NASHVILLE – Lloyd Cushenbery arrived in Tennessee last offseason full of optimism.
And, after playing his first four NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos, the highly regarded center was voted a team captain by his new teammates at the start of the 2024 season.
Cushenberry was ready to make a big difference on his new team.
The season, however, didn't go as anyone had hoped. Also, nine games into the year, Cushenberry suffered a season-ending Achilles injury that would force him into a long and grueling rehabilitation process.
The year left him motivated, and wanting more for himself, and his team.
"It was a tough year," Cushenberry said at season's end. "It was a blessing to come here, and I feel like I was here for a reason. But it was tough, what happened. To deal with the injury, and to not be as successful as you want to be, it's tough.
"But I think it's just a test. God is testing me. I am going to get through it, I am going to keep fighting. And I am going to come back better in 2025."
The Titans signed Cushenberry during the 2024 offseason to solidify the center position along the offensive front. The 6-foot-4-inch, 315-pounder was selected by Broncos in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, and he started 57 games at center for the club during his first four NFL campaigns.
In Tennessee, Cushenberry started the first eight games of the season at center. But he was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 6 and missed the final nine games of the season after being injured in the team's November 3 games against the New England Patriots.
As he reflected on his season, he saw room for improvement in a number of areas. Moving forward, Cushenberry said his routine needs to be more consistent, as well as his approach.
"Just looking in the mirror and seeing what I need to get better at, because that's where it starts," he said at season't end. "This year wasn't good enough for me personally, before the injury. So, a lot of things I have to get better at on the field.
"And, off the field, I have to be a better leader. New place, first year here, I tried to feel the locker room out. I can do a lot better as a leader, too, just getting guys ready to go, being more assertive as a leader and being a guy players can depends on on the field."
Cushenberry knew from the beginning the rehab process would be a long one.
Since the end of the season, he's been a regular at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park this offseason.
After working on his upper body, hip, and quad in the months immediately after the injury, things began ramping up in the rehab process.
If all goes according to plan, he'll been cleared sometime in June or July, he said.
"It's a six-to-eight-month injury," he said. ""It takes a while, it's a slow recovery, but I'll be back. My plan is to come back strong, and back better next year."
Cushenberry said he's as optimistic as ever, about himself, and what's around him.
"Can't dwell on the past," he said. "There's still excitement. We have a lot of pieces. Pete (Skoronski) played great this year, JC (Latham) is a rookie, he's going to have his ups and downs, but he has great potential. Those two guys are going to work their tails off, and I am, too."
