Titans Training Camp: Day Two Recap

Today was the first of nine Titans training camp practices open to the public. Here is a recap of what went down out at Saint Thomas Sports Park.

Injury Updates

A.J. Brown: The rookie wide receiver did not participate in practice today after pulling up with an injury during a rep yesterday. Mike Vrabel said he was day to day and didn’t seem to be too concerned about Brown being out for an extended period, but obviously all reps are important — especially for rookie receivers — so it would be good to see him get back out there soon. Brown did come out after practice to get some extra work with Corey Davis on the JUGS machine.

Derrick Henry: Same story for Henry. He left Friday’s practice early with an injury — though nobody knows what exactly that injury might be — and sat out for the entirety of today’s session. Like Brown, Vrabel categorized Henry as day to day. [UPDATE]: Terry McCormick of Titans Insider is reporting that Henry has been seen wearing a walking boot in the facility. Before you panic... a walking boot isn’t always a sign of a long term injury. This could simply be an ankle or foot sprain that the team wants immobilized to promote healing. I wouldn’t expect to see Henry practicing tomorrow, but it’s premature to assume that the start of the regular season could be in jeopardy.

Jeffery Simmons: Simmons did conditioning work on a side field today, as he did yesterday. He’s not likely to be getting on the practice field before the season starts, but it’s good to see him out there moving around pretty well.

Jonnu Smith: Smith continues doing conditioning work on the side field as well.

Jurrell Casey: Casey was on the side field doing conditioning work with Simmons and Smith for a second straight day. If I had to guess — and this is just a semi-educated guess — I’d say Casey is closest to coming back out of the three guys working on the side fields right now (Casey, Simmons, and Smith).

Ryan Succop: No signs of Succop at practice today either, but Mike Vrabel did say that he expects his kicker back well before the start of the regular season.

Jack Conklin: Conklin got off to a good start in camp, avoiding the PUP list and telling reporters that he feels better physically than he did at any point last season. However, he did leave practice today after coming out for a few early periods. After practice, Mike Vrabel indicated that Conklin’s exit was planned and amounted to a maintenance day for the fourth year tackle. It sounds like Conklin will likely be back in action tomorrow.

Amani Bledsoe: The undrafted rookie defensive lineman left practice early with a trainer. No word on the details of the injury.

Cameron Batson: Batson also left practice at one point, limping off with a trainer, but he would later return to action.

Delanie Walker: Walker came up gimpy after an awkward slide after a catch, but he seemed to be able to walk it off. He stayed on the field with his helmet on after the fall, but did not get back in the action until the team wrapped up with some walk-throughs. It seems likely that this was more precautionary than anything else.

Video Clips

Jurrell Casey and Jeffery Simmons getting in some light drill work on the side field.

Delanie Walker beating Kenny Vaccaro on a post route in the red zone.

Corey Davis with a spectacular route and toe drag in the red zone.

A tremendous grab by Tajae Sharpe over good coverage from Malcolm Butler (maybe a little bit of a push off by Sharpe, but I like the aggression).

Adam Humphries roasts Tye Smith with a nifty route.

Big Takeaways

• Marcus Mariota had a nice day and the offense overall seemed to be clicking for the most part.
• The Titans need Jack Conklin healthy. The proposition of starting the season with four games of Dennis Kelly at left tackle and Austin Pasztor at right tackle is... uhhh... not great. The good news is that it sounds like Conklin’s absence will be very short lived.
• The pass catchers seem to be living up to the hype, even without A.J. Brown. Corey Davis, Delanie Walker, Adam Humphries, and Tajae Sharpe had several impressive routes and catches throughout the day. Taywan Taylor, Anthony Ratliff-Williams, and Anthony Firkser added some big plays as well, with Firkser making a leaping one-handed catch in the end zone at one point. It’s a very promising start for this group.
• Sharif Finch and Cameron Wake rotated opposite Harold Landry at outside linebacker. I think it’s pretty clear that Finch is going to have a big role on this defense in 2019 and I think that’s a good thing for the Titans.
• Adam Humphries and Cameron Batson split the reps at punt returner. It seems like Adoree’ Jackson’s time as the Titans primary punt returner is over and that’s probably a good thing. Mike Vrabel said after practice when asked about the punt return job that he felt they “left some meat on the bone” in the punt return game last year. Also, it seems like Batson is pretty clearly the WR6 at the moment, behind Davis, Humphries, Sharpe, Brown, and Taylor.
• Malcolm Butler had an interception and a couple other plays with good, sticky coverage. He’s a menace in man coverage and that continues to show.
• Arthur Smith as been very vocal in his role as offensive coordinator, a sharp contrast from the soft-spoken Matt LaFleur.