Ex-Husky Molden Returns to Good Health, Multiple NFL Assignments

The former UW defensive back played in just two games in 2022.

For the 2022 NFL season, his second in the league, Elijah Molden encountered something that never happened to him at the University of Washington.

The nickelback got hurt and couldn't play.

Molden suffered a debilitating groin injury in preseason camp, tried to come back too soon and re-injured it, and had his second season with the Tennessee Titans turn into a total bust.

He appeared in just two games, started once. He finished with 5 tackles, including a quarterback hit on one-time fellow Seattle resident Russell Wilson, as shown here.

 

Elijah Molden, in one of two games he played in 2022, got a quarterback hit on Russell Wilson :: George Wilson IV/USA TODAY Sports

Last week, Molden demonstrated that he has his health back as he took part in the Titans' OTAs, or organized team activities. Not only that, the Tennessee coaching staff tried him at safety, a position he played at times for the Huskies, most recently in 2020.

It's been an ordeal for the 5-foot-10, 192-pound Molden, who had a fairly productive rookie season at nickel in 2021, starting seven of 16 games for the Titans, finishing with 62 tackles and returning an interception for a touchdown.

Typical of the former UW co-captain and All-Pac-12 defensive back, he used his pro football travails as a lesson experience. 

“I’m proud of the way I handled adversity," Molden told reporters last week. "Really, ever since I came into the league, I feel like that, especially last year. There were expectations on me to get back and I wasn’t ready. My body wasn’t ready, you know what I mean? That was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through in my life, but it’s kind of built me into the man I am."

Elijah Molden, because of a groin injury, appeared in just two NFL games in 2022 :: George Wilson IV/USA TODAY Sports

The Titans still believe in him and put him at safety, too, in their latest workouts in order to make him more versatile to them, and give the Oregon native a second avenue to get on the field on game days.

“We’ve actually played him in the back part of the field a little bit and I think that will be good for him," Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. "It’ll help him expand that role and expand his versatility. He’s usually has come down and played nickel. He was our PP (personal protector) on the punt team today. So those are three valuable roles for a young defensive player, and we need every player that we can get out there healthy and be able to use that versatility.”

What this means is the Titans, after not having Molden available to them much at all for 2022, want to make up for lost time and use him a lot and in different roles this coming fall. 

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