Titans release five players

The Tennessee Titans released five players on Tuesday afternoon. The players waived were WR Joshua Malone, OL Carson Green, RB Jordan Wilkins, DT Haskell Garrett and DB Deante Burton.

The Titans had to trim their roster from 90 to 85 ahead of Tuesday’s 4:00 p.m. ET deadline. These moves mean the Titans are now in compliance with that necessity.

Malone is the most surprising release. The former Tennessee Volunteer was said to be enjoying a fruitful summer with the Titans as an intriguing reclamation project. Malone’s release likely increases Dez Fitzpatrick’s chances of making the final roster.

Garrett was a notable undrafted free agent defensive linemen out of Ohio State. Garrett simply never looked as effective as his fellow UDFA D-lineman, a list that includes Jayden Peevy and Sam Okuayinonu. Kevin Strong, Da’Shawn Hand and Larrell Murchison are other back-end defensive lineman that have outperformed Garrett at practice.

Wilkins was in the mix for a role on special teams, but the Titans have too much depth at running back. Green was a part of a second-half offensive line that really struggled against the Baltimore Ravens last week. Burton was just recently signed and was unfortunately never afforded the time necessary to make a strong impression on the coaching staff.

Mike Vrabel will now prepare this new-look 85-man roster for a week of practice against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (sans Tom Brady). The two teams will meet this Saturday for their second preseason contest. The Titans will then have to cut down their roster to 80 players prior to their final exhibition game.