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The Titans made several roster moves as they get ready for Sunday’s battle with the Colts. Jimmy covered those in his latest Titans in Ten podcast. You can listen to that here.
Linebacker Jayon Brown and left tackle Ty Sambrailo were placed on Injured Reserve. Both players were injured in Sunday’s game at Baltimore. It appears that their seasons are over. More moves were announced via the team’s social media and official website:
Titans place Jayon Brown and Ty Sambrailo on injured reserve + make several other roster moves
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 24, 2020
Details » https://t.co/EWATVmRpm1
The Titans also waived punter Trevor Daniel and defensive back Greg Mabin from the team’s active roster. That opens up two spots on the 53-man roster. Something tells me Titans fans won’t be too sad to see Daniel go.
The roster shuffling continued on the practice squad, where the team added quarterback DeShone Kizer and kicker Sam Sloman while waiving punter Ryan Allen and kicker Giorgio Tavecchio.
Getting rid of both punters is a significant development. It strongly indicates that Brett Kern will be ready to punt this Sunday.
Kern, alongside cornerbacks Kristian Fulton and Tye Smith were added to the team’s “Designated for Return” list.
This designation will open up a 21-day window for all three players to practice with the team, and they will not count against the team’s 53-man roster until being activated from Injured Reserve.
There’s a lot to take in here.
Let’s start with the injuries to Brown and Sambrailo. Brown is the leader and main communicator of this defense. He had been on the field for a whopping 97% of the team’s defensive snaps this season prior to injury. He’ll be sorely missed. Will Compton filled in for him and played really well. It would be great if he can keep that up. David Long Jr., who’s currently on the COVID list will probably factor in as well.
Sambrailo shouldn’t be missed much. He was playing terribly on Sunday before his injury. He was replaced by veteran O-linemen David Quessenberry, who honestly played well. It was a small sample size, but I fully expect him to start at left tackle this weekend. Veteran swing tackle Marshall Newhouse is trying out this week. I expect the team to sign him barring a failed physical. He’ll provide some much needed veteran depth at the position.
This coaching staff simply doesn’t trust Isaiah Wilson right now. You can complain about it until your blue in the face, but it is what it is. It’s way too early to label him a bust, but this is obviously a very unfortunate start to his pro career. He’s nowhere near the “next man up” in this offensive tackle pecking order.
Moving on to the cornerback news. You can never have too many bodies healthy there. It’s a positive sign that Fulton and Smith are nearing a return, but there’s no reason for either player to see many snaps right now. Breon Borders and Desmond King have been too good for that.
Kizer is an intriguing addition to the practice squad. He replaces Trevor Siemian who was signed by the Saints.
The Titans face the Colts on Sunday in Indianapolis.