NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- One step at a time, Titans rookie running back David Cobb has gotten himself noticed more and more during training camp.
In Friday night's preseason opener against the Falcons, he took his biggest leap to date.
Cobb ran for 53 yards on 11 carries, with a long run of 10 yards. Coach Ken Whisenhunt said on Saturday he believes Cobb deserves more opportunities with the first unit moving forward.
"I think he's got a good feel, good vision, good feet,'' Whisenhunt said of Cobb. "He has a good feel for making the cuts, getting through the line. That's what we liked about him at the Senior Bowl. Obviously, he was very productive his senior year at Minnesota and we were really excited to get him. We're just disappointed that we didn't get to see much of him in the spring. But he's worked to get back and he'll continue to get more reps as we progress."
Cobb, who ran for 2,828 yards and 20 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Minnesota, dealt with a quad injury during the offseason, which slowed his early development with the team. The fifth-round pick out of Minnesota took a little while to get adjusted at the beginning of camp, but began to turn the corner during the team's practice at Nissan Stadium on August 8, when he bounced a run to the outside for a would-be touchdown, and also found the end zone on a short run.
The Titans are still trying to decide how the carries will be divided this fall. Bishop Sankey didn't fare as well in the preseason opener – he had just 15 yards on eight carries – while Antonio Andrews got off to a solid start. He had 13 yards and a touchdown on four carries, and also had a 26-yard catch.
Dexter McCluster also scored on a five-yard touchdown run in Friday's game.
"That's really up to them,'' Whisenhunt said of a potential rotation. "… (Cobb) certainly got some votes towards moving up in that rotation, so I think that's part of what the preseason is about. We can find out if we can have that guy, not to be cliché, that's the bell cow. There will always be roles that are specific to certain players that do a really nice job with that. If you think that a back can stay in there for a 15-play drive, he can't do it. He just can't. It's too physically demanding on him. So you're going to have to have a third-down back. You're going to have to have situations where we put Dexter (McCluster) in there."
Titans Online looks at the collegiate career of Minnesota RB David Cobb. (AP Photos)
