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Jurrell Casey comes to terms with his Titans' ending

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jurrell Casey was a clear Titans’ gem during an era when big finds were not a regular thing.

A five-time Pro Bowler was a consistent problem for opponents on the interior line and one of the best Titans in the community the franchise has ever had.

But the ending wasn’t pretty. It rarely is.Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jurrell Casey

When the Titans shipped him to Denver for a seventh-rounder they actually assured him of an $11.4 million salary in 2020, when he wound suffering a season-ending biceps injury in his third game.

But he wanted desperately to finish his career playing only for the Titans and he was hurt, begging Jon Robinson not to make the move and decrying it once it was made.

He said on the McCourty twins podcast that the Titans threw him away “like a piece of trash.”

A little over 14 months later, however, he’s come to terms with things, as many players do when their careers come to a close. [Unlocked]

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What went wrong for Dez Fitzpatrick, what went right for Mekhi Sargent and more

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The best of what we learned from Jon Robinson and Mike Vrabel Wednesday evening when they spoke to media included details of what Dez Fitzpatrick lacked, where the last couple of running backs stand, how the backup quarterback job was won, remaining roster flexibility and more.

Tennessee Titans running back Mekhi Sargent

Here are the highlights and what they mean.

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First 53: A whiff on Dez Fitzpatrick, IR candidates, more cuts to come

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Whiffing on a fourth-round pick isn’t an uncommon sin. But missing on him to the point where he isn’t even on the roster for a game is particularly bad.

Dez Fitzpatrick didn’t make the Titans’ initial 53-man roster.

Tennessee Titans fourth-round pick Dez Fitzpatrick did not make the roster.

Tennessee traded up for him in April, selecting him 109th overall after giving Carolina the 126th (fourth round), 166th (fifth round) and 232nd (seventh round) selections.

Mason Kinsey was the other cut of note, but he was less likely to stick at a crowded receiver spot as he seemed a lesser version of the impressive Chester Rogers.

Some notes on the first version of the 53:

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Digging into the mess of Nissan Stadium operations Saturday night

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Saturday night’s preseason game at Nissan Stadium produced many of the same game-day issues the venue has experienced for far too long.

Fans complained about long entry lines, poor concession experiences, lousy ingress and egress.Photo of Gate 3 Entrance Line at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee

Many came away with one big question: How is this all still such a mess?

I was able to piece together a sense of the core issues of what went wrong at Bears-Titans.

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Scouting review: The process now, how Lewan and Radunz looked, a 53-man roster and much more

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Sunday morning after the last preseason game, the coaching staff and personnel department was already meeting to review the game tape, but more importantly, begin to cut down the roster.

The head coach and coordinators will make arguments on how many players they need per position. The special team’s coordinator will also have a say who he feels can be core special teams’ players.

Taylor Lewan, Offensive Lineman for the Tennessee Titans

Pool photo courtesy Tennessee Titans

Each coach will rank the players at their position. The pro scouting department will also rank the position groups.

The pro department will also be charged with calling other NFL teams about who is available for trades and also shopping current Titan players that won’t make the 53-man roster but have enough good preseason film to create interest from other teams.

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Bears 27, Titans 24: Stretch's challenge, bad picks, rookie RBs and more

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mike Vrabel’s right-hand man oversaw most of the head coach’s job in the Titans’ preseason finale and did just fine, winning when he threw the challenge flag but shepherding a losing effort, 27-24.

John Streicher, known as "Stretch" to everyone on and around the team, was a fun side story to the preseason’s conclusion and the franchise’s one home game that featured no monster developments.

John Streicher, Coordinator of Football Development, Tennessee Titans

© George Walker IV / Tennessean.com

Marcus Johnson limped to the locker room with a right leg issue, the two quarterbacks battling to back up Ryan Tannehill each threw a pick, an undrafted running back found the end zone as did one signed on Thursday.

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Titans' mailbag: Secondary aggression, depth improvements, Vrabel and fans, unisex socks

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Welcome to the weekend. We’ve got more Covid craziness for the Titans but it’s nothing like last year and the current developments will not come close to touching the regular season.

They’ll wrap the preseason Saturday night at Nissan Stadium against Justin Fields and the Bears and then have two weeks to get ready for the Cardinals.

Tennessee Titans Logo

Here are the best questions of the week.

Will Craig Last year with a weak secondary, the defense played soft a lot and tried not to get beat deep. Will the new personnel let them get back to aggressive defense this year?

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