Titans Training Camp: A.J. Brown makes a limited return and other notes from Sunday’s practice reports

The Titans are starting to get a little bit healthier heading into Week 2 of the preseason. After getting Jurrell Casey back off the PUP yesterday, the team saw second round pick A.J. Brown start to ease back into practice. Obviously, Brown’s return — even in a limited capacity — is great news with four weeks remaining until the start of regular season action.

We will get into the details on Brown’s day below.

Injury Updates

Delanie Walker got a maintenance day today and Corey Davis only saw limited reps as part of their individual offseason training plans.

Cameron Batson and D’Andre Walker: Both guys have been added to IR, ending their 2019 seasons before they started. Batson and Walker were expected to compete for spots on the Titans 53-man roster.

Ryan Succop, Jonnu Smith, and Jeffery Simmons: These three remain on PUP.

A.J. Brown: The big news of the day was Brown’s return. The rookie wide receiver participated in individual drills before heading back inside when the first team period began.

After missing the last two weeks with a leg injury, the Titans clearly wants to ease him back in. I’m sure we will see him do a little bit more the next time they take the field. It’s too early to tell if Brown might be ready to make his preseason debut against the Patriots on Saturday, but today was a good first step in that direction.

Derrick Henry: Speaking of progress... we saw some from Henry today as he continues to recover from a calf strain suffered on the first day of camp. He worked on a side field while his teammates practiced which is a new development for the big back.

Nate Davis: Davis remains out with an injury that hasn’t been reported as of yet. He’s been sidelined for close to a week now and those are valuable reps that he’s missing right now.

David Fluellen: Fluellen missed practice again today after suffering an ankle injury last week.

Frank Herron: Herron has been out for more than a week with a foot/ankle injury. The fact that he’s still on the roster tells me that the Titans think he has a chance to A) get healthy soon and B) make the 53-man roster.

Tanner McEvoy: One of four Titans to catch a touchdown pass on Thursday, McEvoy missed practice today after leaving with a trainer yesterday.

Kalif Raymond: The preseason darling came up limping with what looked to be a hamstring issue late in practice. He would stay out on the field though and worked the JUGS machine after practice so it doesn’t seem to be a severe issue, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.

[UPDATE: According to Jim Wyatt’s notes from practice, it sounds like Raymond was just dealing with cramps in his hamstring. That would be good news.]

Takeaways

There weren’t many interesting video clips from practice today so we’ll skip right to takeaways from the day.

• Corey Davis joined A.J. Brown in heading into the locker room when team periods began. The team continues to monitor and limit his practice reps. Darius Jennings was the beneficiary today, getting the first team snaps at Davis’ usual spot.
• Jamil Douglas got the first team reps at right guard again today. That makes two days in a row for the veteran lineman. He is the most surprising name in the mix for that open spot on the Titans offensive line and it seems like he’s building momentum. I thought he was just OK in his start against the Eagles on Thursday — including one pretty rough moment — but it’s clear the team likes him.
• Taywan Taylor’s rough game in Philadelphia seems to have sparked a response from the third year wide receiver. He’s put together two consecutive days of good work and has been seen putting in extra work after practice on the JUGS machine both days as well. It seems that Thursday night might have been a wake up call for Taylor.

• Taylor also worked as part of a group of kick returners, joining Darius Jennings, Dion Lewis, and Kalif Raymond.
• Undrafted rookie corner Kareem Orr continues to turn heads in camp. He picked off a Logan Woodside pass today. When asked about Orr after practice, Mike Vrabel praised his love for football. Before transferring to UT-Chattanooga, Orr was once a Freshman All-American with Arizona State after setting a school record for freshmen with six interceptions. He’s and interesting player.
• I think the most interesting spots on the roster right now from a position battle perspective are wide receiver, offensive line, and outside linebacker. It seems that Darius Jennings still has the inside track on that sixth wide receiver spot, though Raymond and Cody Hollister certainly helped their cases on Thursday.
• The right guard spot seems wide open still, but I’d peg the favorites as Kevin Pamphile and Jamil Douglas based solely on how reps have been distributed. That being said, I thought Corey Levin looked excellent Thursday night and would like to see more of the combination that features Levin at center and Ben Jones at right guard.
• Outside linebacker is suddenly a little on the thin side following D’Andre Walker’s season ending injury. It’s a big opportunity for undrafted rookie Derick Roberson. I thought he struggled a bit on Thursday, but has been good in practices that I’ve seen. LaTroy Lewis, Jordan Williams, and Ukeme Eligwe are some of the other options to take the fifth spot here behind Harold Landry, Cam Wake, Sharif Finch, and Kamalei Correa.

The Titans have joint practices with the Patriots coming up this week. I’ll be on hand Wednesday and Thursday to watch those so make sure to check back here for detailed reports and videos from the Titans work against the defending champs.