A day after the Carolina Panthers released safety J.T. Ibe for a brutal hit on wide receiver Keith Kirkwood, the Tennessee Titans found themselves in a similar situation at their own training camp.
Mike Vrabel decided to remove one of his rookies from practice on Wednesday. After rookie safety Brady Breeze laid a nasty hit to the helmet of teammate Dez Fitpatrick, the Titans head coach gave him the boot.
Vrabel explained why he chose to dismiss Breeze during his media session after practice.
“He has to be smarter than that when the ball is up in the air, the receiver is up in the air and not playing the ball,” Vrabel said Wednesday, per 104.5 The Zone. “Putting his shoulder into the wide receiver when the ball is in the air. We had the unfortunate situation yesterday in Carolina. I get it to a certain extent. Guys … this is their livelihood and guys are trying to find a role for themselves and stand out.
“But part of that is learning how to practice. Brady’s a young player hoping he can learn from that.”
#Titans HC Mike Vrabel on rookie safety Brady Breeze being kicked out at the end of today’s practice. pic.twitter.com/2Fxo32sS8M
— 104-5 The Zone (@1045TheZone) August 4, 2021
Vrabel wants to make his expectations clear and use the incident as a teaching moment for the Titans rookie safety. Not only does it sound like Breeze’s hit would’ve been illegal had it happened in a game, it was on one of his teammates during a preseason practice.
The Titans selected Breeze in the sixth round of this year’s NFL draft with the 215th overall pick. The 23-year-old played his college ball at Oregon and was named 2020 Rose Bowl MVP on defense.
It’s still early August, so Breeze will have plenty of time to redeem himself throughout the rest of camp. However, the Titans secondary is crowded, meaning he might be hard-pressed to find a spot on the team’s 53-man roster. Although Wednesday’s hit won’t be the defining moment of his rookie offseason, it probably won’t help when it’s time for cuts.
The post Mike Vrabel Booted Titans Rookie Player From Practice appeared first on The Spun.
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