NASHVILLE – The Titans took the field on Tuesday for their sixth practice of training camp.
Here's a look at what stood out:
-The Titans practiced in full pads for the first time in camp, and defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons made his presence felt throughout the session. Simmons has looked good early in camp, as he's also shown great effort in running down ball carriers and chasing quarterbacks. I noticed Simmons numerous times on Tuesday.
-The two best plays for the offense came during the final team period, when the unit came alive. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill, while rolling to his right, connected with running back Darrynton Evans in the right corner of the end zone. Evans adjusted his body and made a great catch, and he somehow managed to get both his feet inbounds despite tight coverage.
-Not to be outdone, receiver A.J. Brown made a really nice catch in the same corner on the very next play. With defensive back Chris Jackson in tight coverage, Brown slid into space and managed to get both his feet inbounds while on the move toward the pylon. Tannehill's toss was on the money.
-Outside linebacker John Simon is proving to be a nice addition. Simon has shown up as a rusher, and even in coverage. I jotted Simon's name down early when he had a nice rush on Tannehill. I circled No.59 when he intercepted a pass thrown by quarterback Logan Woodside, and raced the other way.
-In the first team period, Tannehill connected with tight end Luke Stocker on an odd-looking play. Tannehill's across-the-field throw hit off Stocker's right hand and bounce in the air, but he was able to retrieve it.
-Running back Darrynton Evans once again took the bulk of the workload in team drills, and his first carry of the first team period was his best. Evans bounced outside and then downfield as defenders chased him.
-Both kickers had a really good day. Perfect, in fact. Tucker McCann was 6-of-6, making kicks of 27, 33, 40, 43, 47 and 50 yards. He's now 18-of-22 so far in camp. Recently signed kicker Sam Ficken, formerly of the Jets, was also a perfect 6-of-6 from the same distances.
-In a 7-on-7 period midway through practice, Tannehill connected with Brown on the first two plays, before hooking up with fullback Khari Blasingame and tight end Miller Forristall.
-Defensive back Jackrabbit Jenkins made a really nice break-up in a 7-on-7 period, when he knocked down a pass from Tannehill, and then let him know about it by wagging his finger. Two plays later, Tannehill connected with receiver Fred Brown on a bomb, with Jenkins in coverage.
-Linebacker Jayon Brown had a nice break-up in the 7-on-7 period.
-Defensive lineman Naquan Jones busted through the line with nice pressure, and would've put himself in a position for a sack in a game.
-I noticed Forristall, who played at Alabama, more on Tuesday than any other day in camp. In addition to his catch from Tannehill, Forristall also caught a pair of passes from quarterback DeShone Kizer, including a really nice one on the run.
-I thought the defense won a late team third down period. Tannehill couldn't find an open receiver and had to throw the ball away on the first play of the period. Tannehill and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine weren't on the same page on an incompletion, and Tannehill had to throw the ball away again on a play when Simon pursued him. Chester Rogers did catch a short pass from Tannehill in this period.
-Linebacker B.J. Bello probably created the biggest thud of the day when he collided with Evans after he caught a pass from Woodside.
-Receiver Julio Jones, who left practice early on Monday, did not practice. Receiver Josh Reynolds, tight end Geoff Swaim, linebacker Derick Roberson, safety Dane Cruikshank and center Spencer Pulley also did not practice. Center Ben Jones got up slowly after one play, but he was OK.
-Linebacker Harold Landry left practice early.
-Cornerback Caleb Farley practiced for the second straight day, but his work was limited on the first day in pads.
-Defensive lineman Denico Autry showed up on several plays in run defense.
-Linebacker Monty Rice, defensive lineman Larrell Murchison, linebacker Ola Adeniyi and defensive tackle Anthony Rush all showed up in run defense in a team period.
-Mason Kinsey, Chester Rogers and Cameron Batson all fielded punts in a special teams period.
Next practice: Wednesday, 9:30 a.m.
