NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans report to Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park for the start of training camp on Tuesday, July 23. The first full-squad practice of camp is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, July 24.
Head coach Brian Callahan is set to lead his first training camp in Tennessee. He was hired as the 20th head coach in franchise history on Jan. 24 after serving five seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Additionally during the offseason, the Titans announced a new front office structure under controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk. Ran Carthon was promoted to executive vice president/general manager, while Chad Brinker was elevated to the newly-created position of president of football operations. Burke Nihill remains in his role as president and CEO.
THE BASICS
As the Titans begin preparations for the 65th season in franchise history, Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park (460 Great Circle Road) will host its 25th training camp. The club's headquarters, which opened at the conclusion of training camp in 1999, is located in MetroCenter, just north of downtown Nashville. In 2022, a renovation of the existing building and a 60,000-square-foot addition was completed at the facility.
Titans fans are encouraged to attend an open training camp practice at Nissan Stadium on Saturday, July 27 at 10 a.m. CDT as part of 'Back Together Weekend' presented by SeatGeek. Fans can attend for free but must claim a ticket online at tennesseetitans.com/backtogetherweekend, where additional details are provided.
A limited number of tickets for two additional practices already have been claimed. No tickets to attend practice at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park will be available on site for walk-up guests.
Camp news and information will be updated continuously at TennesseeTitans.com, the Titans mobile app and on 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 their first test. They will open the preseason slate at Nissan Stadium against the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, Aug. 10 (6 p.m. CDT).
The following week they will host the Seattle Seahawks for a pair of joint practices at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park and a preseason clash at Nissan Stadium. The teams will practice on Wednesday, Aug. 14 and Thursday, Aug. 15, followed by the game on Saturday, Aug. 17 (6 p.m. CDT).
This year's visit by the Seahawks will mark the 12th time for the Titans to host a team for joint workouts at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park. Previous occasions included 2001 (Indianapolis), 2002 (Miami), 2003 (Miami), 2004 (Atlanta), 2008 (St. Louis), 2010 (Arizona), 2017 (Carolina), 2018 (Tampa Bay), 2019 (New England) and 2022 (Tampa Bay and Arizona). In the same time period, the Titans have traveled for joint practices in 2000 (with St. Louis in Macomb, Ill.), 2012 (with Atlanta in Dalton, Ga.), 2014 (Atlanta), 2021 (Tampa Bay) and 2023 (Minnesota).
The Titans close the preseason with a visit to play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Aug. 25 (1 p.m. CDT).
All three Titans preseason games will air on WKRN News 2 in Nashville, as well as several regional affiliates. Titans Radio, including Nashville Flagship 104.5 The Zone, carries every contest throughout the Mid-South.
Following the Titans' preseason finale at New Orleans, they will have exactly two weeks before launching their regular season on the road at the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Sept. 8.
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 using an exemption for a player in the league's international pathway program, including Titans tight end Thomas Odukoya. This year there will be only one NFL-mandated roster cutdown, and it will occur on Aug. 27, two days after the preseason matchup with the Saints. 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. New this year, each club may place two players on the reserve/injured list at the roster reduction to 53 players and retain the ability to designate the players for return at a later date. The two players will immediately count as two of the club's maximum of eight DFR designations during the regular season.
On Aug. 28, teams are permitted to establish practice squads with a maximum of 17 players, including one international player exemption.
BRIAN CALLAHAN AND STAFF
Callahan arrived in Tennessee with 18 years of coaching experience and 14 years of NFL coaching experience, including the past five seasons in Cincinnati.
During Callahan's time with the Bengals, he served under head coach Zac Taylor and was part of two AFC North titles, two AFC Championship appearances and a Super Bowl berth. He helped guide quarterback Joe Burrow from the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2020 to multiple single-season franchise records by his second year and Pro Bowl honors within three years.
Callahan, a former walk-on quarterback at UCLA, broke into the NFL coaching world in 2010 as an assistant with the Denver Broncos. He remained in Denver through 2015, rising to the role of offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach and playing a part in the team's Super Bowl 50 victory. He spent the next three years as the quarterbacks coach for the Detroit Lions (2016–2017) and Oakland Raiders (2018) before becoming the offensive coordinator in Cincinnati. Throughout his time in the NFL, he has gained expertise working with some of the game's top quarterbacks: Burrow, Peyton Manning, Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr.
Besides Callahan, there are 19 additional members of the coaching staff who are new in 2024. The number includes defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, who coached the Baltimore Ravens secondary in 2023 after previously serving on the Philadelphia Eagles staff that went to Super Bowl LVII; offensive coordinator Nick Holz, a 16-year coaching veteran and most recently the passing game coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars; and special teams coordinator Colt Anderson, who followed a nine-year NFL playing career with four years as an assistant on the same Cincinnati staff as Callahan. The new Titans staff also includes offensive line coach Bill Callahan in his 47th year of coaching—his first on the same staff as his son, Brian.
NEW ADDITIONS TAKE THE FIELD
A total of 35 players on the training camp roster were added since the 2023 campaign came to an end in January. The Titans brought in 12 veteran free agents, 14 rookie free agents, seven draft picks and two acquisitions through trades.
Once the new league year opened in March, Carthon and his staff worked through several notable signings in free agency: cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (formerly with the Bengals), linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. (Chargers), defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day (49ers), center Lloyd Cushenberry III (Broncos), running back Tony Pollard (Cowboys), quarterback Mason Rudolph (Steelers) and wide receiver Calvin Ridley (Jaguars). The Titans then used a trade to acquire former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed before circling back to free agency to sign wide receiver Tyler Boyd (Bengals) and safety Jamal Adams (Seahawks).
In late April, the Titans made former University of Alabama tackle JC Latham the seventh-overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. The 22-year-old, standing at 6-foot-6 and 342 pounds, is expected to man the left tackle spot as he begins his professional career.
The Titans used their second-round pick on Texas nose tackle T'Vondre Sweat, followed by North Carolina linebacker Cedric Gray in the fourth round, Louisville cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. in the fifth round and Tulane wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson in the sixth round. They had two selections in the seventh round, which they used on Miami (Fla.) linebacker James Williams and Michigan outside linebacker Jaylen Harrell.
LEVIS COMMANDS OFFENSE IN YEAR 2
Quarterback Will Levis is poised to begin his second training camp and his first as the team's starting signal caller heading into the season. The 33rd-overall pick in last year's draft began his rookie season as a backup before recording his initial start seven games into the season. The University of Kentucky product went on to total nine starts in 2023, joining Vince Young and Marcus Mariota as the only quarterbacks in franchise history to start at least nine games. Levis' rookie passing totals included 255 attempts, 149 completions, 1,808 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions, and his 84.2 passer rating was the second best in franchise history by a rookie quarterback (91.5 by Mariota in 2015). His passer rating also ranked first in NFL history among rookie second-round quarterbacks (minimum 200 attempts).
Levis was accompanied in the 2023 rookie class by a group that included first-round left guard Peter Skoronski (14 starts in 2023) and third-round running back Tyjae Spears (838 scrimmage yards), each of whom played significant roles in 2023 and look to become offensive building blocks moving forward.
Spears will share the backfield in 2024 with Pollard, a Memphis native who spent his first five professional seasons accumulating 3,621 rushing yards, 1,319 receiving yards and 29 total touchdowns for the Cowboys.
Latham, Skoronski and Cushenberry look to secure three-fifths of the offensive line. The competition for the right guard and right tackle openings offers a number of possibilities, with several suitors in the running. The Titans enter camp with 15 offensive linemen on the roster.
At wide receiver, Ridley adds his resume of 324 career receptions and 4,358 receiving yards to the offense. He spent one season with the Jaguars after beginning his career as a first-round pick in Atlanta in 2018. Boyd played eight seasons with the Bengals, primarily as one of the NFL's top slot receivers. He accounted for 6,000 yards and 31 scores on 513 catches.
Boyd and Ridley were added to a cast that already featured DeAndre Hopkins. Since Hopkins entered the NFL in 2013, he has more receptions (928) and receiving yards (12,355) than any other player in the league. During his first year with the Titans in 2023, he led the club with 75 catches, 1,057 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Collectively, the trio of Hopkins, Ridley and Boyd have totaled 1,765 receptions for 22,713 yards and 145 touchdowns over the course of their careers. Fifth-year veteran Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and 2022 first-rounder Treylon Burks help round out the receiving corps.
Tight end Chig Okonkwo averaged 11.4 yards per reception in his initial two NFL seasons—978 yards on 86 catches. That led all qualifying tight ends in the 2022 draft class and tied for the sixth-best average among all tight ends. Josh Whyle, a 2023 fifth-round pick, accompanies Okonkwo and free agent signee Nick Vannett among the club's tight ends.
VETERAN LEADERSHIP IN PLACE ON DEFENSE, SPECIAL TEAMS
Two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons has logged five NFL seasons, during which time he has produced 26.5 sacks. The three-time team captain and 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee is a leader on a defense with significant experience at all three levels.
The only player on the current roster with more tenure as a Titan than Simmons is outside linebacker Harold Landry III. A second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Landry has amassed a team-leading 41.5 sacks since coming to Tennessee. He enters the year ranked 11th among the franchise's all-time sack leaders—fourth in the organization's "Titans era" (1999–present). The outside linebacker group is bolstered by a collection of talent that includes Arden Key and Rashad Weaver.
Murray, a former first-round pick, was lured to Tennessee to help lead the inside linebackers. He started 53 games in four seasons with the Chargers. Jack Gibbens, a 13-game starter in 2023, as well as Gray are two of the contenders with hopes of seeing significant roles at inside linebacker in 2024.
Like Simmons, Amani Hooker has been a mainstay on defense since his 2019 rookie season and returns to lead the team's safeties. He has 244 tackles and seven interceptions in two-tone blue. Adams was added to the safety corps in July. The three-time Pro Bowl selection spent the past four years in Seattle after opening his career with three seasons as a member of the New York Jets. Elijah Molden has worked primarily at safety since last season after beginning his career as a cornerback.
In Awuzie and Sneed, the Titans upgraded their stable of cornerbacks with a combined 143 games and 16 career interceptions. The duo also boasts 19 postseason starts—13 by Sneed and six by Awuzie. Sneed, a fourth-round pick in 2020, won the past two Super Bowls with the Chiefs before the Titans traded for him in March and signed him to a contract extension. Meanwhile, Roger McCreary, a 2022 second-round pick, has already gained significant experience as an outside corner and an inside nickel defender in his first two seasons, starting a total of 28 games.
The Titans have arguably one of the most accomplished kicking batteries in the NFL. Long snapper Morgan Cox's 216 games played rank 10th in the NFL among active players, and his five Pro Bowls are more than any other player at his position since the league began naming long snappers to the Pro Bowl in 2004. Kicker Nick Folk has 228 career games under his belt—seventh among active players. His 382 career field goals put him 18 away from becoming only the 14th player in NFL history to reach 400. Third-year punter Ryan Stonehouse spent the offseason recovering from a season-ending injury in 2023. Before the injury, he averaged a league-leading 53.1 yards per punt, making him the owner of the first two seasons in NFL history with an average of at least 53.1 yards per punt.
