The Tennessee Titans have not had their offensive starters together much this offseason thanks to various reasons, but quarterback Ryan Tannehill isn’t concerned about the group’s readiness ahead of Week 1.
Wide receiver Julio Jones just participated in his first practice since Aug. 2 on Tuesday, and other offensive stars like wideout A.J. Brown and running back Derrick Henry have understandably had their reps limited throughout camp. Even the offensive linemen and tight ends have missed sessions as well.
Despite all that, Tannehill is confident that the offense will be ready to go when the Week 1 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals rolls around on Sept. 12, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
“We are getting there,” Tannehill said. “We have had limited reps together even in practice situations. I feel confident that we would make it work if we had a game today, but we don’t have a game today. We have a few weeks to get this thing right and continue to work together and be on the same page when we do get that opportunity for the first game.
“(It just takes) practice. We have had a lot of guys out, all across from the o-line, to guys out wide, to tight ends. Derrick hasn’t practiced a whole lot. We have had a bunch of guys out and we are starting to get those guys back, which is exciting. We had pretty much everyone back for that jog through (Tuesday) and you could feel it, the excitement and the energy in the huddle. Guys are kind of settling in and wanting to go play ball. The more reps we get on the practice field, I am excited about that and I think we will be in a good spot.”
The last opportunity for the Titans’ starters to get together in live game action comes on Saturday night in the preseason finale against the Chicago Bears. It isn’t clear if the Titans will deploy their starters, and if so, who will play, but head coach Mike Vrabel did hint we could see them in the contest.
Tannehill says he’d like to play; however, he isn’t sweating it if it doesn’t happen after the league had no preseason in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think if Coach Vrabel wants me to play then I would love to play,” Tannehill said. “I just love competing so if I get the opportunity to play, try to take advantage of it, go out there, compete with the guys and have some fun.
“(But) we did it last year, no preseason. We just went out and played. We get a good workout here in practice. If it doesn’t happen then we will be alright, too. It is not like I am depending on it, but if I get the opportunity I would want to go out and compete and have some fun.”
There’s no question the unit would benefit from getting at least a few reps in together, but it’s certainly understandable if the Titans don’t want to risk it. In this case, the potential risk far outweighs the potential reward.
While the Titans do have to incorporate some new pieces on offense this season, like Jones, wide receiver Josh Reynolds, and quite possibly right tackle Kendall Lamm should he get the starting job, the fact that many starters from last year’s group are returning makes things much easier.
Leave a Reply