Pro Bowl Specialist Coming Home

Long snapper Morgan Cox, a Tennessee native, agrees to contract terms with the Titans.

It would be difficult for the Tennessee Titans to replace long snapper Matt Overton with someone older.

Yet they almost did it.

The Titans have agreed to contract terms with Morgan Cox, an 11-year veteran who has spent his entire career – until now – with the Baltimore Ravens, according to a report out of Baltimore. That franchise released him following the season in order to go with someone younger.

Cox’s addition means Tennessee now has two long snappers under contract for 2021 – and an offseason competition for the job. Matt Orzech, who split time last season between the active roster and practice squad but never appeared in a game, was signed to a futures contract days after the wild card playoff loss to the Ravens.

As of Wednesday, the first day of the new contract year, Cox was 34 years, 325 days old. Overton, who filled that role for the final nine games (plus the postseason) of 2020, was 35 years, 254 days old.

Morgan Cox, a four-time Pro Bowl long snapper, is signing with the Tennessee Titans, per source.

Cox played for the Ravens for 11 seasons. Baltimore is choosing to go on a younger direction with Nick Moore.

It’s a homecoming for Cox, a Tennessee native.

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) March 17, 2021

Cox is a west Tennessee native who played college football at the University of Tennessee. He earned the job with the Ravens as an undrafted rookie and has played 165 out of 176 possible regular-season games since. He also has appeared in 10 playoff games, including Super Bowl XLVII, in which Baltimore defeated Cincinnati.

He is a four-time Pro Bowler (2015-16, 19-20) and ranks sixth in career games played for Baltimore.

Orzech, 25, joined the Titans when they signed him off the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad on Nov. 4, 2020. He was cut from the active roster on Dec. 1 and spent the rest of the season on the practice squad. He never appeared in a game because coaches elected to go with Overton, who was signed out of retirement to the practice squad nearly a month prior to Orzech’s addition.

Overton is an unrestricted free agent.