HOUSTON — Cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson was released by the Titans in August, but in some ways he never really left.
A third-round pick by the team in the 2013 draft, Wreh-Wilson remains in a group text chat with his former Titans teammates. He's kept up with them, and the team
Today, Wreh-Wilson is at Super Bowl LI as a member of the Atlanta Falcons.
"It's all support from the guys in Tennessee,'' Wreh-Wilson said. "We went through a lot together, and those guys played their hearts out this year. They had a chance to go to the playoffs until late in the season, and that's something we never had when I was there. It didn't work out the way they wanted this year, but they definitely went about it the right way. Me, I was lucky enough to get picked up by a team that was rolling and we went to the playoffs and now here I am."
Wreh-Wilson said veterans Jason McCourty and Coty Sensabaugh, now with the Giants, helped show him the ropes when he first entered the NFL. He said he has life-long friends he developed while with the Titans.
"I was there for three years, and met a lot of great guys, a lot of guys that helped me. Jason and Coty are guys I looked up to since I got into the league because they've done things the right way – they've put their careers first and made a lot of sacrifices and guys like that I need in my corner,'' Wreh-Wilson said.
"My time in Tennessee, I enjoyed it. I gave everything I had. It wasn't always pretty, it definitely wasn't. I played through injuries, I went through a lot of changes. But it's good to see that Jon Robinson and Mike Mularkey are on a path, and they have something going there."
Wreh-Wilson played in 34 games for the Titans over three seasons. He started 11 games in 2014, but he struggled with consistency and admittedly didn't perform as well as he would've liked.
He was drafted to be a full-time starter, but his play kept it from happening. But he said he never lost confidence in himself.
"The media kept saying that, but I never lost confidence,'' he said. "Just the fact people kept saying it, and it's how it was perceived. So when people kept asking me that, I didn't know what to say, and I didn't know what to do. It's like they just threw that monkey on my back. Yeah, there were some plays that weren't good … but I didn't lose confidence."
Ultimately, the Titans parted ways with Wreh-Wilson. The Falcons picked him up late in the season, and now he's here for Super Bowl week. Wreh-Wilson has been inactive in recent weeks, and has played in just one game.
But the late-season ride has been a good one, he said.
"It is surreal,'' he said. "I don't know how to put it into words. I am ready for this opportunity to prepare for the last game of the season with my brothers here. Right now I am very happy and feel very blessed to be in this situation. I just want to, every day prepare the best that I can and take it one day at a time, something I never really did before. I always tried to do too much instead of having a process and sticking to it."
Wreh-Wilson said he wishes the Titans well.
"It didn't end like I wanted it to, but I have no regrets,'' he said. "But I thank Mike Mularkey and Jon Robinson for everything, they helped me, and with everything that was going on it was hard to keep a positive outlook on things. They helped start that before I was released and I thank them for that."
