A Titans pass rush that had started to show signs of improvement in recent weeks will be limited — perhaps severely — in Sunday’s game against New England.
Titans interim coach Mike McCoy said Friday that one of the team’s starting edge rushers, Arden Key, will miss a second straight game due to a quad injury.
McCoy also ruled out wide receiver Calvin Ridley (hamstring), wide receiver Bryce Oliver (knee) and offensive lineman Blake Hance (shoulder).
The other starting edge rusher, Dre’Mont Jones, missed his second straight day of practice Friday after he apparently suffered a knee injury in Wednesday’s practice. So it’s possible that Jones might sit out against New England as well.
The third edge rusher in the rotation?
That would be rookie Femi Oladejo, the Titans’ second-round pick in April, who went on injured reserve earlier this week with a fractured leg. He’ll miss at least the next four games.
If all three players miss Sunday’s contest, the edge rotation would consist of Jihad Ward, Jaylen Harrell and Ali Gaye, who was signed from the team’s practice squad earlier this week.
“It’s the next man up mentality we’re going to have here,” McCoy said. “That’s why you always tell the players, you tell everybody on this team, ‘Regardless of what your role is, you’re one snap away from possibly being activated’ … That’s why in training camp, you rotate guys around, they’re moving all around, so they can have some training [at different spots].”
One possibility for edge help in pass-rushing situations is moving Jeffery Simmons outside more often, especially if defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat is deemed healthy enough to be activated from injured reserve for Sunday.
Sweat has missed the last four games with an ankle injury, but was a limited participant in practice this week.
The Titans have recorded a combined seven sacks in the last three games, after posting a combined two sacks in the initial three contests. The team’s pass-rush grade, per Pro Football Focus, is 72.0, 13th-best in the league.
Tennessee will also be significantly short-handed at receiver, due to the absences of Ridley and Oliver.
Ridley leads the team with 290 receiving yards, and his 18.1-yard average tops the squad as well. His 16 receptions are third on the Titans, trailing the figures of tight end Chig Okonkwo (23) and rookie receiver Elic Ayomanor (17).
It would seem likely that the Titans would elevate veteran receiver James Proche from the practice squad. Tennessee did so with Proche last week, but made him inactive for the contest.