NASHVILLE – The Titans hit the field at Saint Thomas Sports Park on Thursday for their fifth day of organized team activities this offseason.
Today's session was once again open to media, so I was able to jot down some notes and share them.
Some observations ….
-After having roughly 55 players on the field during last week's voluntary OTAs, the numbers jumped up significantly on Thursday, when over 70 players took part. Several players have been rehabbing injuries inside during the practice sessions.
-Quarterback Ryan Tannehill, receiver Josh Reynolds, safety Kevin Byard, linebacker Rashaan Evans, linebacker Jayon Brown, linebacker Harold Landry, center Ben Jones and defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons were among those taking part in Thursday's OTA after not being present last week.
-Tannehill was in command, and he used the session to teach some of the younger players. Following multiple plays, Tannehill was seen giving instruction to receivers about a route, or what he's looking for from them.
-Reynolds looks the part. He's tall (6-3), and he has long arms. Reynolds appeared to be somewhat limited during the practice, but he took part in individual drills and he was also in the field during a late team jog-through.
-Titans General Manager Jon Robinson grabbed a pad and worked on putting some stress on the quarterbacks in one drill designed to improve footwork in the pocket.
-During a jog-through early, Tannehill connected with tight end Anthony Firkser twice, and he also completed passes to running backs Jeremy McNichols and Darrynton Evans, along with tight end Tommy Hudson.
-Big Jeffery Simmons is still big, and explosive. (See below).
-Second-year cornerback Kristian Fulton made the play of the day on defense. Fulton stepped in front of a Tannehill pass intended for fullback Khari Blasingame and picked it off. It was a great read, and it would've been a pick-6 in a game.
-Defensive back Chris Jackson also had a nice break-up on a ball intended for receiver Cody Hollister.
-Tannehill connected on throws to Blasingame and tight end Briley Moore early, and he threw a bullet to receiver Chester Rogers in the middle of the field. It was his best throw of the day.
-I thought back-up quarterback Logan Woodside had a good day. Woodside threw a beautiful pass to receiver Fred Brown across the middle, with safety Matthias Farley in coverage. Later he connected with receiver Marcus Johnson on the outside. Woodside was 3-of-4 in a 7-on-7 period, his only miss a wide throw to receiver Kalija Lipscomb.
-Defensive back Quenton Marks made a pair of nice break-ups in a 7-on-7 period.
-In a late walkthrough period, running backs Evans and McNichols stayed busy, and Brian Hill also got a carry.
-The Titans are scheduled to return to the practice field on Friday, although that session will be closed to media.
