Tennessee Titans players and coaches report to Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park this week for the start of training camp. The first full-squad practice of camp is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, July 26.
An early-reporting group consisting of rookies, quarterbacks and injured players arrived at camp on Saturday, July 22, with their teammates set to join them on Tuesday, July 25, and practice for the first time the following day. A five-day acclimation period mandated by the NFL and NFL Players Association's collective bargaining agreement will be held at the start of training camp, which includes practices without full pads. The Titans' first fully-padded practice of camp will be permitted on Monday, July 31.
Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is set to lead his sixth training camp 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.
Meanwhile, general manager Ran Carthon enters his first training camp 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. Carthon's resumé also includes time with the Los Angeles Rams (2012-16) and Atlanta Falcons (2008-11). The former Florida Gator spent three years as a running back in the NFL, primarily with the Indianapolis Colts (2004-06).
As the franchise embarks on its 25th season as the Tennessee Titans, this will be the 24th training camp held at its current Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park headquarters. The facility, which opened at the conclusion of training camp in 1999, is located in MetroCenter, just north of downtown Nashville. In 2022, a complete renovation and a 60,000-square-foot addition was completed.
This year, five training camp dates are open to the general public: July 29 and Aug. 1, 4, 10 and 22. However, all tickets—which are required for entry—were made available earlier in July on a lottery basis, and none remain. No tickets will be available on site for walk-up guests.
The Titans will host additional invited guests on other practice days for the duration of training camp.
Camp information will be updated continuously at TennesseeTitans.com, the Titans mobile app and on all official team social channels.
PRESEASON GAMES AND JOINT PRACTICES
The Titans are scheduled for three preseason contests this August, and once they open camp, they will have less than three weeks to prepare for the first one. They will travel to Chicago to face the Bears on Saturday, Aug. 12.
The following week they will trek to Minnesota for a pair of joint practices and a preseason clash with the Vikings. The teams will practice at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center (Eagan, Minn.) on Aug. 16 and 17 before playing at U.S. Bank Stadium on Aug. 19.
The Titans close the preseason at Nissan Stadium against the New England Patriots, but not before they welcome the Patriots to Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park for joint practices on Aug. 22 and 23. The game kicks off at 7:15 p.m. on Friday night, Aug. 25. The Patriots last visited Nashville for training camp practices and a preseason game in 2019.
Following the Titans' preseason finale against the Patriots, they will have 16 days before launching their regular season on the road against the New Orleans Saints (Sept. 10).
ROSTER COMPETITION
At the beginning of camp, NFL teams are permitted to carry up to 90 players on the roster—or 91 in the case of clubs with an exemption from the league's international pathway program, including the Titans (tight end Thomas Odukoya). New this year, there will be only one NFL-mandated roster cutdown, and it will occur on Aug. 29, four days after the preseason matchup with the Patriots. All teams must reach the 53-player limit by then. Players placed on reserve lists such as reserve/injured, reserve/physically unable to perform, and reserve/non-football injury or illness do not count towards the 53-man active roster limit.
On Aug. 30, teams are permitted to establish practice squads with a maximum of 16 players.
CONSTRUCTING THE 2023 TITANS
Vrabel and Carthon will lead their respective staffs in crafting and managing a roster with several new faces. Most recently, the team signed veteran free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, a five-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro. In 10 previous seasons with the Houston Texans (2013-19) and Arizona Cardinals (2020-22), Hopkins totaled 853 receptions for 11,298 yards and 71 touchdowns. No NFL player has more receptions than Hopkins since he entered the league, and only Julio Jones (11,472) has more yards.
Earlier in the offseason, Carthon and the Titans were able to reach deals with a number of veteran free agents. Among those were outside linebacker Arden Key (Jacksonville), cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (Tampa Bay), linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (San Francisco), linebacker Luke Gifford (Dallas), linebacker Ben Niemann (Arizona), wide receiver Chris Moore (Houston), offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill (San Francisco), offensive lineman Andre Dillard (Philadelphia) and tight end Trevon Wesco (Chicago).
During the 2023 NFL Draft, the Titans acquired six players, beginning with Northwestern offensive lineman Peter Skoronski with the 11th overall selection in the first round. In the second round, the Titans chose Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, followed by Tulane running back Tyjae Spears in Round 3. Cincinnati tight end Josh Whyle (fifth round), Maryland offensive lineman Jaelyn Duncan (sixth round) and Tennessee-Martin wide receiver Colton Dowell (seventh round) were chosen on Day 3 of the draft.
In total, 51 of the 91 players on the Titans pre-camp roster (as of July 24) were added since the conclusion of the 2022 campaign either through the draft (six) and free agency (45). Nineteen were signed as undrafted free agents.
FOUNDATION IN PLACE
The new additions will join a nucleus of established veterans returning to the Two-Tone Blue. On the offensive side, quarterback 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). From the time of Tannehill's first start in a Titans uniform (Oct. 20, 2019) through the conclusion of 2022, his 100.7 passer rating ranked fourth in the NFL behind only Aaron Rodgers (106.0), Patrick Mahomes (103.3) and Jimmy Garoppolo (100.8).
Three-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry continues his assault on the team's record books heading into his eighth NFL season. Last year he moved into first place in franchise history in career rushing touchdowns (78) and total touchdowns (81), and he sits in third place on the franchise rushing charts with 8,335 career yards, behind only Eddie George (10,009) and Earl Campbell (8,574). In 2022, he finished second in the NFL with 1,538 rushing yards, which was the sixth-best single-season total in franchise history. Henry leads the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns since entering the NFL in 2016.
A pair of second-year offensive playmakers look to build upon their rookie campaigns, beginning with last year's first-round pick, Treylon Burks. The wide receiver totaled 33 receptions for 444 yards and one touchdown in 11 games in 2022. Among NFL rookies, his 444 receiving yards finished as the ninth-best total.
Tight end Chig Okonkwo, a fifth-round choice, established a new record for franchise rookie tight ends and led all NFL rookie tight ends in 2022 with 450 receiving yards. The Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie performer placed fourth among NFL rookies at his position with 32 receptions, which also tied for third place in team history among rookie tight ends.
On the defensive side of the ball, safety Kevin Byard joins Henry as the two longest-tenured players currently on the Titans roster. Since Byard entered the league, he has never missed a game, and his active streak of 105 consecutive starts is the longest in the NFL among active defenders going into the season. His 27 interceptions since the beginning of the 2017 season are the most by an NFL safety in that period, rank second among all players (28 by Xavien Howard) and put him in a tie for fourth place on the franchise's all-time career interceptions list.
In April, the Titans agreed to a multi-year contract extension with two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. The former first-round pick, who added second-team All-Pro honors in each of the past two campaigns, totaled 21 sacks in his first four seasons. In 2022, he anchored a unit that ranked first in the NFL in rushing defense (76.9 opponent rushing yards per game).
The Titans expect a boost in 2023 from a returning defensive leader who did not see the field in 2022—outside linebacker Harold Landry III, whose knee injury before Week 1 landed him on injured reserve. From 2018 through 2021, his total of 31 sacks led the team and fell behind only Jevon Kearse for a Titans/Oilers player's first four NFL seasons since sacks became an official NFL statistic in 1982. He was named to the Pro Bowl with 12 sacks in 2021.
THE COACHING STAFF
Entering his sixth season with the organization, Vrabel is the NFL's ninth-longest tenured head coach with his current team. He already ranks third in franchise history among head coaches with 50 career wins, including the regular season and playoffs. He trails only Jeff Fisher (147) and Bum Phillips (59), and no head coach in team annals has won more games in his first five full seasons than Vrabel. He is charged with getting the Titans back to the playoffs after a three-year postseason run came to an end with a 7-10 finish in 2022.
Vrabel's staff heading into 2023 features several newcomers and others who are moving into different roles. At offensive coordinator, Vrabel promoted Tim Kelly, who initially joined the club in 2022 as passing game coordinator. Kelly previously spent three seasons as offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans. Additions and changes to the primary position coaches on offense include new pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Charles London from the Atlanta Falcons, run game coordinator/running backs coach Justin Outten from the Denver Broncos, tight ends coach Tony Dews (previous Titans running backs coach) and offensive line coach Jason Houghtaling (previous Titans offensive line assistant).
On the other side of the ball, Shane Bowen returns for his third season as defensive coordinator. Changes for 2023 at the position-coach level include Chris Harris (Washington Commanders) as defensive pass game coordinator/cornerbacks coach, while defensive line coach Terrell Williams returns with the added title of assistant head coach–defense.
