The Titans will be without their leading tackler Sunday when the team hosts the Kansas City Chiefs.

Interim coach Mike McCoy on Friday ruled out inside linebacker Cedric Gray, who suffered a concussion in last Sunday’s loss at San Francisco.

Second-year linebacker James Williams, who has played just 13 defensive snaps this season, will step into Gray’s spot next to Cody Barton.

“I’m fired up for James and I said that this morning in the team meeting,” McCoy told reporters Friday. “Playing next to someone like Cody (Barton), you can just hear the communication all week long … sitting in the meeting rooms, in the defensive meeting rooms. It’s a great opportunity for him.”

Gray was the only player ruled out, but six players are listed as questionable, including cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis (illness), tight end Gunnar Helm (toe), guard Kevin Zeitler (groin), edge rusher Arden Key (illness, new to the list on Friday), wide receiver Van Jefferson (back) and edge rusher Ali Gaye (knee).

McCoy said two of the three players placed on the designated to return to practice list earlier this week — edge rusher Femi Oladejo and wide receiver Bryce Oliver — will not be activated to the 53-man roster for Sunday.

The other player placed on the designated to return to practice list, Gaye, could be activated for the contest against Kansas City.

“[The three players] looked good. They haven’t been out there in a while, they each have something different,” McCoy said. “I think … the time off helped [Oliver] tremendously, just the way you see him, the way he moved. He looked like his old self out there running around, which was good to see.

“[Oladejo was] just doing whatever he can, and he was more limited as time went on and doing individual period things … just working his way back. So it was good.”

Gray has had an outstanding second season for the Titans, as he has totaled 140 tackles in 14 games.

A fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Gray needs just 10 more tackles to become the franchise’s fourth player since 2000 to produce at least 150 tackles. The other three are Azeez Al-Shaair (163 in 2023), Stephen Tulloch (160 in 2010) and Keith Bulluck (152 in 2004).

Gray has already recorded more than 15 tackles in three games this season, and one more such performance would tie him with Jerod Mayo (2010), London Fletcher (2011) and Devin White (through 14 games in 2025) as the only NFL players since the beginning of the 2000 season to tally 15 or more tackles four times in one year.

In the meantime, the Titans will turn to Williams, a seventh-round draft pick in 2024. He has played sparingly on defense this season, but has 300 snaps on special teams, where his six tackles are tied for third on the team.

Williams played more last year on defense, collecting 19 tackles in 13 contests and 111 defensive snaps.