The Tennessee Titans travel to Chicago this week to open their preseason schedule against the Bears. Kickoff at Soldier Field (capacity 61,500) is scheduled for noon CDT on Saturday, Aug. 12.
The Titans and Bears will clash in the preseason for the fourth time in a seven-year span, having done so in 2017, 2019 and 2021. The last regular season meeting occurred at Nissan Stadium on Nov. 8, 2020, a game the Titans won 24-17 to take a 7-6 lead in the all-time series.
THE BROADCAST
This week's contest will be televised regionally on the Titans Preseason TV Network, including flagship WKRN-News 2 in Nashville. Play-by-play announcer Paul Burmeister and analyst Charles Davis will call the action, and Cory Curtis will report from the sidelines. Outside of the Nashville market, viewers can also watch the game on NFL Network.
During the preseason, fans in the Nashville market are able to livestream the broadcast on their mobile devices from the Titans Mobile App (iOS and Android), as well as on desktop computers and mobile web at TennesseeTitans.com. Restrictions apply.
Additionally, fans outside of Nashville can access live Titans preseason games with NFL+, which offers access to all out-of-market preseason games across all devices, live local and primetime regular season and postseason games (phone and tablet only), live local and national audio for every game, and more.
The Titans Radio Network and Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone carry all Titans games across the Mid-South with the "Voice of the Titans" Mike Keith, analyst Dave McGinnis, sideline reporter Ramon Foster and gameday host Rhett Bryan.
VRABEL ENTERS SIXTH SEASON IN TENNESSEE
Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is entering his sixth season in Tennessee. Since being hired in 2018, the 2021 AP NFL Coach of the Year has directed the team to four winning records, three playoff appearances and two division titles.
Vrabel's coaching staff heading into 2023 includes offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, who was promoted during the offseason after initially joining the club in 2022 as passing game coordinator. On the other side of the ball, Shane Bowen returns for his third season as defensive coordinator, while assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman is in his sixth year directing the special teams unit.
General manager Ran Carthon enters his first campaign with the Titans after being hired in January by Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk. Carthon spent the past six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, including the last two years as the team's director of player personnel. He joined the 49ers when head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch took over in 2017 and since then played a part in the team's three playoff appearances, two division titles and an NFC championship in 2019.
The Titans launch the preseason with three quarterbacks on the roster. Starter Ryan Tannehill enters his 12th NFL season and his fifth campaign with the Titans. He is first in franchise history in career passer rating (100.5) and completion percentage (66.9), and he ranks fifth in career passing touchdowns (89) and sixth in passing yards (12,831). Tannehill is backed up by second-year signal caller Malik Willis and rookie Will Levis.
Levis is one of six draft choices who could see their first action in a Titans uniform this week. Former Northwestern offensive lineman and 11th overall pick Peter Skoronski headlined the draft class, followed by Levis (Kentucky) in the second round, running back Tyjae Spears (Tulane) in Round 3, tight end Josh Whyle (Cincinnati) in Round 5, offensive lineman Jaelyn Duncan (Maryland) in Round 6 and wide receiver Colton Dowell (Tennessee-Martin) in Round 7.
The Titans also welcomed several veteran additions during the offseason. The group includes outside linebacker Arden Key, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and offensive linemen Daniel Brunskill and Andre Dillard.
THE BEARS
The Bears are in their second year under head coach Matt Eberflus. Prior to being hired in 2022, he served as defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts for four seasons.
Bears quarterback Justin Fields, the 11th overall draft pick in 2021, started 27 games during his first two NFL seasons. His career passing statistics include 4,112 yards and 24 touchdowns in addition to 1,563 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing.
After going 3-14 in 2022, the Bears and second-year general manager Ryan Poles initially owned the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. They traded the pick to the Carolina Panthers, and after another trade, they selected former University of Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright with the 10th pick. He was the first of 10 total selections for the Bears.
