NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Titans veteran cornerback Jason McCourty had groin surgery on Monday, putting his availability for the start of the regular season in question.
McCourty, set to begin his seventh NFL season, has missed the team's first two preseason contests while being sidelined with an injury that became troublesome early in training camp.
"Surgery went well and was a success," McCourty said via text. "I'm eager to start the rehab process so I can be back on the field as fast as possible."
Coach Ken Whisenhunt said on Monday the team elected for McCourty to go ahead and have surgery to repair the injury instead of waiting.
McCourty has started every game for the Titans since the start of the 2012 season.
"It was (an injury) we thought was going to be able to be fixed through the rehab process, and it just wasn't responding as quickly as we would've liked,'' Whisenhunt said. "So he had that surgery done, and it went very well, and now it is just the process of rehab.
"I don't know of the exact time of the rehab, but I am not ruling him out for the first game."
Cornerbacks Perrish Cox and Coty Sensabaugh started for the Titans in Sunday's preseason game against the Rams, and undrafted free agent Cody Riggs has played a good amount in the preseason as well. Cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson has missed the first two preseason games with an ankle injury, but he is improving. Marqueston Huff played at cornerback on Sunday night.
The Titans have two more preseason games before opening the regular season on September 12 at Tampa Bay.
McCourty spent the past few weeks rehabbing the injury, and did some running last week on a side field. Late last week, however, Whisenhunt said the Titans began to realize surgery would probably be the best option for McCourty, who had 85 tackles and three interceptions last season.
"We felt like we didn't want it to nag him the whole season,'' Whisenhunt said. "Since it wasn't responding to rehab like we thought it would be, we felt like it would be in the best interest for all of us to get it fixed and get it out of the way.
"… We anticipate that he will be back, and I don't think it will be a long-term (situation)."
