Six Players Released as Start of Camp Draws Near

Four of the six spent at least part of last season on the Titans' practice squad; one played in a regular-season game.

NASHVILLE – For most players, it will be a training camp unlike any other.

For six who hoped to earn a job with the Tennessee Titans, there won’t be any training camp at all – at least not for now.

The Titans waived defensive end Amani Bledsoe, linebacker Nigel Harris, tight end Cole Herdman, wide receiver Trevion Thompson, offensive lineman Zac Kerin and running back Shaun Wilson on Sunday, two days before veterans were scheduled to report for the start of camp. Wilson was waived with the non-football injury distinction.

Following the moves, there are 81 players on Tennessee’s roster, one more than the maximum for this year’s training camp. But teams don't need to be down to 80 players until three weeks into camp.

Normally, the roster limit for the preseason is 90. Under a recent agreement between the NFL and NFL Players’ Association designed to better help everyone deal with the COVD-19 pandemic, preseason games were eliminated, and the roster size was reduced, among other things.

Speculation across the league has been that undrafted rookies would bear the brunt of the mandated cuts. The Titans, apparently, want to look at all or most of the 14 undrafted rookies they signed this year and instead released a number of players about whom they already know plenty.

Harris, Bledsoe, Thompson and Wilson all spent at least part of 2019 on Tennessee’s practice squad. Harris was on the active roster for one game (New Orleans, Dec. 22, 2019). Bledsoe spent the entire season on the practice squad.

Herdman was one of the first available players signed during the offseason. Kerin, who has 18 games of NFL experience, has been with five other NFL franchises and was signed in April after having spent time in the XFL.

Those players who report Tuesday will be tested for COVID-19 and then be relegated to virtual meetings. Those who pass two tests in a 72-hour period will be permitted inside the team’s training facility (it is the same for all 32 NFL teams). Players will be limited to on-field conditioning work for a time before actually football drills are allowed.