Titans Release Wrestler-Turned-NFL-Hopeful

Adam Coon, who had not played football since he was a high school senior in 2013, attempted to make the team as a guard.

NASHVILLE – The grand experiment of the Tennessee Titans training camp ended Thursday, a day before their preseason opener.

The Titans waived (injured) tackle Adam Coon, a highly decorated college wrestler who signed with them after an unsuccessful attempt to make the U.S. Olympic team. At 6-foot-5, 295 pounds, he was listed as a guard.

Coon’s release was one of several moves team officials made ahead of Friday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. They also waived wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb and signed a pair of safeties, Tedric Thompson and Reggie Floyd.

Coon last played organized football in 2013 as a high school senior in Michigan. Since then, he went 116-15 and was a three-time All-American as a heavyweight wrestler for the University of Michigan and competed regularly for Team USA in international competitions and was a two-time member of the U.S. national team (2018-19).

A quarterfinal loss at the Greco-Roman Olympic qualifier in May cost Coon his shot to compete in the Tokyo Games. In 2016, he was a runner-up at the U.S. Olympic trials.

He signed with the Titans in early June. Coaches immediately were impressed by his toughness, but he missed training camp practices in recent days, and – ultimately – the decision was made to move on.

Lipscomb, undrafted out of Vanderbilt in 2020, earned a spot on the 90-man roster following a tryout during rookie orientation.

Thompson (6-foot, 204 pounds), a fourth-round pick by Seattle in 2017, adds experience to the safeties group. In 37 games (16 starts) over four seasons with the Seahawks (2017-19) and Kansas City Chiefs (2020), he has recorded three interceptions, five passes defensed, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in addition to 56 tackles.

Floyd (6-foot, 222 pounds) was an undrafted free agent in 2020 who recently was released by the Arizona Cardinals. He played four seasons at Virginia Tech where he was teammates with the Titans’ first-round pick in this year’s draft, Caleb Farley.