[FREE] The Rundown on Cutdowns
The Titans have trimmed their roster down to their initial 53-man roster. What did Tre think of all the move made?
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In the NFL, there are two significant dates that signify the end — temporary for some, permanent for others — for both players and coaches.
For coaches, we have the traditional “Black Monday”. It’s the saddening date on the NFL calendar — the Monday after the last regular season game of the year — that is known for a prevalent coach or coaches being fired, whether that’s due to poor performance or any other factors that contribute to them being let go.
For players, it’s this time of year when the dreaded cut down day arrives. Which is pretty self-explanatory. A day where thousands of players must wait anxiously for a phone call or text, asking them to come to their respective facilities to hear the disappointing news.
That you’ve been cut.
It’s a painful time for a lot of players. For some, the saddening experience of being told you’re being cut, won’t signify the end of their careers. Some will be able to get looks and potential practice squad spots from other teams, therefore extending the already miniscule lifespan of an NFL career.
For others though, the news will signal the player(s) that maybe their dream chasing is unfortunately over.
The Tennessee Titans probably had a similar form of conversation with the players they cut today, partaking in the necessary tradition of their own, while also creating a number of storylines as a result.
Let’s discuss what went down on cutdown day.
Come on down Nick Folk!
Throughout the day, the Titans were reportedly one of the few teams calling around and checking the prices for…. a kicker.
Never in my life did I think the kicker market would one day be more fluid than the running back market…but 2023 just keeps surprising us huh?
Back on topic though, the Titans were reportedly considering dipping their toes into the kicker market. They finally pulled the trigger later in the day, by acquiring former Patriots kicker Nick Folk for a 2025 7th round pick.
Now the rundown here, is that the Titans have finally found a kicker they can rely on, at least based on past numbers. Over the last 3 seasons, Folk has maintained at least an 86% success rate on his field goals, with his lowest hit rate coming last season at 86%.
His success rates the two seasons before that? 92.3% in 2021 and 92.9% in 2020.
Also, his extra point success rate has stayed above 90% over the last 4 seasons, except for his 2021 season when it dipped to 89.4%.
Not too bad, huh?
The only downside here, well downsides, is that Folk dipped in kick accuracy last season and Folk hasn’t particularly been the best at limiting returns on kickoffs (his touchback percentage hasn’t hit 30% since 2014).
However, if his low touchback percentage was a problem, I don’t think the Titans wouldn’t have went through with this trade in the first place.
So, it’s probably best not to worry about it currently.
Titans keep 7(!!) WRs
One of the big surprises was the Titans leaving cut down day with 7 receivers.
That’s an extremely hefty number for a team that usually doesn’t roll with the lucky number 7 when it comes to receivers on the roster.
But hidden in this development, is the fact that the Titans sort of needed these 7 receivers on the initial 53-man roster.
Why?
Well for one, two of the Titans’ top 4 receivers are currently dealing with injuries (Treylon Burks and Kyle Philips, with the latter feeling more of a long-term absence). Also, one of the roster bubble players — Kearis Jackson — is expected to be the Titans’ kick and punt returner.
So, there’s that.
The other one that made it — Colton Dowell — impressed during camp and throughout the preseason, so he qualifies as an old fashion perform and be rewarded roster spot.
Caleb Murphy makes it, now what?
Another preseason standout was DIII national champion, and single season sack record holder, Caleb Murphy.
The former Ferris State star was seen as an intriguing roster bubble body because of his collegiate numbers, but there was doubt as to whether that’d translate into a legit NFL roster spot.
Well, we got a little bit of an answer, due to Murphy’s preseason play. He tied the league lead for preseason sacks, ultimately winning out a roster spot on the initial 53-man roster.
Now with this spot locked up, the question becomes what’s next for Murphy. Does he find a way to stick by continuing the play we saw in the preseason? Or does he falter and lose the steam he built up himself?
Time will tell.
For now, though, good on Murphy to make the roster coming from a section of college football that normally doesn’t see much professional success.
Why did Chance Campbell get the boot?
One of the first surprises was Chance Campbell getting cut.
I thought he had played well enough to earn that 3rd inside linebacker spot behind Azeez Al-Shaair and Jack Gibbens. The other candidates either didn’t stand out as much or simply didn’t play for mysterious reasons (AHEM, Monty Rice).
So, it was kind of shocking to see Campbell as one of the initial confirmed cuts.
Campbell’s chances to remain on the active roster probably came down to special teams, as Luke Gifford and others provide more cover there.
Campbell will likely be a practice squad candidate if he clears waivers though, so all hope isn’t lost there.
Offensive line depth is still a question…
Probably the biggest question on offense — aside from the backup QB competition — was the development of any offensive line depth.
Throughout camp, the Titans struggled to find any consistency from depth candidates, which is normal. But that was a problem, considering just how fluid the offensive line situation already is.
Injuries plagued this group last season, so finding some key depth was a definite must over the offseason. But unfortunately for the Titans, they just haven’t been able to find much so far.
Finding good offensive line depth has been a problem for teams league wide, so this issue isn’t exclusive to the Titans. But since we’re discussing the Titans, we must point it out.
Mike Vrabel and co. can only pray they don’t have to rely on a significant amount of their depth this season.
Same for the secondary…
Depth also remains a bit of a question in the secondary as well.
Both corner and safety came into camp with some depth concerns, particularly at safety where Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker don’t have much depth behind them.
Mike Brown, Eric Garror, and Matthew Jackson to a degree had their moments, so at least some optimism remained there. Ultimately the Titans settled on Brown and Jackson (the surprising name to stick out of the 3).
At corner, depth remained a question due to injury concerns and performance uncertainty. Your top 3 corners are already set – Kristian Fulton, Sean Murphy-Bunting, and Roger McCreary — the task now was finding at least another two bodies there.
Tre Avery makes up one of them, which isn’t surprising considering his impressive showing last season in limited fashion. The other spot fell to Anthony Kendall, a former DIII product that had a bit of a steady rise throughout camp.
Is that enough for such an important spot that’s been plagued by injuries lately? Who knows, but it’ll be interesting to find out, that’s for sure.
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