Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Open Training Camp - OL Starters, Burks & Farley Impress & Simmons Status Update

Episode Date: July 26, 2022

The Tennessee Titans kicked off training camp Tuesday and there is a TON to discuss from Day 1! The Titans have TWO starting spots up for grabs in camp, who will grab them? Also, players like Treylon Burks, Caleb Farley & Robert Woods all get positive reviews. Finally, will players like Jeffery Simmons or Derrick Henry participate in camp activities? Tyler breaks down everything you need to know from Day 1 of Tennessee Titans Training Camp!Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitansSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!DaveDownload the Dave app from the App store right now for an Extra Cash account and get up to 500 dollars instantly. For terms and conditions go to dave.com/legal. Instant transfer fees apply. Banking provided by Evolve. Member FDIC.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.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. 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, on today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast, I am breaking down everything that you need to know from day one of Tennessee Titans training camp. First, Mike Rabel says there are two open starting spots on the Titans offensive line we will discuss. Then we get some great news on Traylon Burks, Kayla Farley, and Robert Woods heading into training camp.

And then finally, will Jeffrey Simmons participate with this contract issue looming? And what will Derrick Henry's Workload B. We're discussing all of that and more as we break down day one of Tennessee Titans training camp on today's 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. Titans fans, welcome to another edition of the Locked on Titans podcast, where it's your team every day.

On today's show, we are talking the starting spots on the offensive line. We are talking Burks, Farley, Woods. We're talking Derrick Henry, Jeffrey Simmons, Mike Vrabel, and General Manager John Robinson both spoke today to kick off Titans training camp. I'm breaking down everything that you need to know from day one. Before we get into it, do want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. If this is your first ever listen to the Locked on Titans podcast, make sure you subscribe

on whatever platform you do stream. I'm going to be putting out daily, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, free and available on all platforms, including the Locked on Titans YouTube channel. Make sure you subscribe there, smash the notification bell, and throw a thumbs up on the video. If you're watching right now, it goes a long way to help support the channel. But let's dive right into the biggest story of the day. And to me, it's all about the Titans offensive line. That's the big question that we really have going into training camp this year.

Of course, everybody had the idea that because we were told by Titans offensive line coach Keith Carter, we knew that the battle at left guard is between Jamarco Jones and Aaron Brewer. We all figured that Dylan Radins would probably get the opportunity at right tackle, but according to Mike Vrabel, there are two open spots on the offensive line, and Mike Vrabel essentially said that until somebody solidifies themselves as the starter at left guard or right tackle both of those spots are going to be open and I think the only real surprise here is I think a lot of us were kind of expecting Dylan Radins to to maybe get penciled in to that right tackle spot just because of how important

his draft pick was but I think it's obvious now, and it maybe should have been obvious all along. The Titans simply just don't want to give him that spot right away. Just hand it to him. They just don't. So I understand that completely. A young guy going into his second year who clearly had some up and down moments throughout his rookie year. You don't want to just hand him a spot. So I get there's competition there, but that leads us to who's he in competition with? If Jamarco Jones is going to be working against Aaron Brewer at left guard and really fighting for that spot,

well, who is fighting with Dylan Radins at right tackle? And I think the answer to our question here is that this team and this coaching staff and this organization believes in Nicholas Petit Ferrer a little bit more than maybe we expect. I think that's the reality here is maybe Nicholas Petit Ferrer is closer to taking over for Dylan Radins than maybe we want to believe. Now, I don't think that that is necessarily what's going to happen. I think that the Titans, as an organization, are committed to competition. They simply just want to make sure that they aren't handing anything to anyone.

I think that's a simple answer to that. But the big question that we have going into camp, who's going to start at the offensive line? Not only do we have one spot to worry about, but we have two spots to worry about, even though I believe that Radins does ultimately hold off the rookie, Nicholas Petit-Ferrer, and win the spot. But other than that, the other big news of the day,

a Tennessee Titan retired. That's right. Cornerback Buster Screen retired from the Titans today. He informed the team that he will be retiring after 11 seasons in the NFL. And for me, that's a little bit of a disappointment. I was excited to have Buster Screen back on the team. Last year, Buster Screen played that third down slot cornerback role where he would come in on passing downs to play the slot wide receiver.

What that would allow is that would allow a guy like Elijah Molden, who's better on early downs as a slot corner, to either come off the field, because Elijah Molden's best skills are not man coverage, and coverage in general. He's more of a physical slot corner on early downs, or he's a sub package linebacker, where he would play that Dane Crookshank role.

So this year, I was excited to have Elijah Molden take over that Dane Crookshank role full time and then have Buster Screen as that third down cornerback in the slot. Well, now that Buster Screen is retired, a couple of people will benefit from this. Number one, Roger McCreary. Hope you're ready to play right away because I think the logical answer here is that Elijah Molden continues to take over that Dane Crookshank tight end stopper sub package linebacker role. And then Roger McCreary, the second round pick out of Auburn, takes over the pass coverage slot role right away.

Now the other guy who's going to be in that mix, and the guy who I think locked a roster spot because Buster Screen retired, and it's Chris Jackson. Chris Jackson I had on a roster spot because Buster Screen retired. And it's Chris Jackson. Chris Jackson I had on the roster bubble. But again, Buster Screen was the number one backup slot cornerback. I think they're going to need that guy. And Chris Jackson provides value on special teams. Thought there was a chance he could make the team already,

even as a sixth or seventh cornerback. Now with Screen gone, I think that puts Chris Jackson as a lock on the roster. The Titans may also keep a guy like Greg Maben to have a backup outside cornerback as well if they end up keeping six corners. But again, this gives a clear avenue for Roger McCreary to get a lot of playing time early on. And I think this solidifies Chris Jackson with a roster spot. So waves being made by the retirement of Buster screen, but we're going to continue here because everyone reported for training camp. And Mike Vrabel said the conditioning test for the team went

fantastic. And when we talk about conditioning with the Tennessee Titans, there's one name that we have to discuss, and that's rookie wide receiver Traylon Burks. I'm going to give you guys a status update on what he is looking like heading into training camp. A day one Tennessee Titans training camp here on the Locked on Titans podcast. We got a lot more to discuss as well.

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apply. Banking provided by Evolve. Member FDIC. Future you. We'll thank you. Titans fans, we are going to continue this training camp recap edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. We just talked about the offensive line, talked about buster screen, retiring, the conditioning test for the team. Now we're going to spin that forward, talk about some individual players that we have our eye on. Traylon Burks, Caleb Farley, Robert Woods, and then Malik Willis will cap off the show talking about Jeffrey Simmons and Derrick Henry.

But we'll start with Traylon Burks. Burks came in, obviously, up and down situations with his conditioning, all of that. But Mike Vrabel said this today before Titans training camp. He said, quote, Burks has put together two good days. I can't predict who's going to be out there every day,

but we're focusing on daily improvement with every player. He did say the conditioning test went fantastic and physically, Vrabel said, quote, Burks has made some progress physically. Do not see anything limiting Burks at this point. So there you have it from Mike Vrabel. He said the conditioning test as a team went fantastic and he said there shouldn't be anything limiting Burks going forward. went fantastic, and he said there shouldn't be anything limiting Burks going forward.

Obviously, that's incredibly important to hear because while we can worry about the conditioning all we want, it's what the conditioning takes away from for Burks, and that's what Mike Vrabel talked about when he talked about expectations for Traylon Burks. He said, quote, the biggest thing for Burks in training camp is developing chemistry with Tannehill, learning where he's supposed to be on routes. So what depth Ryan Tannehill wants him at, where to break all certain routes. Hey, you see this coverage?

I need you to bend here. You see this coverage? I need you to stop here. All of those different things you can only work out by going through practice together. So that's what Mike Grable is really looking for with Traylon Burks, and he should have an opportunity to do that because he's in shape, he's in condition, and he's ready to go, and hopefully there are no more issues with that anymore.

John Robinson, Titans general manager, also spoke about Traylon Burks, though, and he did say that Burks admitted to the team that there were some things that he needed to do better with the Titans than he did in college. And a lot of that had to do with his conditioning and his work ethic and being prepared for the season and things like that. So, yes, a bumpy start for Traylon Burks. But the front office said he was honest about needing to improve in certain areas. He was honest about the asthma issue.

And finally, I think the last thing here is John Robinson was asked if Traylon Burks was meant to replace A.J. Brown. And John Robinson, as he should have kept it simple, quote, Traylon needs to get open, catch, and block. So it looks like conditioning-wise, Traylon Burks should be able to do that going forward. As for Caleb Farley, I mean, again, a major, major X factor

for the Titans this season if Caleb Farley can come in and be a stud at cornerback. So, he won't be full go. Neither will Robert Woods. Neither of them coming off their ACL tears will be 100% full go heading into training camp, but neither of them were placed on the physically unable to perform list. So that's absolutely crucial for the Titans to have those guys out on the field. And I thought it was cool that Robert Woods and Caleb Farley apparently have been going against each other for quite some time in the facility or at the facility

because they're both coming back from ACL. So iron sharpens iron and they're helping each other get back in. That is a great thing for Caleb Farley because is there a smarter wide receiver out there than Robert Woods with the nuances and the little details of playing the position of wide receiver, feeding that insight to a young cornerback, like, Hey,

you got to watch out. Veterans are going to look to do this. Veterans might look to do this. They're going to set you up this way. You see them line up this way with this alignment, this technique, this release, they're doing this.

All those things are things that Farley as a guy who not only is inexperienced as a cornerback in the NFL, but as inexperienced as a cornerback period, he was a late convert in his football career to cornerback from wide receiver. So love to hear that. But even more than that, the front office is just raving

about Caleb Farley and the coaching staff. Caleb Farley had two interceptions on Monday at practice with just the rookies. Remember, the rookies reported on Saturday. So that's why he says Traylon Burks has had two good days. When we talk about Malik, we'll talk about that. But Caleb Farley had two picks on Monday. And Mike Grable talked about the quarterbacks and the coaching staff just underestimate his length. They do. I mean, a guy that long, that big, 6'2", 6'3",

runs a 4'2", 8'40". I mean, if Caleb Farley could stay healthy and stay on the field, he's going to be dominant. He's going to be a freak. Man, I can't wait to watch him lock down Michael Pittman. Tell me you guys aren't ready for that. Tighten up, man. God, gets me excited. But everybody's raving about Caleb Farley. The guy he's going against Robert Woods. Like I said,

Mike Rabel said he's about 90%, not a hundred percent full go, but about 90% for a guy who tore his ACL in November and needs to be the number one wide receiver on the Titans this year. That is massive stuff. So great news on Traylon Burks. Great news on Caleb Farley. Great news on Robert Woods. And finally, great news on Malik Willis. So yeah, it's not great news of, oh, this guy's ready to go. He's generational.

He's going to play right away. But Mike Vrabel did say that he's had some really good days since he got back to report on Saturday. He's had a couple of really good days. He's been making a lot of, this is one thing that stood out to me,

Vrabel said that Malik Willis has made a lot of correct decisions in the spring. But the timing was a little bit off and the accuracy suffered as a result. So when he's talking about timing, hey, he's seeing the right coverage. Hey, if we see cover two, you need to hit the post. Hey, if we see cover three, you need to hit the quick out. Hey, if we see man coverage with six men blitzing, you need

to dump it off to the back. He is making the right decisions. He's just making them a little slow. And when you're making them a little slow, you're throwing them into a tighter window. You've got more people around your feet and crowding you. You're maybe a little inaccurate. So, I

am more concerned, and it sounds like Mike Vrabel was more concerned with Malik Willis making the right decisions. You want him to understand what he is supposed to do with the football based on what he's seeing. Those are the things that everyone has talked about that Malik Willis needs to work on. I'm not worried about him being able to do it incredibly quick. He doesn't have to do it incredibly quick right now. So that's not a problem. And Mike Vrabel talked about the things that he wants to see. He wants to see him operate the offense, call audibles, get them in and out of the huddle, command the huddle is something that Mike Vrabel mentioned specifically as well. So these are things that I've talked about with my expectations for Malik Willis going

into training camp. And it sounds like that he is full steam ahead on all of those things. So we're going to continue moving forward. We talked about some of these new guys or people bouncing back like Caleb Farley, Traylon Burks, Robert Woods, Malik Willis. Now I want to talk about some established veterans. The two probably top players on the Titans team. You could argue the top three is clearly Henry Simmons and Bayard.

How you want to order them, I don't really know. But we got updates on Jeffrey Simmons with his contract situation. And we also got an update on Derrick Henry and what his workload should be or we can expect his workload to be going forward in training camp. Before we get into all of that, though, do want to tell you guys about BetOnline.net, the fastest and easiest way to check in on all your betting needs. You can find all your favorite sports and events at the number one online source for odds, lines, and games. You can find the latest news and reviews on every league, including MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, combat sports, esports, and even golf.

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Titans fans, we are going to cap off our day one recap of Tennessee Titans training camp by talking about Jeffrey Simmons and Derrick Henry in the latest updates on both of them and what their participation level will be during training camp. At the beginning of the show, we talked about the offensive line,

buster screens, retirement, how that affects the secondary and the roles in the Titans defense. We just talked about some positive updates on Traylon Burks, Caleb Farley, Robert Woods, and Malik Willis. Let's get into this Jeffrey Simmons and Derrick Henry talk. Before we do, I want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day.

As for your second listen, check out the Locked on NFL podcast. Get all your Titans news here with me Monday through Friday. Get all your national NFL news out the Locked On NFL podcast. Get all your Titans news here with me Monday through Friday. Get all your national NFL news with the Locked On NFL podcast Monday through Friday. I host the Thursday national show, so if you subscribe to the Locked On NFL YouTube channel, you're going to be supporting me de facto as well, so I would appreciate that. But let's get into Jeffrey Simmons and Derrick Henry. We are going to start with Jeffrey Simmons. Now, obviously, Simmons blew up last year, finally placed himself within the national conversation at interior defensive line and at the top, other than Aaron Donald, the best interior

defensive lineman probably of all time. So quite the respect that Jeffrey Simmons has got this offseason. And that leads us into the conversation about his contract. Jeffrey Simmons would like a contract before the year. We all know that. Will the Titans get it done? I don't know. Will it affect Jeffrey Simmons in training camp? It doesn't seem like it.

Mike Vrabel said today, quote, I expect Jeff to practice. They're expecting Jeffrey Simmons to be out there. John Robinson talked about Jeffrey Simmons, and Robinson said he's had discussions with Jeffrey Simmons' agent, and they're on the same page as far as an understanding of where they are right now, according to John Robinson. So it sounds like the agent for Jeffrey Simmons,

Jeffrey Simmons, John Robinson are all on the same page, Mike Vrabel all on the same page, and this leads me to a comment from Mike Vrabel where he said every player, every player is going to have a different plan. No player is going to be the same. So, when you see, he's just trying to cover himself because when you see guys sit now,

he doesn't want to have to answer questions about whether they're hurt or injured or blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But, Jeffrey Simmons does not need to participate every day in training camp. Why would he do that? Why would anybody want that?

We know who Jeff is Jeff is ready for the season I have no doubt in my mind there's no conditioning issues or work ethic issues with Jeffrey F and Simmons okay not worried about it in the least bit do not

I wouldn't care if Jeffrey Simmons didn't play at all during training camp. Now he will, but I am not going to spend one ounce of energy worrying about Jeffrey Simmons not participating in training camp practices.

And likewise, same with Derrick Henry. Mike Vrabel talked. He said he wouldn't expect Derrick Henry to participate in preseason games said he wouldn't expect Derrick Henry to participate in preseason games. I wouldn't expect Derrick Henry to participate in the preseason or the training camp or anything. Let him get out there and some work,

but Derrick Henry does not need more tread on the tires. Again, we know who Derrick Henry is. I don't need Derrick Henry wasting carries in training camp or in these joint practices where he's getting hit by guys from the Bucs or the Cardinals or whatever. There's no need for that. None. Let Simmons, let Henry chill.

We're going to need them late in the season. I'm not worried about them at all. And I love the comment of Mike Raywell saying everybody has a different plan. Everybody has a different plan and good. Because Hassan Haskins can get every freaking carry

in the preseason. Every freaking carry in training camp. I don't care if Derrick Henry gets any of them. So, no concern there. I don't care if Derrick Henry gets any of them. So, no concern there. I don't want a heavy workload on Simmons. I don't want a heavy workload on Derrick Henry. My only hope is that Jeffrey Simmons does ultimately get his deal before the season.

He deserves it. And I want him to get his money. AJ didn't get paid. They better pay Jeff. And I got a feeling that if they wait to pay Jeff until next offseason, they'll be looking at $25 million a year. So I'd lock him in now before everything goes up or Jeff Simmons goes up again because he is going to absolutely dominate this season. But that is my day one recap. The Titans were not

out on the practice field. Just so you guys know, it was conditioning, it was group meetings, it was check-in, all of the organizational logistical things. The Titans will be out on the practice field tomorrow and I will be out on the practice field tomorrow.

And I will be here to break it all down for you guys. That's going to do it for me today though, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland. And this was Locked on Titans. you