NASHVILLE – A familiar face is headed back to the Titans – inside linebacker Avery Williamson.
A familiar face is headed back to the practice field as well – safety Amani Hooker.
The Titans on Wednesday signed Williamson to the team's active roster. A former Titan, Williamson had been on the practice squad of the Denver Broncos before the team signed him, bringing him home.
Also on Wednesday, the Titans moved Hooker to the team's "Designated for Return from Injured Reserve" list.
This designation opens up a 21-day window for Hooker to practice with the team, and he will not count against the team's 53-man roster until being activated from Injured Reserve.
The Titans have also signed defensive tackle Kyle Peko and linebacker Dylan Cole to the team's practice squad.
Williamson, a native of Milan, Tennessee, was drafted by the Titans in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Kentucky. Williamson started four seasons with Titans (2014-2017), and he led the team in tackles for two seasons before signing a free-agent deal with the New York Jets. Williamson played in 15 games with the Steelers in 2020, and he tallied 103 tackles.
In his career, Williamson has played in 94 career games and he's tallied 590 tackles with 15.5 sacks and four interceptions.
The Titans are banged up at inside linebacker. The team placed Jayon Brown on Injured Reserve last week, and Monty Rice suffered a groin injury in Sunday's game at Jacksonville.
Cole (6-0, 237) entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent with Houston in 2017. He played four years (2017-20) for the Texans, playing 37 games and totaling 67 tackles, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and 19 special teams stops. Cole earned All-America honors as a senior at Missouri State.
Peko (6-1, 305) rejoins the Titans, where he spent a portion of training camp. He has appeared in 13 regular season games and amassed 13 career tackles over three NFL campaigns (2016-19) with the Denver and Buffalo. The former Oregon State defensive lineman originally signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2016, and has also spent time with the Indianapolis Colts. Peko was a COVID-19 opt-out for the 2020 season.
The Titans face the Buffalo Bills on Monday night at Nissan Stadium.
