NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- With DeMarco Murray out for Saturday night's game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium, Derrick Henry will be the first running back for the Tennesse Titans.

The guy who will come in after Henry has worked very hard to get in position to show he can help a 53-man roster.

David Fluellen spent some time with the Eagles and Colts befoe the Titans signed him at the start of 2015 training camp to add running back depth. He ranked way down the depth chart.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Warren Moon recently shared details on how crucial a fingernail was to his grip and throwing motion.

That led me to ask Marcus Mariota about how he holds the ball.

His hands measure 9 7/8 at the combine. Teams are generally happy with anything over 9 1/2.

During a great chat with The Midday 180, Mariota discussed his lack of desire to be on social media and his determination to keep his private life private, his close friendship with Titans center Ben Jones, his mentoring of Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the time he chose to run for punishment as opposed to yelling at a teammates at a high school practice, studying Aaron Rogers and waking up early in Hawaii to surf as part of Dawn Patrol.

After we wrapped up, he showed me his grip.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- He's the judge on one-on-one battles that earn the offense or defense a  practice championship belt.

Wednesday he played a role in breaking up a fight.

And Thursday, he stood between blocking dummies and held aloft two taped up tennis rackets to make things harded on Marcus Mariota and the quarterbacks during 7-on-7 drills that don't include any linemen.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – As the Titans assessed their 2016 deficiencies and their receiving corps, they saw a lack of YAC.

Rarely did a player do a lot with the ball after he got it, and yards after the catch are something the team expects a lot more of with Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor now part of the group.

“That’s not a coachable trait,” Titans offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie said. “That’s just a trait that a guy’s got. You can catch it and take a 5-yard out and make a 25-yard play, take a 12-yard curl and make it a 40-yard play, take a 7-yard slant and make it an 80-yard touchdown. You don’t coach that one.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans have created a deceptive situation for Jonnu Smith in training camp.

The third-round, 6-foot-3, 248-pound tight end regularly stands beside others at the position. And next to Tim Semisch (6-8, 275), Jace Amaro (6-5, 265) and Phillip Supernaw (6-5, 255) ,Smith can actually look a bit small.

That he wears No. 81 doesn’t help either.

Jonnu Smith (@Easymoney_81) makes a catch in drills earlier this week. #Titans pic.twitter.com/XqPOHoCY2a

— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) August 9, 2017

The most notable Titans who’ve worn the number in recent years were receivers, most of whom were not close to Smith’s thickness: Chris Sanders, Jake Schifino, Brandon Jones, Kevin Curtis and Andre Johnson.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Susie Adams Smith is looking to sell her third of KSA Industries. If she does, the Tennesse Titans, founded as the Houston Oilers in 1960, will not be fully owned by Bud Adams or his family for the first time.

But as Strunk emphasized in her statement, the sold piece will be a "fractional indirect" one.

Twenty-four NFL owners have to approve of any new owner (of even one percent) of a franchise or the company that owns a franchise.

A third of KSA Industies could be worth around $1.116 billion. And for NFL owners to approve the purchase, they are going to want what they view as ownership compliance issues for the team straightened out.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans confirmed Bloomberg's report that one-third of The Tennessee Titans is for sale and would be part of a purchase of shares of KSA Industries, the team's parent company.

Susie Adams Smith wants out. She owns a third of the team as does her sister, Amy Adams Strunk, who is the controlling owner. Kenneth Adams, the grandson of deceased founding owner Bud Adams, owns 11 percent of the team, as does his brother, Barclay Adams, and their mother, Susan Lewis.

NASHVILE, Tenn. – Since DeMarco Murray tweaked a hamstring Wednesday, Derrick Henry has worked as the Titans’ lead running back.

And boy does he look like a guy ready, willing and able to handle the load.

Mike Mularkey wasn’t happy with the offense and the line out of Saturday night’s practice at Nissan Stadium. But after a day off, the group returned with a vengeance Monday evening.

More RB catch work. No @DeMarcoMurray though he stretched and looked as if he'd be back. #titans pic.twitter.com/k97XSx0Hu6

— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) August 8, 2017

Henry got a lot of reps and ran hard, and some of the time he really didn’t need to do a lot because of the holes that were carved out for him.