Tennessee Titans avoid injury scares and finally look healthy
By Will Lomas
Derrick Henry practiced in pads with contact today for the first time in months, and the entire NFL is watching to see how the Tennessee Titans running back looks.
People are going to debate over whether he is 100%, 98%, 90%, or whatever arbitrary number they put on it, but the point is that King Henry looks ready to go and it looks like he has checked every box to play as much as he wants on Saturday.
That is enough to warrant celebration from Tennessee Titans fans, but there were a few under-the-radar injuries to keep an eye on as well.
It didn’t get talked about a lot, but stand-out rookie cornerback Elijah Molden had to leave the Week 18 game against the Houston Texans, as did second-year cornerback Kristian Fulton. Those two have been exceptional this season with Molden dominating nearly every category for a rookie slot corner and Fulton who allowed a lower completion percentage than anyone in the league except All-Pro cornerback A.J. Terrell.
On Tuesday both players spoke to the media and neither showed up on the injury report.
All told, everyone practiced fully today except for Teair Tart who was limited in practice.
That may not sound like a big deal, but remember that this was a team that was so banged up in the middle of the season that they couldn’t even have practices because they didn’t have enough players on the field.
How far have the Tennessee Titans come?
With the Titans healthier than they have been at any point, take a look back at the starting 11 on both sides in Week 1 vs where they are now:
Offense
QB: Ryan Tannehill (then), Ryan Tannehill (now)
RB: Derrick Henry (then), Derrick Henry (now)
WR: A.J. Brown (then), A.J. Brown (now)
WR: Julio Jones (then), Julio Jones (now)
TE: Geoff Swaim (then), Geoff Swaim (now)
FB: Khari Blasingame (then), Tory Carter (now, upgrade)
LT: Taylor Lewan (then), Taylor Lewan (now)
LG: Rodger Saffold (then), Rodger Saffold (now)
C: Ben Jones (then), Ben Jones (now)
RG: Nate Davis (then), Nate Davis (now)
RT: David Quessenberry (then), David Quessenberry (now)
Defense
DL: Larrell Murchison (then), Denico Autry (now, massive upgrade)
DT: Jeffery Simmons (then), Jeffery Simmons (now)
DT: Teair Tart (then), NaQuan Jones (now, both are good)
EDGE: Harold Landry (then), Harold Landry (now)
EDGE: Bud Dupree (then), Bud Dupree (now, healthy and better)
LB: Jayon Brown (then), David Long (now, upgrade)
LB: Rashaan Evans (then), Zach Cunningham (now, massive upgrade)
CB: Jackrabbit Jenkins (then), Jackrabbit Jenkins (now)
CB: Kristian Fulton (then), Kristian Fulton (now)
S: Kevin Byard (then), Kevin Byard (now)
S: Amani Hooker (then), Amani Hooker (now)
The Tennessee Titans weathered the storm and set the record for most injured players in a season, but through some miracle, they came out on the other side rested and with upgrades at five different positions.
Hopefully, there are no setbacks because this team deserves a stretch where everyone stays healthy, and it would be nice for Tennessee Titans fans to get to see the team they thought they were going to get to see all season.