Inside The Huskies

Molden Makes Memorable NFL Debut, Leads Titans in Tackles

The former UW defensive back is his usual productive self in his first game for Titans.

Dan Raley

Molden Makes Memorable NFL Debut, Leads Titans in Tackles
Molden Makes Memorable NFL Debut, Leads Titans in Tackles /

Elijah Molden made his NFL debut on Saturday night for the Tennessee Titans and the rookie defensive back didn't waste any time showing everyone connected to the franchise that he, indeed, belongs at the next level.

In a decisive 34-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in St. Petersburg, Florida, Molden topped the Titans in tackles with 8, which included 2 tackles for loss, with one of them a sack, and a pass defend.

Late in the first quarter, the former University of Washington nickelback and first-team All-Pac-12 selection provided a fourth-down stop on running back Giovani Bernard that set up Tennessee's first score. 

He even lost his helmet while making contact, but almost didn't seem to notice.

"It was really fun," Molden said of his game-day introduction to the NFL.

As the accompanying photo shows, Molden found himself covering Jaydon Mickens, a former UW wide receiver. Also on the other side were former Huskies Joe Tryon, Vita Vea and Benning Potoa'e.

The Titans used cornerback Caleb Farley and Molden, their first- and third-round draft picks, for the first time. The newcomers pencil out as projected starters in Tennessee's secondary makeover.

Coach Mike Vrabel was more than pleased with what he saw in the scrappy 5-foot-10, 192-pound player from the Northwest. 

"It's really cool to see him go out there and do some nice things and blitz and cover," Vrabel said. "One of his plays led to a big interception. So [he was] executing things that we've been coaching him to do in that situation on third down."

With Molden provided a defensive spark, the Titans crushed the defending Super Bowl champs who held out several starters, including quarterback Tom Brady. 

The Titans and Bucs no doubt are sick of each other now. Before Saturday's game, they competed in joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday that led to a few scuffles. 

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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