Tennessee
Patriots Sign Former Titans TE
In a move ahead of New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel facing off against his former franchise of the Tennessee Titans, the Patriots have signed a former Tennessee player to their club.
The Patriots are signing former Titans tight end Thomas Odukoya to their practice squad. Odukoya, 28, signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Michigan following the 2022 NFL Draft. He was waived after his rookie camp and remained on Tennessee’s practice squad before getting waived in Oct., 2025.
He appeared in two games for the Titans in 2024 ahead of his reunion with Vrabel.
The #Patriots are signing former #Titans TE Thomas Odukoya to their practice squad, per source.
A reunion for the Dutch tight end with Mike Vrabel ahead of Sunday’s visit to Tennessee. — Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 16, 2025
The move comes ahead of the previously mentioned Week 7 matchup which sees the Titans hosting the Pats and Vrabal on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST.
This will be Vrabel’s first return since being fired by the Tennessee Titans. He was was fired by the Titans in January 2024 after six seasons with the franchise. Vrabel then spent the 2024 season with the Cleveland Browns as a coaching and personnel consultant on Kevin Stefanski’s staff before he was hired by the Patriots as their head coach in Jan., 2025.
Vrabel went 54-45 with three playoff appearances in six seasons with the Titans from 2018 to ’23. His 54 wins are the third most in Tennessee history, and he coached Odukoya during his time with the franchise.
Current Patriots’ quarterback Drake Maye has said the roster is remaining focused on the task at hand ahead of seeing the field against Tennessee.
“The way Coach Vrabel handles [his past with Tennessee] kind of leads into how we’ll handle it,” Maye said of playing against his coach’s former team. “I think he’s focused about this team and not worried about going back to a place he coached for a long time … he’s kind of treating it like it’s not a big deal which has bled into us. We’re treating it like another week, another opponent and going to treat it the same … it’s a challenge for us to go keep proving it week in and week out. That’s been our main focus.”
This latest matchup for the Patriots comes after the Buffalo Bills handed the Patriots the top spot in the AFC East after losing 24-14 to Atlanta.
The last time the Pats held on to first place was late Nov., 2021 after starting out 2-4, the Patriots ripped off seven straight wins from before hitting their bye week.
The Patriots have won three straight with wins over the Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills and, most recently, the New Orleans Saints. New England remains the only team in 2025 that has not surrendered 50 yards to a running back through the first six games in 2025 — which is also the very first time this has occurred in program history.
Odukoya spent his college football years with Eastern Michigan and was a three-year captain. The 6’6″, 253-pound player received for four touchdowns and totaled 22 sacks — being invited to the Hula Bowl all-star game at the end of his collegiate career.
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The Tennessee Titans are sitting at home for their Week 10 bye, but they may have seen their outlook improve for the future.
The Titans came into the week in a tie for the No. 1 overall pick’s top odds with the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets, but results for the early slate of games in Week 10 have pushed Tennessee in sole possession of the chances for the top selection.
The Saints and Jets both got their second wins today, leaving the 1-8 Titans (who are on a bye) in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 overall pick with eight weeks to go.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 9, 2025
The Saints came in as underdogs on the road against the Carolina Panthers, who were coming off a massive win against the Green Bay Packers on the road.
Despite the Panthers’ momentum, the Saints were able to grab their second win of the season thanks to rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. The second-round pick out of Louisville completed 19 of 27 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns.
The Jets started the season 0-8, but they have now rattled off back-to-back victories against the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.
Despite trading several of their top players at the trade deadline earlier this week, the Jets are in the win column again thanks to a pair of special teams touchdowns to beat the Browns.
The Titans could snag the No. 1 overall pick for the second year in a row. If the Titans were to lose their final eight games, they will be on the clock at the start of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Things have been rough for the Titans in their rebuild this season. This year’s top pick Cam Ward has demonstrated signs of being a franchise quarterback, but he has also been put in a tough position with the lack of talent around him.
The Titans need a lot of help in the development department, so having the top selection will be crucial. There’s a good chance the Titans won’t be looking for a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick, so they could use the top selection to trade back in the draft for even more picks, generating them into players who could work down the line.
At the end of the day, the Titans still need to draft the right players, regardless of whether they have No. 1, No. 2 or No. 32, but having the top selection open things up for the team.
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
J.P. Estrella backpedalled down the court.
The Tennessee basketball forward had already nodded his head and flexed after dunking for second-chance points. He threw in a clap for good measure, the smallest of his celebrations after a flurry of eyebrow-raising scoring plays against Northern Kentucky.
“It changes everything and he can do more,” Vols coach Rick Barnes said. “I promise you he can do more of that.”
Estrella gave the latest glimmer of his vast offensive talent for No. 17 Tennessee (2-0) in its 95-56 win against Northern Kentucky (1-0) on Nov. 8 at Food City Center. He scored 17 points and had 11 rebounds, leading to Barnes’ glowing review after he poured in points in 20 minutes.
The 6-foot-11 Estrella had a 12-point, five-rebound debut against Mercer on Nov. 3, which was a good start in his first game back following foot surgery in November 2024.
His game against Northern Kentucky was a declaration of the offensive talent the Vols have always known he possessed.
“It really helps because nobody can really stop him down there in the paint,” Vols guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie said. “If he is using his size and playing how he has been playing, we should be really good.”
Estrella is Tennessee’s best post-up threat and around-the-rim scorer, which is what he was expected to be.
Felix Okpara and Cade Phillips both can score, but not like Estrella. He’s a player the Vols can play through and toss the ball into with his back to the basket whenever they desire. He also can step out and shoot 3-pointers.
It’s that skill that made him a four-star recruit and a player the Vols — as well as the likes of Duke and Kansas — coveted. He flashed it as a freshman in 2023-24, but missed all but three games in the 2024-25 season due to a foot injury.
The sophomore from Maine is finally healthy and is a perfect fit for a team that will lean heavily on Gillespie and Nate Ament to be the leading scorers. He looks like the top candidate to be the third-leading scorer.
But there is no question he changes the offense as defenses have to watch him closely.
“They’ve got to respect him,” Ament said. “They have to help on his post-ups. The better he is playing offensively, the better we will be playing as a team.”
Estrella proved that against Northern Kentucky with every touch.
He scored through contact. He made multiple short lefty hook shots. He got second-chance points. He tipped in his own miss. He facilitated his teammates scoring. He placed himself well to get the ball and score.
After it all, Barnes still thinks Estrella has no clue how good he can be yet. But he thinks he will find out — and Tennessee will be at its best if he does.
“There is so much more there,” Barnes said. “I think he will get there.”
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
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