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Ryan Tannehill’s Tennessee Titans tenure ended ‘the way it should be.’ Here’s what’s next

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Ryan Tannehill’s Tennessee Titans tenure ended ‘the way it should be.’ Here’s what’s next


In five seasons with the Tennessee Titans, Ryan Tannehill transformed from a castoff destined to live his 30s as a backup-for-hire into one of the NFL’s most efficient and effective passers into a wizened veteran fighting to keep his zen no matter the adversity faced.

Now, at the end of that five-year run, Tannehill talks like a player who knows his time with the Titans is over. He described the Titans’ 28-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday by saying how good it felt to end the season and his time with the Titans with a win. Heading into free agency in March, it’s hard to view Tannehill’s statement any other way than as a goodbye to the franchise for which he started 63 games and threw 93 touchdowns.

“I understand the business side of things,” Tannehill said. “Obviously we all know what happened this year. It doesn’t take a whole lot of foresight to see that.”

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The thing that happened, of course, was the emergence of rookie quarterback Will Levis, the rookie second-round pick who took over as the Titans’ starter after Tannehill sprained his ankle in Week 6. After just two starts, Titans coach Mike Vrabel announced Levis as the Titans’ starter, regardless of Tannehill’s health.

A couple Levis injuries thrust Tannehill back into action for the Titans’ last three games, giving him an opportunity to end his Titans tenure on better terms. And with Sunday’s win — fueled by a vintage Tannehill-era Titans performance, a dominant day from Derrick Henry, some clutch defensive stops and a few Tannehill dimes in and around the red zone — Tannehill did just that.

“There were several times today where I had to put myself back in the moment and not step back and get emotional about a lot of things,” Tannehill said. “(Kneeling down in victory formation at the end of the game) was one of them. Being in the moment. Being in the huddle. Celebrating with the guys about the win. It felt like that’s the way it should be.”

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The season was tough on Tannehill, he’ll admit. Between the injury and Levis taking his job, there were plenty of moments when he had to swallow pride and “forcefully lift” his head back up. He wanted to pity himself. He wanted to be sad. But he pushed ahead for the sake of his teammates, even when he wasn’t playing.

Next season, though, Tannehill hopes to be somewhere he can play.

“I know I can keep playing,” Tannehill said. “I don’t know what the future holds. We’ll see and we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. But I know I can keep playing. I feel good. I feel confident that given the right opportunity and the right place I’d love to keep playing.”

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.



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Potential mass shooter fatally shoots self after causing lockdown in Tennessee

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Potential mass shooter fatally shoots self after causing lockdown in Tennessee


A suspect fatally shot himself after entering an office building near a shopping mall and causing a lockdown, local cops in Tennessee said Monday.

The incident happened around 2 p.m. local time when the man went into the building near the Hamilton Place shopping mall in Chattanooga.

Several businesses in the area went into lockdown.

“A shooter was inside the building and was attempting to execute a plan. That failed,” Chattanooga Police Department Sgt. Victor Miller told reporters. “We found that he shot himself, and he is deceased.”

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No other injuries were reported. Police did not say how many shots may have been fired. The incident occurred in an office park with multiple business and agencies, but it’s unknown where exactly the shooting unfolded. No other details about the man’s plan were made available, and his identity was not immediately released.

The situation — which was originally reported as a mass shooter event — remains under investigation, police said. The lockdowns were lifted after about two hours, when cops determined there was no more threat to public safety.

Miller said more information would be made public at a later time.



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Texas A&M College World Series Finals Game 3 vs. Tennessee: How to Watch, Betting Odds

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Texas A&M College World Series Finals Game 3 vs. Tennessee: How to Watch, Betting Odds


The Texas A&M Aggies are just one away from their first-ever national title in baseball.

After opening up the final series vs. the Tennessee Volunteers with a resounding 9-5 win, the Aggies fell 4-1 in Game 2, evening the series at 1-1, and setting up a decisive Game 3 on Monday night.

“Close ball game, just exactly what you’d expect with these two teams,” Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle said after the Game 2 loss. “To think you’d roll right through it in two games, that would’ve been nice. We get to play the last college baseball game of the season and that’s awesome.”

Taking the mound for the Aggies will be starter Justin Lamkin who currently sits at 3-2 with a 5.00 ERA, and averages 12.3 strikeouts per game.

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Meanwhile, for the Volunteers, the ball will go to Zander Sechrist, who sits at 5-1 with a 3.22 ERA.

So can the Aggies overcome the odds and upset the favored Volunteers to capture their first ever baseball national title?

Here is how you can tune in to the matchup, as well as the betting odds (via Fan Duel):

WHAT: Texas A&M Aggies vs. Tennessee Volunteers – College World Series Final

WHERE: Charles Schwab Field, Omaha, NE (Capacity: 24,000)

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WHEN: Game 3 – Monday, June 24- 6 p.m.

TV: Game 3 (if necessary) – ESPN/ESPN+

RADIO: 1150 AM/93.7 FM, TAMU Sports Network

SPREAD: Tennessee: -1.5 (-140), Texas A&M: +1.5 (+108)

MONEY LINE: Tennessee: -260, Texas A&M: +196

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OVER/UNDER: 10.5 (Over -108/Under -122)



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Replacing Derrick Henry doesn’t end with Spears, Pollard: Tennessee Titans search for RB3

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Replacing Derrick Henry doesn’t end with Spears, Pollard: Tennessee Titans search for RB3


Replacing Derrick Henry won’t just be the job of two men.

In Henry’s five healthy seasons, from 2018 to 2023, the Tennessee Titans handed the ball to their No. 3 running back an average of 0.75 times per game. Their No. 3 running back in 2023, Jonathan Ward, carried just three times all season.

For comparison, the average No. 3 NFL back in 2023 carried 32 times. The Pittsburgh Steelers were the only team that used a third tailback less frequently than the Titans.

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Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard are taking over Henry’s mantle atop the depth chart, but without a Henry-like presence touching the ball 30 times per game, the Titans need more bodies.

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“You’re not just going to have two backs. You’re actually going to have to platoon about three of them,” Titans running backs coach Randy Jordan told The Tennessean. “That third guy’s got to be a special teams guy. He’s got to be a guy we can count on. I really look for that third guy to be able to play on first, second and third down and be able to be a plug-and-play guy. It’s a really, really big decision.”

The Titans’ options beyond Spears and Pollard are: 2022 fourth-round pick Hassan Haskins; two-year practice squad player Julius Chestnut; and undrafted rookies Jabari Small and Dillon Johnson. The four players have 34 NFL carries combined, and none since 2022.

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No player in that bunch should be expected to replace Henry, but Jordan has various reasons for why he’s excited about the depth of his room.

Tennessee Titans’ running back depth, analyzed

The biggest question mark about the Spears-Pollard tandem is to whom the Titans will turn in situations that call for a bigger back. This is where Haskins can stake his claim to the No. 3 job.

“Hassan, he’s one that I’m really intrigued with,” Jordan said. “Big backs, I kind of like coaching those guys. They have a different type of skill set. I call it being a bully. I say, ‘Look, God made you that size. Let’s make sure we let people know that you’re the bully on every play.’ “

Jordan says the 6-foot-2, 228-pound Haskins is doing a good job of absorbing information and executing plays. Haskins hasn’t played since 2022, though, and he’s not the Titans’ only bigger option. Chestnut measures in at 5-11, 228 pounds, and Johnson is 5-11, 217 pounds.

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More than filling one specific role, though, Jordan says the main thing he’s looking for from a No. 3 back is consistency. He doesn’t want players who know the protections on Wednesday but forget them by Friday, or players who have energy on Thursdays but not Mondays.

With regards to consistency, he has been pleased with his two rookies. Small, the Tennessee product, and Johnson, the Washington standout, roomed together throughout OTAs and minicamp, helping each other learn the offense. Both have significant learning curves coming from wide-open college passing attacks, starting even with huddling for the first time.

But both expressed confidence in their fit with the Titans.

“I think it complements me,” Johnson said. “I played at Washington where we threw the ball a lot, but we also ran the ball a lot. So that’s kind of a balanced attack.”

“It’s definitely a learning curve as far as what I’ve been doing the past three years, but football is football,” Small added. “Everybody runs the same things. It’s just different formations, different terminology.”

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Jordan called Small the team’s “tweener.” Come training camp, Jordan is excited to see how Small responds in pass protection, because he’s already fairly confident in his pass-catching ability and versatility.

Between the practice squad and active roster, it’s plausible the Titans could hold on to Haskins, Chestnut, Johnson and Small, especially with the added value running backs provide under the new kickoff rules. But given the need for balanced depth everywhere, it’s most likely the player who makes the 53-man roster as the No. 3 running back will have to be dependable as a runner, receiver, blocker and tackler.

Figuring out who that should be will earn Jordan his paycheck.

“It’s probably one of the most important things as a coach that I’m going to have to do this year,” Jordan said.

BETTER WITHOUT THE KING? Here’s case Tennessee Titans can be better with Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears than Derrick Henry

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Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.



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