The two biggest injury concerns the Tennessee Titans have at the moment are right guard, Nate Davis, and running back, David Fluellen.
After getting some updates on a few key players in the last couple of days, the Tennessee Titans’ biggest injury concerns that remain are right guard, Nate Davis, and running back, David Fluellen.
In the last few days the Titans have gotten some good news on the injury front. Running back Derrick Henry returned to practice on Monday, while head coach, Mike Vrabel, said outside linebacker Harold Landry’s absence from both preseason games was “by design.”
In other news, both tight end Jonnu Smith and kicker Ryan Succop were removed from the PUP list on Monday.
Now that those four are out of the way, we’re waiting to hear a specific update on Davis and Fluellen, both of whom have missed significant practice time.
Nate Davis, RG
Davis left practice early on Day 6 and hasn’t been heard from since. The third-round pick also missed both preseason games. Vrabel was asked about Davis’ status on Monday, but the head coach didn’t give an update.
Nate Davis remains out of practice for @Titans. Vrabel not budging on injury questions, and said competition continues at right guard with players available.
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 19, 2019
At this point, Davis’ chances of being the starter at right guard are finished. Now all that’s left is determining if he’ll be ready for the start of the season.
Until he returns, it looks as though veteran guard, Kevin Pamphile, is the favorite to land the starting gig, with Jamil Douglas having an outside shot to take it from him. Pamphile got 15 starter’s snaps in Preseason Week 2, with Douglas landing three.
As our Will Lomas pointed out, neither Pamphile nor Douglas have done much to stand out this preseason, so Davis could have become the starter had he stayed healthy. He simply hasn’t been able to, thus Davis will start the season as a backup.
David Fluellen, RB
Although not as important as a potential starting offensive lineman, Fluellen has also missed a lot of practice reps. Much like Davis, we’ve heard nothing on the status of the Tennessee Titans’ No. 3 back.
Fluellen put on weight during the offseason in order to play fullback, so his value in that regard is obvious. Still, if Fluellen can’t get back on the field prior to the start of the season, the Titans might be forced to carry a fourth back, or worse, have Fluellen’s season start on injured reserve.
In the event that the latter happens after 53-man roster cuts are made, Fluellen would be eligible to return.
If Fluellen can’t get back before the start of the season, the favorite to replace him would be Jeremy McNichols. Not only has the former fifth-round pick been a stud at practice, he’s also shown up in preseason games, as he was the team’s leading rusher in the preseason opener, and he scored a touchdown on a nice catch-and-run in Week 2.