Breon Borders One of Two DBs Released

A starter in five games last season, the well-traveled veteran remained a backup despite numerous lineup changes this season.

NASHVILLE – When the Tennessee Titans needed help at cornerback in 2020, they turned to Breon Borders for a time.

When they needed help at the same position ths season, they turned to pretty much everyone else. Tuesday, they turned him loose.

The Titans released Borders along with free-agent wide receiver Josh Reynolds. They also released defensive back Nate Brooks from their practice squad.

At present, the 53-man roster includes just four cornerbacks, Jackrabbit Jenkins, Chris Jackson, Greg Mabin and Elijah Molden. A fifth, Kristian Fulton, has spent the last four weeks on injured reserve, which means he is eligible to return at any time.

Borders played in each of the nine games thus far in 2021 but remained a little-used reserve even as injury issues piled up at that position. When Fulton and Caleb Farley went on injured reserve in consecutive weeks, Mabin was signed off the Arizona practice squad and immediately installed as a starter. When Mabin sat out Sunday’s game at Los Angeles with an injury, Jackson got the call to start.

All told, Borders has been on the field with the defense for 52 snaps. He registered four tackles with two passes defensed.

The 26-year-old started five games for the Titans from early November until early December last season and appeared in one other before he ended up on injured reserve. In that limited stint, he made 27 tackles, one tackle for loss and was credited with five passes defensed and drew praise from the coaches for his effort.

“I love (Borders’) competitiveness,” coach Mike Vrabel said during training camp. “I love his attitude, his willingness to learn and work and compete. … He does it like we coach it and certainly enjoy having him in here every day and learning. He is one of those guys that comes into the building ready to go, and he has a level of toughness to him and a competitive spirit that we like.”

Undrafted out of Duke in 2017, this is the ninth time in his career, the second by the Titans. He also has been cut by the Raiders (2017), Buffalo (2018), Houston (2018), Jacksonville (2019), Washington (2020), Pittsburgh (2020) and Miami (2020).

Of his 27 career games played, 15 have been with Tennessee, as have five of his six starts.

“He fits our culture in that regard with what we are looking for from our players,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said during the preseason. “Day in and day out we know what we are going to get, there aren’t going to be any surprises. There might be times he gets beat, I get it, everybody gets beat. But at the same time, he is going to try and do what he is coached to do, and he is going to play hard.”

Chances are, he is going to have to try to fit in somewhere else.