A Day Tre Avery Won't Forget

The undrafted cornerback out of Rutgers welcomed a child into the world and then received his 'Welcome to the NFL' call a short time later on Tuesday.

Andrew Nelles/USA Today Sports

NASHVILLE – In the midst of spending time with his one-day-old son on Tuesday, Tre Avery got a phone call that made him a little nervous.

Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson and coach Mike Vrabel were on the other end of the line, and this was the day NFL teams were cutting rosters from 80 to 53 players.

Who could blame Avery, an undrafted free-agent cornerback out of Rutgers, for thinking his time with the team might be up?

“When they called me, I was kind of shook,” Avery said Wednesday. “But then they said, `Congratulations.’”

It was actually a double dose of congratulations. Robinson and Vrabel first acknowledged the birth of Avery’s baby boy – Riley – and then delivered the news he’d made the team’s 53-man roster.

In so doing, hd beat out a pair of more experienced cornerbacks, Chris Jackson and Greg Mabin, among other competitors. A seventh-round draft pick of the Titans in 2020, Jackson had played 23 games for the team and made six starts. Mabin had played 39 NFL games and started seven, including two for the Titans last season.

Who would have guessed Avery would eventually emerge the winner in that group?

“As far as my odds coming into camp, I didn’t really think about it,” Avery said. “I just wanted a chance. I was grateful for the opportunity.

“Every time I got to step on the field, I just (thought) it could be my last game. So I just wanted to play, have fun. I love playing football, so I just wanted to enjoy it. That’s all.”

Avery first piqued the interest of NFL teams at Rutgers’ Pro Day last March, when he put up some impressive numbers. The 5-foot-11, 181-pounder ran a 4.43 40-yard dash, posted a 38-inch vertical jump and ran the 20-yard shuttle in a swift 3.95 seconds.

Just over a month later, the Titans signed Avery.

He was more steady than spectacular during training camp, but Avery took advantage of the growing opportunity. In the Titans’ preseason finale against Arizona, he played all 71 defensive snaps, recording five tackles. Avery finished the preseason with eight tackles (one for loss) and one pass defensed.

“He was kind of seventh or eighth in the race (at cornerback) about midway through camp,” Titans general manager Jon Robinson said. “(But) it seemed like once he got to turn four, he just hitched up and kept running, kept passing guys up.

“He’s competitive at the line of scrimmage. He’s really sticky in coverage. He’s got play speed. He’s got good instincts. He doesn’t play the position like a rookie. He’s not intimidated. He gets up there and lines up on his guy, and he’s reactive. He’s really done a nice job.”

The birth of his first child one day. A berth on the 53-man roster the next.

It’s been a pretty good week for Avery.

“I just tried to do whatever they asked of me, the best I could,” Avery said. “I just tried to have fun, fly around, go as hard as I could. I guess it worked.”