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6 Players to Watch in Seattle Seahawks Preseason Tilt at Tennessee Titans

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6 Players to Watch in Seattle Seahawks Preseason Tilt at Tennessee Titans


Looking to finish off a productive week of joint practices in Nashville with second straight exhibition road victory, the Seattle Seahawks will continue their preseason slate by dueling with the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night.

Unlike a week ago where Seattle played quite a few starters on both sides of the football, after two grueling padded practices testing their wits against Tennessee earlier this week, coach Mike Macdonald made it clear few starters were expected to suit up this week. While fans in attendance won’t get to see Geno Smith, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and other notable starters play, however, their absence presents yet another prime opportunity for players on the bubble to stake a claim to a roster spot with cut down day less than two weeks away.

Which players should fans be watching closely in Saturday’s contest at Nissan Stadium? Six players to watch in Week 2 of the preseason:

In the heat of a tight battle for the third down role against undrafted rookie George Holani, McIntosh stepped up to the plate as a runner in Seattle’s preseason opener with a team-high 40 rushing yards. Showing more punch than expected in the physicality department, per Pro Football Focus, he forced five missed tackles and averaged north of four yards per carry after contact. Replicating that production in Tennessee would certainly help his chances of making the 53-man roster, but he’s going to have to be much more effective in the passing game in general. He only caught two passes for two yards last week and on his lone pass blocking rep, he got blown up by a blitzer and allowed a sack, not demonstrating any progress in that department. If he can’t perform at a much higher level in those two aspects of his game, Holani will have this competition close to wrapped up.

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As he did last preseason, Winston rose to the occasion for the Seahawks with limited chances last week and made the most of his targets, catching a pair of passes from PJ Walker for 31 yards on only seven pass play snaps. He also pitched in a 10-yard punt return on special teams, which remains his potential ticket to a roster spot. With Smith-Njigba and possibly Laviska Shenault not playing on Saturday night and Dee Eskridge battling another injury that puts his spot on the team even more in peril, the former Washington State standout should see extensive work on offense out of the slot against the Titans and likely will be the primary return option on kickoff and punt teams as well. With another strong outing, he could push himself onto the right side of the roster bubble due to his special teams upside.

Being a fourth-round pick with expectations to at least contribute on special teams immediately, Barner would have been a player worth monitoring closely in Saturday’s preseason game before teammate Pharaoh Brown went down with a foot injury in Thursday’s joint practice. Now, depending on the severity of Brown’s injury, the rookie from Michigan could be positioned to play a far more impactful role on offense as the primary Y-tight end, but he will have to earn those snaps. He didn’t record a single catch in his NFL debut last week, with his lone target being negated by a penalty, while Brady Russell scored a touchdown with three receptions. The second preseason game will give him another crack at showing he can be more than an inline blocker and improve his standing within the tight end room heading towards the regular season.

With Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed checking out of action quickly, Morris played as much as any Seahawk defender in the preseason opener, tallying 34 snaps with one tackle, one run stop, one quarterback pressure, and yes, a beautiful pass breakup in coverage, not something expected from a 6-5, 300-pound defensive lineman. Fully healthy after missing most of his rookie year with a shoulder injury, his roster spot likely isn’t in jeopardy regardless of what happens on Saturday night, but if the ex-Michigan standout wants to earn a substantial rotational role on a deep, crowded defensive line, he will have to demonstrate a bit more consistency at the line of scrimmage while logging snaps as a 3-tech, big defensive end, and off tackle two-point rusher.

Squarely on the bubble after a solid offseason program and training camp, O’Connell helped his cause vying for a roster spot with a stellar exhibition debut last weekend, registering four tackles, a run stop, and a pass breakup while receiving an elite 88.2 grade from PFF on 22 defensive snaps. In a similar situation to Winston, the ex-Montana star should be in line for even more playing time on Saturday night with both Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker not expected to play and Jon Rhattigan sidelined by a heel issue. It’s possible he could start alongside Tyrice Knight with a chance to show off his versatility playing some snaps at middle linebacker, which would put another feather in his cap as he tries to snag one of the final roster spots as a reserve defender and core special teamer.

Battling in the deepest position group on Seattle’s roster, James had an up-and-down NFL debut against the Chargers, only allowing one catch for five yards on two targets in coverage but also missing his only tackle attempt. Seeing close to a 50/50 split between boundary corner and slot corner last weekend, he could get the start inside on Saturday night alongside fellow rookie and ex-Auburn teammate Nehemiah Pritchett, providing a quality audition opportunity for both players as they try to prove themselves against stiff competition. The sixth-round pick will have to be more willing to come up and make plays against the run and after struggling a bit in joint practices this week, he’ll be in need of a rebound in coverage as well to put him back on the right side of the bubble.

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Joey Aguilar, hoping for NFL interest, played in pain for Tennessee football

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Joey Aguilar, hoping for NFL interest, played in pain for Tennessee football


Quarterback Joey Aguilar revealed just how much pain he quietly played through during his lone Tennessee football season.

“It was difficult. (My) arm was hurting really bad throughout the week (during the season), which would cause me to not be able to throw certain routes,” Aguilar said after throwing passes for NFL scouts during Tennessee’s pro day on March 31.

“It was taking away from practice a physical rep. It was something I had to deal with, and I chose to do that. I embraced it. I enjoyed it.”

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On Jan. 2, Aguilar underwent surgery to remove a benign tumor on his arm. He said UT coaches and medical staff knew about the tumor, which was discovered early in the 2025 season, but few people were aware of it.

It was painful and limited his arm strength and mobility at times, especially late in the season. The tumor put pressure on his right biceps and pectoral muscle on his throwing arm. But he opted to put off surgery until his season with the Vols ended in the Music City Bowl.

That was the important context of Aguilar’s workout for NFL scouts, which he did at the UT indoor facility just four weeks into what he said is a “10 or 12-week (rehab) process.”

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It comes after an eventful offseason that included Aguilar suing the NCAA to try to regain a year of eligibility and play for Tennessee in the 2026 season. It failed in court, and now Aguilar is trying to catch a pro team’s eye ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.

Joey Aguilar to NFL scouts: ‘I can still sling the rock’

Aguilar needs time to heal, but he knows the door to a potential NFL career is closing quickly. The 24-year-old is projected as an undrafted free agent. But he’s just hoping to get into an NFL camp healthy with a chance to prove himself.

“I’m still super early in my throwing rehab. But I wanted to go out there to show teams that I’m healing pretty fast and that I can still sling the rock,” said Aguilar, a 6-foot-3, 229-pounder. “I’m a little injured right now, but I’ll be healthy by the time a team picks me up.”

Aguilar can throw the ball, at least at every level of college football.

He passed for 13,317 yards and 101 touchdowns in five college seasons, including Diablo Valley Community College (2021-22), Appalachian State (2023-24) and Tennessee (2025).

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He also redshirted at City College of San Francisco in 2019. The COVID pandemic canceled his 2020 junior college season there. And he spent spring practice at UCLA in 2025 before transferring to Tennessee to replace Nico Iamaleava, who abruptly bolted UT for UCLA.

At Tennessee pro day, Aguilar threw passes to All-American teammate Chris Brazzell, a projected early-round pick in the draft.

Aguilar admitted his timing was off early in the workout. And he hadn’t thrown deep routes since the Music City Bowl in December. But he settled in and tossed some nice deep passes like those that helped him lead the SEC in passing yards during the 2025 regular season.

“I’m still in my rehab, but the ball is coming out really well,” Aguilar said. “I was excited. It felt good. I wish it could’ve been in Neyland (Stadium) one last time, but it is what it is.”

After losing court case, Aguilar hoping to play once more

Aguilar’s draft prep was condensed into about a month.

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Aguilar sued the NCAA in Knox County Chancery Court over the association’s eligibility rules regarding former junior college players. But that lawsuit hit a roadblock when Chancellor Chris Heagerty, a two-time UT graduate, denied his request for an injunction on Feb. 20.

Aguilar attended the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Feb. 27. But he wasn’t healthy enough to work out or throw passes, so he met with numerous teams. Those talks led to Zoom calls with NFL teams checking on Aguilar’s progress.

“It’s been busy but fun,” Aguilar said. “Everybody has encouraged me.”

If Aguilar’s court case had been successful, he’d be watching UT spring practice, rehabbing his injury and preparing to play one more college season. But he said his mindset would’ve been the same.

“Football is football. Anywhere you go, you’ve got to compete,” Aguilar said. “If I stayed here, my mindset was to go compete. My mindset is still to go compete.”

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Aguilar said UT offensive analyst Landry Jones has helped him prepare for the NFL draft process. Jones was a star quarterback at Oklahoma under UT coach Josh Heupel, and then he spent seven years in the NFL.

But unless Aguilar’s injury heals soon, his NFL door may close. His UT teammates and coaches hope that he gets one last shot like the one he took advantage of with the Vols.

“(Aguilar’s) best is still coming after his rehab process. I know he’ll do a great job wherever he goes, wherever that is, once he gets into camp,” Heupel said. “Because of who he is, how smart he is and the competitor that he is, he’ll be ready to play at a really high level.”

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

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Woman ‘adopts’ 80-year-old widow who moved to Tennessee

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Woman ‘adopts’ 80-year-old widow who moved to Tennessee


MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — These days plenty of people are moving here from California, but no one quite like this woman. An 80-year-old who decided Tennessee is where she wants to be.

Meet sweet Lois Mayo, one of the latest transplants to the Volunteer State.

“Why did you move to Tennessee from California?”

“The history and the people and the southern hospitality – people are so nice. Had you ever been here before? No, never. I don’t even know the area,” said Lois.

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Never visited once in the past eighty years, which is her age.

But about two weeks ago, Lois who is widowed — simply decided to load up her SUV and move to Tennessee.

Some people are going to say an 80-year-old driving cross country by herself to a place she’s never been…wow.

“Yeah, I’m proud of myself that I did that,” said Lois.

Truth is she didn’t come alone. Lois had her two cats as traveling companions.

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The three made the two thousand mile drive in five days without a map. Lois just followed the interstate.

“Because I knew I-40 would take me to Tennessee,” she said.

She and Vanilla and Bubbs arrived in Murfreesboro pretty much without a plan.

Lois knows this may sound odd to some — but calls the move an adventure and she’s not worried.

“It makes you feel more alive.”

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Lois says the trip ate up her latest Social Security payment and she figured she’d sleep in her KIA until she could get settled.

“I feel I can meet new people and the joy of southern hospitality and there’s angels everywhere.”

Well, talking about that…

“How are you? She’s my angel. Laughing”

Paris Barnes works at Walmart. By chance, she met Lois in the store and learned of her situation.

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“I think it was meant for us to meet and God is using me to help you. I’m going to cry…I love you,” said Paris.

Paris had to help, first starting a GoFundMe for Lois and then setting her up in a motel.

It’s not clear where Lois will go from here, but she’s already made more friends at that motel — amazed at her story and wishing her well.

“You gotta follow your dreams and life begins at 80,” she said.

Lois is still staying in a motel in Murfreesboro while Paris works with her to find a more permanent place to live.

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The GoFundMe is posted:

https://gofund.me/875b49dbe

And, you can message Nick Beres on Facebook if you’d like to help her.

Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nick.beres@newschannel5.com

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Checking in on Cole: Gallatin rallies around teen battling brain tumor with prayer vigil

Austin Pollack brings us an update on a remarkable young man facing great odds, and his family has one simple request: pray for Cole. I believe in the power of prayer and hope you’ll join me in lifting up Cole and his family.

– Carrie Sharp





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Tennessee Tech member to participate in Artemis mission

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Tennessee Tech member to participate in Artemis mission


Kid Rock spoke with News 2 after his social media post about military helicopters flying over his home went viral. An Army investigation is underway into the viral video, showing what appears to be Apache helicopters flying close to Kid Rock’s Nashville home.



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