Tennessee Titans Cut Notable Names As They Trim Roster To 53
The Tennessee Titans cut notable second-round picks Bishop Sankey and Justin Hunter, as well as Dexter McCluster and Jeremiah Poutasi as they finalize roster.
On an eventful News-Dump Friday, the Tennessee Titans made some notable and some surprising cuts as they trimmed the roster to 53. Among those cuts were Bishop Sankey and Justin Hunter, two former second-round picks. Along with Dorial Green-Beckham, Zach Brown, Akeem Ayers and others, the Titans don’t have a second-round pick–from previous regimes–of their own choosing on the roster.
Probably the most surprising of the cuts was Dexter McCluster, who seemed to have carved out a role in Mike Mularkey’s offense as a pass-catching, gadget-type running back. His release shouldn’t be much of a shock to anyone who has seen him play over the past years. It’ll be interesting to see who racks up his lost targets out of the backfield. DeMarco Murray is a smooth pass-catcher and Derrick Henry has shown he can corral passes.
Jeremiah Poutasi’s release comes after just one season with the team. He was completely overmatched whenever he played last year, and Ruston Webster should be blamed for reaching for him in the third round. Poutasi being let go is another sign that new GM Jon Robinson wants his guys and his guys only. He is ridding himself of the past GM’s mistakes and we should be thankful that he is starting with his own brand new slate.
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Among the other cuts are defensive backs Kalan Reed, B.W. Webb, Marqueston Huff, and Curtis Riley; defensive lineman Antwuan Woods; tight ends Alex Ellis and Jerome Cunningham; linebackers Curtis Grant, J.R. Tavai and Justin Staples; offensive linemen Will Poehls, Ronald Patrick and Tyler Marz; running back David Fluellen; fullback Sam Bergen; wide receivers Ben Roberts and Andrew Turzilli; kicker Aldrick Rosas.
Reed, Huff, Woods, Ellis, Grant, and Tavai make perfect sense for the practice squad. They are players that have shown flashes in games and practices, but the current roster doesn’t fit them right now. Stashing them on the practice squad would give the Titans depth and a stake in their future potential.
Some guys I’m happy to see stick (for now): Alex Tanney, Tre McBride, Cody Riggs, Sean Spence, Aaron Wallace, and Mehdi Abdesmad.
This will not be the final 53. With the first overall waiver priority, Jon Robinson will be looking to add some underrated pieces that are waived by other teams. There are always good players that don’t work out for teams (or the teams don’t have enough room for them). Robinson has shown an eye for scouting in his career, so any pickups will be worth keeping an eye on.
All of this news has been confirmed by multiple sources, including Titans Online, The Tennesseean, Titan Insider, ESPN, and NFL.com.