a visual aid. I'm going to pull up my spreadsheet here. I'm going to show you where the Titans roster was and the practice squad at the start of Thursday. And then basically where I think the roster will actually be heading into the Titans' first game of the year against the Arizona Cardinals next Sunday. Before we get into that, though, do want to remind you guys about betonline.ag, the fastest and easiest

way to bet on all your sports action. They are the number one spot to bet on pro and college football this fall. They have all the updated odds, props, and contests. And speaking of contests, they have the internet's biggest half million dollar NFL mega contest

and the world's largest $200,000 NFL survivor contest. And both of those are open now at betonline.ag. Also be sure to take advantage of their opening day super promo. Make a bet, any bet you want on the NFL's opening game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And even if you lose that bet, betonline.ag will refund your money up to $25 if you are a new customer and use promo code NFL100. But I have another promo code for you. When you sign up at betonline.ag, use the promo code LOCKEDON. That's one word, LOCKEDON, and you'll get a 100% welcome bonus on your first deposit.

They are literally giving you free money at betonline.ag when you use promo code LOCKEDON. BetOnline, your online sportsbook experts. Titans fans, very excited to get into the next two segments of today's show. So what I'm going to do is we are going to start on the offensive side of the ball, and I'm going to show you where the Titans roster was at starting on Thursday morning. We're going to make all the changes from the roster moves that happened today, and then I'm going to go a step further,

and I'm going to show you what I think will actually happen as some of these COVID-imp COVID impacted players come off the list. So let's go ahead and dive right in. I would imagine it's going to get very technical. It's going to get very wordy in here. So I'm excited to kind of dive into everything with you guys, but let's go ahead and pull up my spreadsheet. So we have the spreadsheet pulled up here. And basically, like I said, what we're going to do is we're going to go through everything that took place today. Everything that I think will take place and get a good idea of what this actual roster will look like. Let's start with the things that took place today on the offensive side of the ball. Number one, we saw Darrington Evans go on injured reserve. So we have that to consider here. Darrington Evans on IR now.

Let's go ahead and add that for him. We're going to go ahead and make him red. So he is on IR. There we go. Now let's continue going forward. We also saw wide receiver Marcus Johnson go on IR. So here's what I'm going to do here. I'm going to go ahead and put Marcus Johnson on the IR for the Titans. Marcus Johnson. So he's on IR. Those are the two

offensive players that were on IR, but we also got a third offensive player on the IR and it was Daniel Murner. So we're going to go ahead and turn Daniel Murner red and show him on the IR as well. Now, when you're on the IR, you are still on the roster, but you don't count towards the 53-man number. So we don't have to worry about those guys impacting the Titans' roster space, and they can return, like I mentioned at the beginning of the show, three weeks minimum.

If they aren't ready to go after those three weeks, then they do have to go on IR for the rest of the season. So we will monitor that going forward. But basically what that takes us to is some decisions to be made. Because Darrington Evans is going to be on IR, that means Jeremy McNichols, when he comes off COVID, he's not going to be taken off the roster.

The Titans are going to need three running backs, Derrick Henry, Makai Sargent, and Jeremy McNichols. So I do believe that at this point in time, Jeremy McNichols will be on the roster when he's activated from COVID. So we'll go ahead and remove him and Makai Sargent going to be on the roster as well. So that's your three running backs. Also, Ryan Tannehill is going to come off the COVID list. He's going to be on the roster as well.

Cole Bonwar is on the COVID list right now, but I think the reality here is he will be cut. And I think that when he is cut, he is going to take the place of an interior offensive lineman on the practice squad, and I would guess that would be Jordan Roos. So you're going to make that change right there. Bonwart over there on the practice squad for the Titans. Now, to continue forward, the Titans also took Marcus Johnson on IR,

and with that, I think that does open up some opportunities at wide receiver, but ultimately I think the Titans will just roll with six guys at wide receiver rather than having seven. So I'm going to move Rayce McMath over here to the Titans practice squad. I do think that the Titans will look to add him to the practice squad whenever he does come off the COVID list. So we'll go ahead and leave him marked there because he is on the COVID list. And I think that starts to make things shape up a little bit

on the offensive side of the ball. Now, worth mentioning here, the Titans did cut tight end Luke Stalker today. So I think that Stalker will end up on the Titans practice squad, and he would most likely take the place of a tight end who is already on there, like, for example, a Miller Forrestal. Now, I do think, I do want to say this, I do think that Michael Pruitt will eventually be placed on the 53-man roster, but here's the thing.

I mentioned it yesterday, but to reiterate. So, with a vested veteran, a guy who's been in the NFL for longer than three years, if you have them on the active roster on week one, their salary becomes fully guaranteed for the rest of the year. If you add that player to the 53-man roster in week two, their salary does not become fully guaranteed. So I do think Michael Pruitt will be the fourth tight end on the Titans roster this year, but I think that they will wait until week two for that reason I just mentioned. But there you go.

So I think ultimately Stocker does go on the practice squad and then Forrestal will eventually make his way back onto the Titans practice squad, as you can see what I'm doing here. But for the time being, we'll leave Pruitt there. I think Stocker takes the place of Forrestal. So that's kind of how I see things going. With Marcus Johnson being on IR, it does cut down the Titans wide receiver numbers, but I think they knew that when they kept seven wide receivers on the roster. And I don't think that Cam Batson is worried about his roster spot right now.

Either will go ahead and take the yellow off of him. He looks like he is pretty certified at this moment in time. So we're continuing to make our way. We've adjusted the offensive line. I think the offensive line is going to keep 10 guys with what we have right now with Murner on IR. And then without having, you know, a fourth tight end, that leaves them the opportunity to keep 10 offensive linemen,

six wide receivers. You're going to have three running backs there. So this is what I think the Titans offense will look like. You'll have Julio Jones, AJ Brown, Josh Reynolds, Chester Rogers, Cam Batson, Nick Westbrook-Akina at wide receiver. You'll have Anthony Ferkser, Jeff Swaim, and Tommy Hudson at tight end. Taylor LeJuan, Ty Sambrillo, David Questenberry, Kendall Lamb, Dylan Radins at offensive tackle, and on the interior, Roger Saffold, Ben Jones, Nate Davis, Aaron Brewer, Corey Levin, Ryan Tannehill and Logan Woodside at quarterback,

Derek Henry, Jeremy McNichols, Makai Sargent, and Kari Blossengame at running back and fullback, and then your specialists, Sam Ficken, Brett Kern, and Morgan Cox. So I think that's ultimately what the Titans' actual offensive roster looks like heading into week one of the season. But what I want to do next is I actually want to take a look at the defensive side of the ball. We're going to go through the moves that were made today,

update you guys there, make some changes to the practice squad as well. But for the most part, that's what I think will ultimately happen as these COVID list players do return. So before we head into the defensive side of the ball, do want to tell you guys about DirecTV Stream. Does this sound familiar?

You got one device that lets you catch the game live. You got another device that lets you stream all your favorite shows. You're watching sports highlights on your phone, and you've got your neighbor's best friend's login for all the good stuff. Well, I want to tell you that there is a simpler way to get all that entertainment that you love without the hassle, and it comes from DirecTV Stream, where you can get your TV together.

Direct TV Stream brings you your live TV and on-demand favorites together like never before, so you can watch all your favorite sports, movies, and shows all in one place. That means no more juggling remotes, no need to buy another device ever again, and the best part, there's no annual contract. So get rid of the clutter and the confusion and get your TV together with Direct TV Stream. You can learn more at directtv.com.

That's directtv.com. Compatible device required. Content varies by package. Also want to tell you guys about the best tasting protein bars in the galaxy. And they come from our friends over at Built Bar. They have a ton of different delicious flavors on the website. So you can choose whatever works best for you. No matter what you choose flavor wise, all the bars are covered in 100% chocolate.

They're absolutely delicious. I'm not on a diet or anything like that. And I like eating the Built Bars just because they taste good, but they're healthy for you as well. They're low calorie, low sugar, high protein, high fiber. Make sure that you go over to Bilt.com. Use promo code LOCKED15. You'll get 15% off your first order. Once again, that's promo code LOCKED15 for 15% off at BiltBar.com. Let's continue this Football Friday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast, breaking down the depth chart and how I think the Titans roster will shake out.

We're going to move to the defensive side of the ball, and there were some moves that the Titans made on Thursday that will impact what happens on defense. So, number one, what they did do was activate Nick DeZumnar from the COVID-19 list. So, that's the one big move we saw on the defensive side of the ball. I will go ahead and remove his COVID designation for you guys who are checking this out visually

on the Locked on Titans YouTube channel. So Nick DeZumnar there wasn't cut, wasn't moved from the roster, which means they want to keep him on the final 53, which is basically what I was expecting. I think Nick DeZumnar showed last year he can be a lot of help on special teams. And now that you have four good linebackers who can actually help you on defense, I don't think you need to worry about a fifth inside linebacker who has to help on defense, just needs special teams. But I do think when Justin March-Lillard is activated from the COVID list,

he will be cut. And when he's cut, I think he will take the place of the other inside linebacker who is on the Titans practice squad, and that is Jan Johnson. So I'm going to move Justin March Lillard over here to the Titans practice squad. I think that's what ultimately happens. So five inside linebackers for the Tennessee Titans to make this roster. Moving forward, I also do think that the Titans are going to have to make some cuts in other places. So taking a look at what they could do here. I think the Titans ultimately do cut Brady Breeze and I think he takes the spot of Jamal Carter on the Titans practice squad. So I see that taking

place there. Then I do see Matthias Farley staying on the team and making the team over at strong safety. Bradley McDougal backing up Kevin Byard. So we're getting closer and closer to the Titans' actual roster here. Now I think that Chris Jones will be cut. And when he is cut, I think he will take the place of a cornerback on the Titans practice squad. And that is Breon Body Calhoun. So there's that move right there. Chris Jones moved away.

So what we're looking at here is the Titans' final defensive roster. You got Caleb Farley, Christian Fulton, Breon Borders, Janoris Jackrabbit Jenkins, Chris Jackson, and Elijah Molden, six cornerbacks. You got the five outside linebackers, Derek Roberson, Harold Landry, Ola Adani, Rashad Weaver, and Bud Dupree. You have your five interior defensive linemen, Danico Autry, Tyre Tart, Jeffrey Simmons,

Laurel Murchison, and Anthony Rush. And then I do think, like I mentioned before, the inside linebacker group of Long, Evans, DeZubnar, Rice, and Brown. So that's what I'm thinking the Titans roster will ultimately look like. Let's go over here to my end credit scene for you guys. This is basically how I think the roster ultimately shakes out. This is the final picture.

This is what you're looking at. Now, when the Titans start activating players from IR, when we see them add players from the COVID list, of course, anything can change. But this is exactly what I'm seeing. I went through all of the different position groups with you guys. If you're seeing this on YouTube, you're going to see the visual aid. Now, looking at the side over here with the practice squad.

So you add Amani Bledsoe, which was something that happened a little afterwards, but I have him added here. So the 16 players on the practice squad, Mason Kinsey, Des Fitzpatrick, Racey McMath, Cole Bonwart, Christian DeLauro, Miller Forrestal, Justin March-Lillard, Luke Stocker, Naquan Jones, Torrey Carter, the fullback, Amani Bledsoe, Woodrow Hamilton on the defensive line, Brady

Breeze and Chris Jones in the secondary Matt Barkley at quarterback and then Michael Pruitt the other tight end here so I have the Titans with three tight ends but I think it's in anticipation that the Titans are going to move Michael Pruitt to the active roster in week two

one final thing that I am noticing here because of the late additions. We are at 54, so the Titans are going to be faced with this decision. Who is the final player that they cut off the roster to get it down to 53? Well, for my money, I know that they just added Corey Levin, but having 10 offensive linemen could get a little dicey. I think it would be either Corey Levin or maybe having 10 offensive linemen could get a little dicey. I think it would be either Corey Levin or maybe a Matthias Farley or McDougal at that point in time, but I'm going to go ahead and move Corey Levin off of the Titans active roster and move him over here over a guy like

Cole Bonwart. So we'll move Corey Levin over there. Now we are exactly at 53. One more recap for you guys. On offense, Ryan Tannehill, Logan Woodside at quarterback. At running back, Derrick Henry, Jeremy McNichols, Makai Sargent, and Corey Blossom game. At tight end, Jeff Swaim, Anthony Ferkser, Tommy Hudson. At wide receiver, Julio, Nick Westbrook-Akina, A.J. Brown, Josh Reynolds, Chester Rogers, Cam Batson. On the offensive line, Taylor LeJuan, Ty Sambrillo, David Questenberry, Kendall Lamb, Dylan Radins. On the interior, Saffold, Jones, Davis, and Aaron Brewer. On defense, on the interior defensive line, Danico Autry, Tier Tart, Jeffrey Simmons, Larell Murchison, and Anthony Rush.

Then at linebacker. quarterback Christian Fulton Jack Rabbit Jenkins Breon Borders Caleb Farley Elijah Molden Chris Jackson Bradley McDougal Kevin Byard at safety with Imani Hooker Matthias Farley and Dane Cruikshank that is what I'm seeing and of course the special teams guys Sam Thicken Brett Kern and Morgan Cox at long snapper so not only do I have the entire roster plotted out here, but I have the depth chart lined up for who I think is going to start as well. Again, make sure that you check out the Locked on Titans YouTube page. You can see everything as I have it laid out, but I feel like I did a pretty good job

of going through all the names with you guys for the audio version of the show as well. But that is going to do it for me today, folks. If more roster moves happen on Friday afternoon, I'm going to have an emergency special roster breakdown for you guys to update you on what's happening. So be on the lookout for that. It is game week.

Next week, Titans fans, nobody is going to break down the game and get you ready for the Cardinals like I am going to do. We are going to talk about what their roster looks like. We're going to talk about what they do schematically. We're going to talk about what I think the Titans will do schematically. Also, next week, season predictions.

I'm going to tell you guys some statistical predictions, my official playoff predictions, where I think the Titans finish, who I think wins the Super Bowl, all of that. Football season is here, and there is not a better place for a Tennessee Titans fan than here on the Locked on Titans podcast. So make sure that you subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you do stream. Subscribe to the Locked on Titans YouTube page.

Remember, the Locked on Titans podcast is on every platform, and it's always free. But that's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.