The Tennessee Titans continue to deal with more injuries than any other team in the league. Head coach Mike Vrabel just delivered his Friday afternoon press conference ahead of Sunday’s inner-conference showdown against the surging New England Patriots. Vrabel ruled OUT receiver A.J. Brown, LB David Long Jr., RG Nate Davis, LB Rashaan Evans, RB Jeremy McNichols, and DT Teair Tart.
Players ruled OUT for @Titans on Sunday vs @Patriots:
WR A.J. Brown
LB David Long
LB Rashaan Evans
OL Nate Davis
RB Jeremy McNichols
DL Teair Tart— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) November 26, 2021
Brown injured his chest against the Houston Texans last Sunday and never returned to the contest. He’ll now get two weeks off with the bye coming in Week 13. Brown didn’t practice all week, and has been confirmed OUT. Here’s a reminder that Julio Jones remains on injured reserve, and Marcus Johnson’s season is now officially over. Expect to see plenty of Nick Westbrook, Chester Rogers and possibly Dez Fitzpatrick. We wonder if the newly signed Golden Tate and/or Cody Hollister get an opportunity.
Long and Evans will miss yet another game, leaving the Titans incredibly thin at the inside linebacker position. Jayon Brown and Monty Rice are in line to play a ton of snaps on Sunday, with a little Dylan Cole in the mix.
D’Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard are currently the only two running backs on Tennessee’s active roster, so we expect them both to play a ton. It’s worth noting the Titans do have a new running back on the practice squad in the form of Rodney Smith.
Some combination of Naquan Jones, Kyle Peko and Larrell Murchison will replace Teair Tart inside. Look for Ola Adeniyi, who returned to practice on Friday, and John Simon to play some snaps outside as well. Denico Autry will continue to be a flexible defensive weapon that’s capable of moving all over the formation.
Aaron Brewer is once again expected to replace the injured Davis in the starting lineup at right guard. Davis is dealing with a very concerning concussion. Dillon Radunz will be active as well.
Other key players such as Bud Dupree and Chris Jackson remain on IR.
As always, stay tuned to MCM for all roster updates with in-depth reactions and analysis.