Report: Former Mizzou Standout Shane Ray Signs with Titans

Ray hasn't played in an NFL game since 2018.

Jan 24, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Shane Ray (56) against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Patriots 20-18 to advance to the Super Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Former Missouri Tigers football standout Shane Ray signed with the Tennessee Titans on Thursday morning, per The 33rd Team's Ari Meirov.

As of right now, the outside linebacker is the only former Tiger on the Titans roster. He tried out this week and Tennessee's front office clearly liked what they saw from the 31-year-old, despite having not played in an NFL game since 2018.

Shane Ray lookin violent in a #Titans tryout. The Broncos 2015 first round pick has juice pic.twitter.com/gwOCNnK4Lq

— AtoZ Sports Nashville (@AtoZSports) May 10, 2024

Ray was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 23rd overall pick of the NFL Draft. He played in 14 games during his rookie campaign but was only on the field for 35 percent of the defensive snaps. Nevertheless, Ray helped Denver win Super Bowl 50 as he logged two tackles and forced a fumble (recovered by offense) as the Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10.

His role would increase in year two, as he started in 8-of-16 games and on 53 percent of snaps, he logged 48 tackles, including six for loss, 21 quarterback hits, eight sacks, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, including a scoop-and-score.

However, he'd catch the injury bugs in the final two years of his rookie contract and the Broncos deciding not to re-sign him made Ray a free agent. The Baltimore Ravens picked him up on May 17, 2019, but then he landed on the NFI list on July 25 and they released him one month later.

Ray tried out for teams several times in 2019 but was never made the cut. That didn't stop him from continuing his dream though, as he played for the CFL's Toronto Argonauts from 2021-22.

Although he suffered a season-ending injury shortly before the Argonauts won the Grey Cup championship, Ray's efforts helped him later get signed by the Buffalo Bills. But an injury on Aug. 21 placed him on IR and Buffalo waived him four days later.

Despite all of the obstacles, Ray is officially back in the NFL and aims for an impactful role with the Titans.

Prior to his NFL career, Ray was a dominant force at Mizzou. In his junior year (2014), Ray logged 65 tackles, including a jaw-dropping 22.5 for loss, 14.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. He'd go on to win the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award and was named an Unanimous All-American.