Titans flex the waiver wire muscle to add talent & earn gold medal in roster gymnastics

live here at St. Thomas Sports Park once again. Oh, are we live now? Did it took that long? Wow. Good morning. Hello. What’s up, A Toz Sports Nashville now that we are officially live. Uh, excited to have you guys here on a what is today? Thursday. A Thursday morning episode of the A Toz Sports Morning Show and East and JT edition. I am here live once more at St. Thomas Sports Park this morning. uh preparing to speak with GM Mike Borgani about the bevy of decisions this team has made about their roster in the past 72 hours and then we will get to see uh the last practice I think that we get to see the actual practice of before we get into our regular season cadence as next week is a game week. It’s right here. We are officially over we’ve crossed the Rubicon. It is. We are in regular season mode already. Frankly, this weekend, little Labor Day uh uh festivities, maybe a little bit of uh um celebrating, a little bit of getting away uh one last time before we enter the bunkers and uh we’re we’re locked in for the next 20 plus weeks. So, excited to get into some Titans roster decisions with you guys today. Talk about what’s important, what’s not, what’s real, what’s not. Go through a number of things. Uh some news topics at the top. going through who made the practice squad. Um, some waiver claims, captains were announced for this team last night if you missed that. A lot of stuff to touch on as well as a big question at the end of today’s show. We’re going to assess now that the dust is cleared where this team is still the weakest. So excited to get into all of this with you JT and with you all at home. Lock in and JT tell them what they also need to do this morning. Yeah, good morning everybody. only uh only 20 minutes late. But I think for for Eastston’s sake, this is one of the the better reasons that he’s had. It’s the uh the just unbearable Nashville traffic this morning. However, I will say if you think we’re 20 minutes late, you must be new here. Clearly, we are only 10 minutes late. Uh which is really more like 7 minutes late because our average time to start keeps creeping backwards because of I don’t know, maybe me. Yeah. Well, I mean, I think I think we do need some accountability coming into the 2025 season, and Just Smash in the chat, I think, has a great uh way to put it. And I I like this incentive as well. He says, “Every time Een is late, he should donate a dollar by the end of the regular season. It should be placed on a bet in the Super Bowl.” I like that. I like that idea. I don’t I don’t hate that. I don’t hate that. Accountable. And then if you are by the end of the season, it gets you an opportunity to win your money back, right? I was about to say who gets who gets the payout if we hit on the Super Bowl parlay for the A to Z Sports Morning Show. I I think I think it’s still you. Like it’s it’s the entirety of your accountability then writing on whether you get to keep it or not. I think that’s the that’s the point there. Uh and then one more question. Did you bring your computer back from the dead? It blew up. Oh, it’s all Is it alive? It is so far. Uh I I updated uh a driver on it yesterday. It was it the problem I think was that I was not updated with my display link which is like a home setup for secondary displays and so every time I plugged it into the second display uh it it started smoking and and fuming and blowing up on me. So um but I think knock on wood that we’re back. So and this is my phone that I’m on this morning. So that’s not going to that’s if if that falls apart then I really might just jump off this balcony. Yeah. Austin might be right in the comments though. It might just reward you to be late. But I mean, hey, maybe we get to put maybe we get to choose what the bet is in on the on the uh Well, the good news is this is the last time I think that any of us will be doing a show live from the sports park this year. So, we a regular season cadence is going to get us all back on track here in just a couple of days. Don’t you people worry. Anyways, good morning everybody from Eric in the comments to Maserati Mac. Good morning everybody. Maserati Mac. Is that Mattress Mac’s cousin? I I guess so. Drew in the in the comments, good morning. Uh Troy, good morning from Maryland. Daniel, good morning from the Caribbean as always. Super jealous of him every single time. We’re in the Caribbean. Good morning. Um Daniel, good morning. Good to all see you guys on what Bour calls a uh B Team Thursday with JT and East, which crazy talk. Listen, I’ll take it because last week I was being called third string Thursday, so we’re already making it somewhere in the world. I like to see this this progress we are making so early. But before it is the Cedric Gray of this roster just flying up and up chart. This is true. So before we get into today’s discussion, which is a lot of news topics and the Titans doing roster gymnastics to get better for the 2025 season, need a couple things from you guys. First, make sure you are liking the show. Make sure you’re also subscribed to the A Toz Sports YouTube channel. I saw Austin this morning saying that we still do not have enough likes. You guys need to lock in like the show uh so that we can get into today’s topic and then also leave us a fivestar review over on Google. Make sure you guys are That’s crazy that I’m being called Sanders expecting that. Uh make sure you guys are leaving us a fivestar review over on Google. Helps us go a long way. And time to get into the show. Who is your who is your Hall of Fame Nepo father? That’s the question. If you’re Sanders, I’m not quite sure. I’ve met your father. Great great man. great surgeon. Um, but a Hall of Famer he is not. We’ve got a great show for you guys. So, let’s get it officially started. Welcome in to the A Toz Sports Morning Show here live on a Thursday. We are live each and every weekday going live on Twitch, on Facebook, and on YouTube. Follow our social media accounts on Twitter and on Instagram as well for more coverage. All of our coverage. Got to shout out our friends sponsoring the show this morning so that we can uh get them shouted out and so that they can help you guys at home. Wilson County Hyundai make Wilson County Hyundai a part of your new car buying process in Lebanon or Wilsonounthy.com and the Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee, the region’s destination for comprehensive orthopedics and sports medicine. Bone & Jointtn.com and as JT said, leave us one of those fivestar Google reviews. We really appreciate those. All right, JT, I’m going to have you man the ship in terms of graphics because we have quite a few to share this morning. Where should we start? What what’s first on our list? Remind me. Are we practice squatting it first? Yeah, let’s let’s practice squad it because I think that’s important. We can get to practice squad and then we can talk about the waiverwire additions and then we can look at the the full culmination of this new Titans team. I think that’s the best way to go piece by piece until we get to what the final version of these roster gymnastics look like. All right, so we had the Titans officially add 14 guys to their practice squad yesterday. And JT, go ahead and throw that graphic up there on the screen. These are the guys that we for sure have on the practice squad. We also know of three more that are going to be added to the practice squad. JT, run those down for the folks real quick if they’re just listening with us. Yeah. So, if you’re just listening to us right now, the Titans made the following transactions yesterday. Signs to the practice squad. Kendall Brooks, Cam Horsley, Jamar Jefferson, Mason Kinsey, Isaiah Rakes, Xavier Restrepo, and Andrew Rupi Rupsich. Uh, signed to the practice squad as exceptions as well is Alli Gay, and Jordan Mims. And then the veterans signed to the practice squad, Ammani Owarier, James Proche, Trevor Simeon, and Carlos Watkins. And then to wrap up the the all favorable international practice squad spot, which we thought did not apply to Thomas Odcoy anymore. Apparently, it still does. He comes back and is that extra practice squad spot uh on the P squad. Yeah, I we were talking about that in the pre-show meeting. We really thought last year that once the international exemption guy got added to the active roster for the first time that they then lost their practice squad exemption, but apparently it follows you forever and always, which I mean that’s a a benefit. So that’s cool. JT, tell the folks at home, of course I know what this means, but when you’re assigned to the practice squad is an exception. Let folks know what that means. Yeah. So the the You’re putting me on the spot because I have I’m putting you on the spot because I don’t know either. Oh, okay. I don’t know what that means. Um, I imagine it is that the exception of if another team like I I don’t know like they could they are free to sign somewhere else. I have no idea what that designation is. Yeah, I honestly have no clue what that means or if it’s important. Maybe I’ll ask Mike Boranzi that today. Um, we also know of three other guys that are going to be added to this practice squad and they’re all linemen. So, we know that the guy in the picture, Cory Leven, is going to be processed for the practice squad. We’ll talk more about him later in today’s show. We know that Johnuku is likely headed for the practice squad. And we know that who am I missing here? Klay Webb. Klay Webb. That’s right. The newcomer from Denver, a UDFA rookie who uh famously wore no gloves at the Senior Bowl back in January and caught our attention. And uh you know, ask Tony Keely more about him. He’s got a good write up about the guy, but uh he wears no gloves, so you know, he’s a psychopath. Yes. And I think it’s a big addition for them as well to to kind of that was one of my biggest surprises yesterday getting to snatch him up from the practice squad. Uh it was a little bit of confusion as well I think from a lot of people as I forget to put this back up there. Um cuz when when the waiverss were coming in, it also was announced that he was signed to the practice squad because he was going to go to Denver’s practice squad then basically flips practice squads because he cleared waivers which I think was very Yeah, that was I was moving too fast and I messed that up. So I spread some misinformation on the internet on that one. It is very rude of them to when the waiverss are all coming in say he cleared waiver he did like say that the Titans are signing him but forget to mention that he cleared waivers. very rude on their part for sure, but annoying timing. Especially annoying as well. Uh who what was the Kyle Hamilton extension came down right as we were all patiently waiting for the waiver uh claims to process yesterday. So that was it’s like get this off my screen. We’ve got we’ve got scrubs to track. Um speaking of scrubs to track, let’s go ahead and throw up the graphic with the full roster. And JT, this is as of 24 hours removed from the 3 p.m. Tuesday deadline for 53man roster cututodowns. It is uh we’ve been kind of tracking this my version of a spreadsheet here uh the past couple days on the show. And this just shows you how much changed in that first 24 hours. So every guy boxed in in bold is uh somebody that has changed designation, new to the team, something along those lines. So, you see five new names there on the active roster. A bunch of guys that were red now in yellow cuz they’re on the practice squad. And even a couple of guys that were on the roster and now have been cut and are currently floating out there not on the practice squad at all. Um, so JT, it’s way too small for me to read. Uh, let the folks know who is new to the active roster because that’s what’s most important here. Yeah, we talked of course yesterday about Shy Tuttle on this show. Um, as I was watching So, yes, pandering to the VS fans. He is the new defensive lineman there. And then the Titans go ahead and make four other waiver claims yesterday. Uh claiming quarterback Jaylen Armor Davis, cornerback Samuel Wak from the Colts, uh linebacker Dorian Mousy from the Vikings, and the defensive end CJ Ravenel from the Ravens. Uh, and a number of these guys names I’m realizing I might be wrong about or you might be wrong about because you said three of their names differently than I thought they’re supposed to be said. So, we’re going to find out. Yeah. I mean, I think it’s Armor Davis, Messiah, and Ravenel. And you said Armor Davis, Mousie, and Ravenel. And I I have no idea if I’m right. You may very well be right. We may split the difference. That’s going to be number one. I’m going to say, “Hey, Mike, today in about an hour and a half, say these guys’ names for us real quick.” But um those are the four new guys. We’re going to talk about um some details on them here in just a minute and hopefully it’s not too loud in the background. You can still hear me. The uh the thing that we want to get to last here before we ask a question of you all in the chat is the captains. The annual captain’s dinner was held last night at some swanky hotel in downtown Nashville. I forget where. Austin was there so he could tell you more about it. But this is where the Titans get all of their brass and a bunch of um a much of their corporate sponsors together for a charity night. Uh proceeds all go to good causes and they announce the captains for the year. There are seven of them, three on each side of the ball and one special teamrer who you could guess. JT, throw that graphic up there and let the folks know who the new captains are. Yeah. So our our three offensive captains are Tony Pard, Calvin Ridley, and Cam Ward, which we’ll get into here in a second. the defa on the defensive side of the ball. Some familiar faces and a newcomer from this season, Jeffrey Simmons, Ammani Hooker, and Cody Barton. And then who could have seen this coming? Morgan Cox is your special teams captain, which I think is the safest bet of all time. So, so this is uh the only detail on this that I have that is interesting to me is that I found out for the first time yesterday that the gold captain’s patch actually means something apparently. So Jeffrey Simmons is going to be the only gold patch. The rest of them are going to be white. And the stars under the sea, you it’s the C and then the stars underneath that designates the number of years in a row you’ve been a captain for that team. And when you get to your fifth one, five or more, you get five stars and it turns gold. And this is Jeffree fifth time. I I always assume because I’ve seen these gold patches on players forever, right? Like every time I’ve seen Travis Kelce, I see a gold patch on his jersey. I just assume some teams patches were gold because they went better with color scheme. No, the gold one means something. So, there you go. Learn something new every day. Um, with that, let’s go ahead and ask our question and let that kind of percolate in the chat. JT, what is Let me just make sure that I phrase this correctly. The the news items that we just went over, there’s three of them. We want to rank them in order of importance. What actually matters here on a Thursday morning? So, rank these Titans news items in order of importance. Number one, Lloyd Cushenberry week one confidence based on Cory Levan, the starting center in the preseason being cut. Cornerback waiver claims adding two new guys to a room that we’ve all been pretty worried about. And Cam Ward being voted a captain as a rookie by his teammates. So, rank those three things in order of importance. Cushionberry week one confidence, cornerback waiver claims, and Cam Ward being a captain. Want to hear your thoughts on those three. items in the comments. But while that’s percolating and while JT you’re sending that, if you could throw up the graphic for me to be able to tell our friends about our friends at Lipkcom Sports Analytics, where data meets the game, analyze, strategize, revolutionize, and turn your passion into a profession by going beyond the box score with Lipkcom University’s nationally recognized. It’s a nationally recognized university, soon to be nationally recognized program, a new program, the sports analytics program. folks ask you and me and Austin and everyone I know in sports media, hey, I’d love to get into this as a profession. How do I do it? And there’s not a super clear-cut answer. There’s not a one there’s not a there’s not a you don’t, you know, it’s not like you go to med school and then you become a doctor. There are many ways for you to become a sports media member to work in sports media in some capacity. And this is a great one for you to uh start with, a great way for you to start, a great way to get your foot in the door, especially in 2025 as the importance of analytics in sports continues to grow. Their sports analytics program over there at Lipkcom is turning sports fans into datadriven decision makers in the exciting world of professional athletics. So get off the sidelines and into the action with Lipkcom’s sports analytics program, where you’ll learn to make the calls that count. excited to get into more on this very busy Thursday morning in terms of Titans news. But before we do that, make sure you guys have liked the show. Lock in, like the show. Still need more likes. We see how many likes we have on this show. And frankly, we it’s not enough this morning. And so we need to uh get the like number up. And then while you’re down there liking the show, whether you’re on Facebook, whether you’re on YouTube, whether you’re on Twitch, make sure you are subscribed to the A Toz YouTube channel. Make sure you are following along on the A Toz Facebook page. It goes a long way and it’s super easy for you guys to do. All right, JT sending you to the chat. What are people ranking as the most important thing of these three news items? Again, we’re talking about Cushenberry week one starting center. We’re talking about Captain Cam. And we’re talking about the claims the Titans made on the waiverss yesterday. How do people rank those three things? Yeah, let me let me continue being the Aaron boy today. Doing every simply everything this morning. You are juggling them very well so far. Uh Drew Nelson starts us off saying that the corners is the most important followed by Cushenberry and then Cam Ward. Demetrius says that Cusheenberry, Waiver, and Cam Ward. Steven says Cushenberry captains and then the cornerbacks. Jeff says Cushenberry, the captains and the cornerbacks. Sexy sloth says cornerback cushionberry and captains. Uh Ashley says the cushionberry um le1 situation the quarterbacks and then ward cushenberry cornerbacks ward see as coach Wills here puts in the chat seems to be the most popular one that the cushenberry update. Uh Bustin Diamond says cushionberry cam and the cornerbacks. Daniel saying cornerbacks Cam and Kush. a lot of different ones, but it seems like for the most part, as King VC comes in, says, “Lock in, like the show. Make sure you guys are liking the show this morning.” The the the consensus seems to be that as we get more look, Caps, Darius, uh, Tall, Texan, Eric, Clayton, all what they all have in common is that Kushenberry seems to be the most important topic of discussion this morning because you are right. Right. as you pointed out the the it’s not it was not set in stone that Lloyd Kushenberry was going to be ready or available week one and I still don’t think that that’s totally confirmed or like we should feel better that he is there week one but certainly regardless of the outcome cutting Cory Leaven and he’s coming back to the practice squad but that certainly doesn’t make the that that it certainly is a change from where we were just a week ago. Go. Yeah, I want to talk more about cutting core 11 and what that means. And I I wrote an article about this yesterday evening at adzports.com if you guys want to go and read that. I know there was a lot of confusion and interest about the Titans seemingly casting off a guy that was a very important member of this team throughout training camp and we’re assuming a very important depth member of the offensive line. Um, but JT, in terms of ranking these to answer our question, I feel like there is a pretty obvious order to things. U I think that uh for me it goes Kushenberry, the waiver claims and then Cam Ward. Do you share my opinion on this? Yes, I I I do. First and foremost, I I am on the same page. I I think Lloyd Kushberry’s update and making sure that we know the situation going into week one in Denver is of the utmost importance. I think where they attacked the the waiverwire claims yesterday in terms of what is now st stronger, what is weaker on the roster is the second and most important and then Cam Ward and by extension the captains is the least important to me. So just a kind of an explainer on the the Levan situation. I’m not saying it isn’t a a good indicator for Lloyd Kushenberry’s week one progress. It absolutely is. But the Cory 11 cut and soon to be addition to the practice squad is just roster gymnastics. And that’s what I wrote in that article yesterday. There is no question about who the Titans backup center is. It’s still Cory Leven. He is still their guy. They are not passing the baton to Jackson Slater or you look at this real quick. I mean you look at who’s on the roster or like even on going to be on the practice squad there. There is nobody else still, right? Blake Hans or Jackson Slater are not your new backup center. Uh Cory Leven still is. So he’ll be on the practice squad. Expect him to be a game day elevation from the practice squad in week one and then to eventually get back on the active roster. What’s the reason for this? Right? by is a trusted vested veteran like 411 who you’re taking off the roster knowing he’s not subject to waiverss. What is the impetus for these roster gymnastics? The answer is one of the guys that’s in blue on that graphic, Brandon Krenshaw Dixon, the UFA tackle out of Florida. The the truth of the matter is the Titans are kind of terrified to let him hit waiverss this week because they have very good reason to believe that he would get scooped up by somebody and they were very intrigued with him in the first place to have given him the uh the notable notably sized contract for UDFA. He uh was getting paid more than you would expect a lot of these guys to get paid. And then throughout camp, the front office and the coaching staff were even more impressed and pleased with his progress and his ability. They see a future for him as a swing tackle on this team. They see him as a very valuable member of the the depth of this team. And in a move of biblical greed, they are one of a handful of teams across the league who are just hoarding tackles because tackles are, as we talked about, I believe yesterday, getting scooped up left and right by the have knots of the league. the halves and the half nots of tackle are very clear and the teams that don’t have depth of tackle are desperate to get their hands on anybody that even remotely looks like a tackle. So, um Krenshaw Dixon is going to remain on the active roster essentially as an active practice squatter. We talked before the roster came out about how he was pretty much unlocked to be a practice squatter. He still is. They just don’t want him subjected to waiverss on cut down week. I think that he will probably still be on the active roster through week one. Now, he’ll probably be inactive on game day in week one. He’ll be one of the active inactive guys. Um, and he may even sit on the active roster as a protective measure through week two or three for a little bit longer. However long it takes for them to feel comfortable, they can cut him, subject him to waiverss, and sneak him through to their practice squad. and they have some latitude to be okay with that because Cory 11, as any practice squatter is allowed, uh can be elevated for a game day three times before you have to put up or shut up and make them an active guy or a practice squad guy. So, they’ve got almost they’ve got a full month of the season to play with um to be able to get Brandon Krenshaw Dixon safely to the practice squad. and Cory Leven who this has kind of become his thing. JT I remember distinctly uh almost to the day two years ago being in this building getting the press release from the Titans that Cory 11 had been cut. We’re like ah Cory 11 sorry to see you go tweet to tweet Cory 11’s been cut by the Titans and then we scurry on down to the the locker room right there. Walk in they’re gearing up for practice a practice right before the season and who is that at Cory Leven’s locker old locker. Uh but Cory Leven getting ready for practice and we’re all like Corey what are you doing? do we have to break the bad news to you that you will just cut and he’s like well we just you know pay attention to future transactions and then by the end of that practice he had been brought back on the practice squad and then eventually he was brought back on the active roster. So, this has kind of been Cory Leven’s thing. He is a a trusted guy who they have had they you have crazy, I know. They have conversations with these guys before they do this and they say, “Hey, can you do us a solid so that we can kind of move you around? You’re still on the team. You’re still our guy. We’re not going to impact your pocketbook, but we need to we need you to sit on the sideline for a minute technically so that we can save this.” And he’s like, “Oh, sure, sure, sure.” He’s he’s a he’s a an amicable guy. Cory 11, good guy. So, that’s what’s happening there. That story aside, JT, this is confidence in Wood Cushionberry being ready for week one. And that’s why to me it is the most important of these three news items. Not the most I wouldn’t say it’s the mo most positive of the three new news items because I’m not sure personally whether or not this is going to be a good thing or a bad thing for the Titans. Obviously, you want your starting center back, of course, and he’s tracking to be back and that’s good. That’s great. Lloyd Kushenberry is a better center than anybody else on this team, but he was activated. I correct me if I’m wrong, activated off of pup for the Atlanta week. Did some jogging and some light team activ some light uh uh uh position group activities, individual drills in Atlanta. And then the past two weeks has been slowly working in. Okay, he’s going to get two reps in a row in this team drill against actual defenders in pads. And oh, now he’s going to get three per and it’s all been incremental and we haven’t seen him to my knowledge be a full go in practice yet. So, he’s going to jump right in to the deep end in Denver in what is it 10 days from now on a on a repaired Achilles. And I understand on paper that sounds like a good thing. But are we confident it will go swimmingly the first time that this guy’s out there in a full, you know, uh, 300 some odd days? I don’t know. Yeah. I I’m not sure either. And I think that’s why ultimately regardless if Cushenberry is good to go or not, Lean will be active on game day as that precautionary measure even if even if Lloyd Kushenberry can go. Um but yeah, I I share the same sentiment that it’s much just like the Legarius Sneeed situation. Like these are guys uh two guys who are coming off pup who you know I think Kushenberry does have the leg up because he is actually was out there for a little bit longer than Legarius need but both these guys are going to not have any live reps or very few live reps before the season starts. So that’s always just scary when you get down to it. So number two on our agreed upon list are the waiver claims. And JT I I correct me if I’m wrong. I think we’re mostly talking about the two cornerbacks they claimed. No disrespect to the linebacker and the defensive lineman they claimed. Those guys are more depth special teams bodies than they are guys that you might rely upon for real serious contribution. Let’s put it that way. Um hope you now you hope these quarterbacks also aren’t needed because your starters are fine. But we know that’s how quarterback works in the NFL. You’re going to need your depth guys. The Titans go from six in that room to seven adding to cutting one and gave Judy Loi. I want to ask you, what is your confidence level maybe 1 to 10 or however you want to frame it in these guys upgrading the floor of that room? Maybe which one are you more interested in? And a question that I was asked on the radio yesterday by by Bla on Blaine and Zach. What is a reasonable expectation for fans in terms of the best you can get from a waiver coin? Yeah. Well, to to start off, I I think my confidence in the floor of this room being risen is around an eight or a nine. Like I I think I make no mistake the the the addition of these two guys over what they had in Gabe Judy Loi is massive to me because listen I I think both these guys you can reliably put out there on a game-to-ame basis to in outside of Gabe Judy where we you know kind of put him out there and you say this is not going to go well I actually have some hope with with these two guys with Jaylen Armor Davis and WAC Um, this is a guy in Arore Davis who like I said yesterday when I was I brought him up by the way on the uh waiverwire wish list as a guy that I think the Titans should have targeted. I will actually take getting one guy on my list out of I’ll take I’ll take it as a victory getting at least one guy because with over a thousand people out there I think getting one right based on what what the Titan not knowing what the Titans are are looking at like based on guys that I just think would be a good fit getting one correct on a list of like 10 guys out of the possible thousand is a W in my for future reference just tweet the full waiver list you got all of them. Correct. Correct. Okay. Noted for for next year. That’s maybe what I’ll do. But Jaylen Armor Davis, I think, is a a good scheme fit for this team. Like I touched on yesterday. He uh kind of crossed paths with Dinard Wilson in Dart Dinard Wilson’s last year with the Ravens. So, there’s some familiarity there as well. You also look at who also was trying to get Armore Davis in the Eagles, the Saints, and the Dolphins. yesterday as Mike Gerafolo tweeted out. So, it’s a hot commodity on on the waiverwire and I think for good reason. This is a guy who has shown flashes in the past. Has some really good traits that can, I guess, you know, convey into a guy you could trust out there in a in a potential, you know, pinch if you needed him to start. The problem is is that he hasn’t been healthy and he has not been available. I think this is, you know, a bet that he can stay healthy and available. And if that’s the case, as Daniel says in the in in the comments, I think this is like a Jerrell Baker situation where you’re going to see him go out there if he’s able to and he stays healthy um and be relatively surprised in how well he plays. And I think that is a different expectation than what we had if you were expecting Gabe Judy Lai to go out there because if you’re sending Gabe Judy Lai out there, it to me signals the white flag. You’re you’re just waving the white flag and you’re praying and you’re hoping. You look at just being realistic. Rude. Uh you look at Sam Samuel Walmack as well, the guy who I do do not need to point out made a couple of plays last year in both games against the Titans. This is a guy who has been around. Um and I think you just look at the the the floor. These are two NFL veterans who have played in meaningful games. And you bring in two of those guys over Gabe Judy Loi. That room I I think I was once concerned with the uh I was once concerned with this depth because if you do not have legius and you have Jarvis Brownley and Derell Baker out there and one of them goes down, then you’re relying on Marcus Harris and Gabe Judy Lai. Now you have some other veteran presence in there and I think you can feel a lot more comfortable with what you have. Yeah, I think the veteran part of it is important. Jimmy in the comments says of Armor Davis, he’s going to be another Burks always hurt. Well, you know, Burks was a first round pick you traded away the best receiver in football for. This guy you found in Waiver Claims, so slightly lower stakes, I would say, but um he may always be hurt. Just to give folks an idea of who these guys are, I’ll I’ll read from my article yesterday, the brief synopsis on both of these guys cuz you may have no idea who they are. Frankly, why should you? Jaylen Armor Davis was cut by the Baltimore Ravens this year, drafted fourth uh in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft out of Alabama. Uh, this was the most predictable claim of the bunch, I said. I think we agree as he over overlapped with Titans defensive coordinator Dinard Wilson in Baltimore when he was their defensive back’s coach under Mike McDonald in 2023. Armor Davis is a prototypical build for Dennard Wilson’s taste at 61, 197bs. He has a 439 40-yard dash speed tracked at his uh rookie year combine. Some enticing long speed there, but 29th percentile arm length is a drawback. He’s played in 19 games, but only three starts. Has only tallied two passes defended and 20 career tackles. So, still some um I’ I’d say a lot of his upside is on paper more so than than what he’s proven so far, but clearly a lot of teams in the NFL still see him as an upside candidate. The biggest reason he hasn’t gotten much of a foothold, as you pointed out, probably due to having four IR stints in three years. He now joins the quarterback room that is now seven deep. And Sam Womac out of Indianapolis is a three-year veteran, former fifth round pick. Spent his first two seasons with the 49ers before being claimed by the Colts last year. So, I would say Sam Wack, Daryl Baker Jr., that’s the level of um upside for a waiver claim. That’s if you get what they did last year for the Colts and the Titans, that’s kind of what you’re hoping for. Correct. He’s played in 40 games, nine starts. Eight of them were as a Colt last year. So, most of his NFL experience was just last season. injuries thrust him into a starter role in Indianapolis much more uh much earlier than expected. Handled himself surprisingly well for for a a really deep on the roster guy. Tallied two interceptions, an honorable nine passes defended, 36 tackles. One of those interceptions, as you pointed out, was off of Mason Rudolph in one of the Titans Colts games. He’s 5’10”, 189 pounds. So he’s a smaller quarterback. And to give you a frame of reference for how average to below average he was last year in those nine game or in those eight games rather he allowed just shy of 400 yards on 44 passes thrown his way held opposing quarterbacks to a 61% completion percentage when targeting him. So uh that’s number two on our list. And to keep things moving here JT do you have any thoughts on Cam Ward being named the rookie captain at all? The only the only thought that comes to my mind is duh. Like I it I I saw some comments here uh that said it would have been a bigger story if he wasn’t named a captain because I think this was the most predictable thing. If you’ve been paying even just the smallest bit of attention, you know, you’re a first overall pick. the the team could not stop talking about how just much like natural leadership ability he has and his ability to grip that locker room from the second he gets in there. Like I mean duh, he’s going to be a he’s going to be a he’s going to be a captain. And outside of that, you look at the other captains, they all were uh captains on the offseason program, different teams. So, I think it’s I think there’s no surprises there either except for Cody Barton, which in hindsight I was like, “Huh, that’s surprising because Cody Barton is like the most leadery leader of all time, boy scout, student body president type of guy on the entire roster.” So, kind of surprised he wasn’t a captain, but he is a more important captain now. Correct. Yes. So, I I mean, yeah, duh. He is he is a captain. It was always going to to be that way, I think. just if you even you know pay attention to anything that Cam Ward has done. So my only contribution to this conversation is that he is the first Titans rookie captain since 2015 when Marcus Mariota was also a captain. So there you go. Let’s keep the show moving here JT because we got one big question to get to we want the audience to chime in on before we get to sports trivia and get out of here for the Mike Borgansi press conference at 10:00 Central time. So let’s go ahead and send that question in the chat. The question is, what is still or maybe what is now the weakest area of the Titans roster post waiver claims, post roster cut down? What is the weakest area, weakest position group, maybe the weakest part of a position group to you on this Titans team now that it is starting to take shape for the regular season. Want to hear your thoughts on that in the comments. But first, let me tell you about our friends over at the Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee, the region’s destination for comprehensive orthopedics and sports medicine. Over there at bone and joint tn.org. Whenever you get hurt in life, you have to know who to trust. And the Bone and Joint Institute is located here in Middle Tennessee in Franklin with over a dozen specialists who can help you through any type of injury. They have a state-of-the-art rehab facility on campus to help you recover. And they can do everything under their one roof for your convenience. They have a clinic, testing, imaging, surgery, and rehab in one place. To schedule an appointment, go to bone and jointtn.org today. Yeah. Excited to get into what you guys think is still the weakest position for the Titans uh after waiver claims. But got to tell you guys, if you have not yet, because I know a lot of you guys have done your homework, but if you have not done yet, please head on over to uh a Toz Sports on Google and leave us a fivestar review. Just simply search a Toz Sports. That’s a toz sports. Leave us a fivestar review. Say whatever you like. Positive constructive criticism. We take all feedback because we want to make this show the best possible for you guys upcoming uh as the 2025 season is going to be a huge one and a very important one for both us and all of you Titans fans. So, if you guys could leave us a fivestar review, that would be greatly appreciated. It’s going to be a huge season. It’s going to be the biggest season. You’re never going to have seen a season like this. JT sending you to the chat. What do people see as the biggest weakness on this Titans roster now? Well, we started off early with a contingent of of people here. Let me see if you uh let me let me see if you notice a a trend here. Uh we start off with Kyle who says Edge Darius Ishi Drew Lincoln Kyle like I said Damian Daniel says and it’s not close. Eric says Edge. Eric Davis, the rare unanimous answer in the chat. Wow. Brian, hold on. I’m gonna keep going. Brian, Nate, Chelsea, Jason, uh, Vols, Brad, Rodney, Piple, Noble, King, VC, uh, Zack Goodman, everyone just kind of kind of saying Edge there, which I mean, we can pull up we there’s some other ones there that we’ll get into the chat, but you just pull up the list here. And yes, I mean, the the Titans Edge room did not change at all. yesterday um with keeping still uh Jiad Ward and Jaylen Harrell behind Olejo Key and Jones and I think it’s absolutely a fair uh it’s fair to say that that room is still the weakest. Yes, congratulations you all in the comments uh chose the rare question we asked that has a correct answer. This is the correct answer. It is the edge room. Um question for you JT. Are you number one, are you surprised they didn’t address it on waiverss? And number two, where are you at with uh what do you think the likelihood is that they go and add one of the veteran free agents that’s been sitting out there for some time? Like who uh who who are they linked to in that ESPN article a couple of weeks ago? Um you know what I’m talking about? The random the random linking by Fowler. Who who I want to say it wasn’t Jaw Joiner, was it? No. No. Chad, help us I’ll know when I hear it. Um, they were they were linked to somebody random that’s in that contingent of guys that are still floating out there in the ether. We’re assuming that Preston Smith, thank you, Daniel. The the Preston Smith connection is just one really the only thing we’ve heard said publicly in terms of a connection for them to these guys that we’re assuming are all kind of just waiting for money or maybe waiting to get through practice or through training camp. Um, so those are the questions that I want you to answer. Are you surprised they didn’t address it on waiverss? And do you think they’ll go and sign a veteran before the season? No, I’m not surprised they didn’t. Um, just you kind of I felt like even with the the other uh Ravenell or Ravenel, it feels like they added a defensive end just to add a defensive end and shore up that room, right? And he’s 300 pounds. Like he’s an interior player. I I get that he’s listed as a defensive end. He’s not getting any edge rush for you. I promise. It’s kind of the same as Tuttle. It’s it’s more depth behind Tavandre Sweat basically is what is what that is um behind those guys. And so I’m not surprised because you look at what the what the landscape of that was. A lot of the guys who were released were um you know a lot of unproven raw younger guys. I think that’s the a bunch of them that I I I wanted them to target were going to be just that guys that you could probably bring in then move to the practice squad and be developable de developed kind of guys in the draft and develop model. Um now do they go out and sign a guy? I I I could see that. Um does it change whether they sign a guy or not? I don’t think it’s going to change anything about about what this edge room looks like. Like it would take the the only thing that moves the needle is a is a Micah Parson’s trade and that’s never going to happen in a million years. So like that’s the last domino to fall. Just trust the process. That’s what they’re waiting for, right? Is is that is that Micah Parsons trade? But I could I see it happen? Yes. I I don’t think it will, though. Yeah. I I the Preston Smith connection is weird. Like I don’t obviously uh Jeremy Fowler, whoever whoever I think it was Fowler that put that out. They clearly they heard something from somebody which fair enough. Um I don’t know like the reason why they’re waiting obviously is money. If these guys were just free, they would they would add them. Even though this is not a team that’s like contending or anything, you they’re they’re just trying to be responsible stewards of their build and not go all out on 32-year-old rushers who might break down or might not give you anything but cost a lot of money. And so that’s why the Preston Smiths and the Javian Clowney and the and the this class of guys that are all kind of hanging the Zidarius Smiths, they’re all hanging out there still available. Every like why doesn’t my team that need needs edge, why don’t they sign them? Well, because they’re asking for a lot of money and that maybe they’re hoping that you, you know, you have a guy go down, god forbid, and suddenly a team gets desperate. That’s kind of the game that these guys play at this time of year. Um, so I I don’t know. I I I would still say they add somebody just because of the numbers because what they currently have four guys in that room. Yeah. Well, they they have five with five. Okay. That’s right. That’s right. Because Jay Harold. So, yeah, man. Like I do I think Harold’s gonna be on the active roster all season. No. Do I think that they’ll add somebody? Probably. Do I think it’s going to be somebody that moves the needle? No. Do I think it’s somebody that you’re going to have heard their name before? Also, probably not. Um, it’s just going to be a year where they try to survive without edge. And on paper, they have a way to do that. But it requires them to be incre incredibly sound with the run defense on the interior and with the linebackers flying sideline to sideline. It requires them to be um healthy and stout on the back end with the quarterbacks and the safeties. I trust the safeties to do that. I’m not sure I trust the quarterbacks to do that. And you just kind of hope that you can crush the pocket from the inside with Jeffrey Simmons and Devandre Sweat, which can work. How how consistently can that work? How likely is that all to stay together and guys not get hurt and like be consistent? I don’t know. I don’t know. So, once again, Dennard Wilson trying to draw blood from a stone this year. That’s all I’ve got. Yeah, I I agree with you there. So, all right. I think that’s it before we get to uh some sports trivia. So JT, hit all the buttons. I apologize for you having to do this. Sports trivia time. Yeah. Okay. [Music] Shout out Wilson County Hyundai. Make them a part of your new car buying process at wilson countyhy.com or in person in Lebanon. I’m going to continue to vamp as JT hold. I can see the gears turning in his head pulling up. He’s hitting right now. He’s hitting share my screen. He’s hitting the the He’s going to go and now he’s going to find the graphics for the overlay. And there it is. Frankly, Frankly, not bad for having to do it all by yourself. Yeah. All right. Uh GT, you’re gonna be you’re going to be our ring leader here because I can I can’t even You’re gonna have to read these for me because I can’t even see them on my screen. Uh lock in. Orlando says uh four and a half overunder. I think that’s even that’s a little aggressive, but that’s all right. I think that’s even uh a little aggressive. Austin says, “This trivia will be interesting as Eastston can’t do anything.” I Fair enough. Let’s try. So, we can start. Well, you know, everyone knows how we go. So, we’ll start with NFL. And you ready? Let’s do it. All right. NFL. Uh, a first round pick. This defensive tackle made five Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls with the Patriots from 2004 to 2014. Is that Vince Wilfork? Yeah. Uh, was he that high of a pick? I think so. I think I think so. Yes. Nice. Nice. Uh, geography. What is the capital of Wyoming? Cheyenne. Cheyenne. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. I I don’t I was never going to get that one. Television. Along with an Oscar winner, the English actress has earned six Emmy nominations since 2016 for her roles in The Night Manager, Flea Bag, The Crown, and The Bear. Oh, I can picture her face. What’s her name? Uh, no idea. I’m going to know it. I know who this is. What’s her name? I have I have not watched I’ve only watched one of these shows. I I I know her from from being in Flea Bag and from The Bear. Um, I’m not going to get it. I’m going to need somebody in the chat to help, but I’m going to know it when I see it. Judy Dench. Not saying Judy Dench. No, not saying Judy Dench. Um, chat. Nobody the chat the chat is uh it’s Diamond says it’s uh Darius says Olivia Coleman. If that’s it, then I’m wrong about who I think this is. I don’t think that’s it. I don’t think it’s Phoebe Waller Bridge. No, I don’t think so either. We’re We’re going to skip. We’ll We’ll come back. Young linguist explorer Mayo Thatch finds a sacred book that he believes will lead him to finding a lost city in this 2001 Disney animated film. Is it just called Atlantis? Is that Is that Treasure Island or is that Atlantis? There’s two of them. Uh, well, I think a lost city would mean Atlantis. Atlantis. It’s Atlantis. Yeah. The Lost Empire. This one, I think. So, okay. Yeah. Okay. In the in the 2020s, this rapper turned pump punk artist received a Grammy nomination for his album Mainstream Sellout. Not my bag, man. Rapper turned pop punk artist. rapper turned pop punk. Is that like Machine Gun Kelly? What years does it say? 2020s. Yeah, I guess it is Machine Gun Kelly. That’s good. Good poll. Bust diamonds. Yeah. Okay. Chain restaurants. The creator of Pong and founder of Atari, Nolan Bushnell, also founded this entertainment and restaurant chain in 1977. DMVs. I don’t know. I was gonna go Dave and Buster. I don’t Was it? Yeah. Was it Dave and Busters? I mean, what other entertainment was Busters around in 1977? That I don’t know. But what other entertainment What What other options are there? It’s got to be. I I don’t think it was around in 1977. We need some old heads in the chat to confirm. People are saying yes. Joshua says, “Uh, Budruckers, is that an entertainment?” Chuck-E-Cheese. Oh, wait. It’s totally Chuck-e-Cheese. Is it Charles Entertainment Cheese? Yeah, it’s that’s who it’s got to be. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Dang. We need to think like kids on that one. Yeah. What Eastern Conference team is Andrew Wiggins currently on? Where is Wiggins? I don’t know. He’s been on like 17 teams. Eastern Conference. I’m going to I want to say like the Nets. People are saying Heat. Sure. All right. Heat. Sure. All right. College football. After an undefeated year at UCF, Scott Frost went 16 and 31 as the head coach of this Big 10 school from 2018 to 2024. It’s Nebraska, right? Nebraska. Wisconsin. Nebraska. Wait. Oh, now you got me questioning it. Scott Frost. I think I think Nebraska. I think it’s Nebraska. Now, can I just go I can just go Nebraska. It’s Nebraska. Okay. We were right. Okay. Okay. Celebrity matchup. Oh god. Is the girl Brie Larson? Yeah, that’s the that’s the Captain Marvel earring. And then the guy Gosh, this is the smallest thing in the world on my screen. I feel like I is I mean is that face um is it the guy from your friends and neighbors on Apple TV? He’s a million other things, too. The mad the madman guy. Madman. Yeah. I don’t know. Does it look like him? I He’s tiny on my screen. Sure. We’re gonna We’re gonna rip it. Cool. All right. Television. Did anyone know this one? We had Judy Dench and Olivia Coleman. Is Judy Dench even in uh The Bear? I don’t think so. I’ve not seen The Bear. So, I don’t think that she’s in that. But what? Read the question again. Uh along with being an Oscar winner, this English actress has earned six Emmy nominations since 2016 for her roles in The Night Manager, Flea Bag, The Crown, and The Bear. Darius says it’s Olivia Coleman. We just watched The Crown last week, My Wife and I. Boston Diamond seems to be certain it’s Jaime Lee Curtis, and I know that she’s in those things, but she’s not she’s not English. All right, try Olivia Coleman. True. You want to do Olivia Coleman? Sure. Okay. Oh god. Okay. It was Olivia Coleman. All right. Sweet. Oh, you got like five and a half minutes or something. Yes. Well, we were we were 548 and Orlando says I’m going to start picking five and a half. Well, yeah. Orlando, respectfully, your sports book stinks at setting lines. You’re getting you’re getting absolutely rinsed on the over. People are taking your money and running. Oh my god. Hey, well, listen. I think we’re going to get better because you won’t be on a phone anymore after this. That is helpful. Yeah. When I can like the thing. I also I also did not realize that when you’re sharing your screen on on on this, you can’t see the chat. Like you have to you have to go back and forth on Yeah, it’s it’s tricky. I I Hey, first time. Hey, at least we got them all right. I think that’s more important. Sure. All right. Well, that uh is our show for today. Got uh press conference coming up in less than an hour with Mike Borganzi. We’re going to have some stuff from practice a little bit after that. Uh I will be handling prime time. We’ll be talking about probably something that happens today later this evening. Same place uh different time. So check that out and check Austin and JT out on the morning show tomorrow breaking down all of the things we learned today. Also got a number of articles running on a tozports.com. Great week for you to stay informed over there on some of these guys. The the the news is moving hot and heavy. Let us handle tracking it for you. You can just read the updates over there on adsports.com. Appreciate all you guys. Have a great Thursday. Talk to you tomorrow.

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