NASHVILLE – The Titans made a number of roster moves ahead of Sunday's regular season finale against the Houston Texans.
Among them:
-Defensive lineman Kevin Strong has been promoted to the active roster.
-Running back Jeremy McNichols has been waived from the active roster.
Also on Saturday, the Titans announced they're elevating running back Jordan Wilkins and defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand as standard practice squad elevations for Sunday's game. Both players will revert back to the practice squad on Monday.
One move the Titans did not make: Elevating running back Derrick Henry to the active roster. Henry, placed on the Designated for Return from Injured Reserve" list this week, was not moved to the active roster today so he won't play in Sunday's game vs the Texans.
This designation opened up a 21-day window for Henry to practice with the team, and he will not count against the team's 53-man roster until being activated from Injured Reserve. Henry is expected back for the postseason.
Wilkins, signed to the practice squad last month, will join running backs D'Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard on the gameday roster.
A fifth-round draft pick of the Colts in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss, Wilkins played in 49 games for the Colts from 2018-2021. Wilkins has 951 career rushing yards and four career touchdowns on 195 career carries. He also caught 35 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns in his time with the Colts.
Wilkins (6-1, 216) played in four games for the Colts this season before being released. He was signed to the Jaguars practice squad in November, and later released. In three seasons at Ole Miss, Wilkins gained 1,751 rushing yards on 279 carries.
Strong (6-4, 295), added to the team's practice squad in November, was signed by the Detroit Lions as a rookie free agent in 2019. He played in 15 games with one start for the Lions during the last three seasons (2019-21) and posted 16 tackles, a sack and a pass defensed. The University of Texas – San Antonio product saw action in 47 career games with 40 starts for the Roadrunners, totaling 106 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two blocked field goals.
Hand (6-3, 297), signed to the practice squad earlier this week, entered the NFL as a fourth-round selection by Detroit in the 2018 NFL Draft. He played 29 games (11 starts) over four seasons (2018-21) with the Lions. He recorded 54 tackles, three sacks and one fumble recovery in Detroit. As a college player at Alabama, Hand posted nine sacks and 71 tackles in 50 career games.
Kickoff for Sunday's Titans vs Texans game in Houston is set for noon.
