Two Former Titans Trying to Win Super Bowl with Bengals

Guard Quinton Spain and linebacker Wyatt Ray were undrafted players who made their NFL debuts with Tennessee.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Titans fans deciding who to cheer for in the Super Bowl might have been inclined to lean toward the Bengals because of a couple familiar names on the Cincinnati roster.

They may still be backing the Bengals – who knows?

But one of those familiar names, guard Quinton Spain, complicated matters a bit with a surprising social-media attack on Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons following the Bengals’ divisional round playoff win over Tennessee last month.

In a Tweet since deleted -- and an Instagram Live post after the Bengals’ win, Spain trash-talked Simmons in no uncertain terms, later alluding to the fact the two apparently had words during and after the contest.

It was an interesting flex by Spain, considering the Titans – despite the loss – had tied an NFL playoff record by piling up nine quarterback sacks. Simmons led the charge and took down Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow three times.

In any event, Spain and linebacker Wyatt Ray are the two former Titans trying to earn a Super Bowl ring on Sunday, both seeking to put exclamation points on a pair of good NFL underdog stories that sprang to life in Nashville.

After getting bypassed in the 2015 NFL Draft, Spain was given a tryout contract and made the most of it. He and cornerback Cody Riggs were the only two undrafted free agents to make the Titans’ opening-day roster that season.

Spain earned his way into the lineup as a rookie, starting the team’s final six games in 2015. The 6-foot-4, 330-pounder became an immediate fixture on the Titans’ offensive line for the following three seasons, starting 42 of the 43 games he played in.

When Spain – whose Twitter handle is “Mr. Undrafted” – signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2019, he made sure to show his appreciation to Nashville with a Twitter post thanking the Titans, their fans and Music City for an amazing four years.

The Bills released during the 2020 season. Cincinnati claimed him and days later he saw action in the Bengals’ 31-20 upset of Tennessee. He has started every game since, including this season’s 17 during the regular season and the three postseason contests.

“(Spain’s) a great guy to have in the O-line room, but he's also someone who – you know, we'll be having fun, we'll be joking around – but when it comes down to the game, when it comes down to really playing, he's a guy I know I can really trust,” Bengals left tackle Jonah Williams told The Buffalo News this week.

Ray, meanwhile, was an undrafted free agent out of Boston College. By the time the Titans signed him in August of 2020, he’d already been cut by four teams – Cleveland, Houston, Buffalo and the New York Jets – without playing a single regular-season game. But the 2- year-old made his NFL debut that year, playing four games for Tennessee and recording his first sack – against Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers.

Cincinnati claimed Ray off waivers when the Titans released him this year, and he played in 15 regular-season games (starting one), posting 15 tackles and one sack. Ray was also on the field for 22 snaps in the Bengals’ AFC Championship victory over Kansas City two weekends ago.

He’s another feel-good success story sparked by the Titans, this one unclouded by any surprise social-media shots at those who wear the two-tone blue.