A sudden UTV accident has sidelined a star linebacker, clearing a path for Anthony Hill Jr. to seize a starting role in the Titans' season opener.
The Tennessee Titans were dealt some unfortunate injury news on Labor Day.
News came out from ESPN's Turron Davenport that linebacker Cedric Gray had been injured in a UTV accident over the weekend and was being put in the NFL's concussion protocol.
The injury was not the result of reckless driving and alcohol wasn't involved either.
Gray is fresh off a breakout season where he recorded 164 total tackles, seven TFLs, one sack and two fumble recoveries. He had the fourth-most total tackles in the NFL last year.
Here's what the Titans said in their statement about the injury.
“Over the weekend, Cedric Gray was involved in a UTV accident in Tennessee and sustained a concussion and minor injuries," the statement read. "We look forward to Cedric returning to the field soon and in full health when he clears the NFL’s concussion protocol.”
Gray is obviously a key contributor at linebacker, so the Titans may need to shake things up there for the season opener, depending on how severe the injury is.
The linebacker room as a whole will be affected, but there's one player who may see more snaps if Gray is out for a long time.
Anthony Hill Jr. has been gaining traction since the preseason but still has to prove he deserves a spot among the starters. His path to doing so got a little easier after the Titans decided to place Mohamoud Diabate on the practice squad, despite his having multiple years of NFL experience.
Diabate spent three years with the Cleveland Browns before joining the Titans this offseason. He's played in 46 games with 18 starts, as he was mostly used as a backup linebacker.
He has 127 total tackles, eight TFLs, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in his NFL career.
Diabate being on the practice squad makes things easier for Hill, but he may see the field more with Gray's injury.
Hill is definitely a fit at middle linebacker compared to the kinds of players Robert Saleh has worked with in the past, like Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers.
The worry was that he would need to beat out Cody Barton for the starting middle linebacker spot. With Gray going into concussion protocol, the Titans may need to at least consider starting Hill in his place for the season opener with the New York Jets on Sunday.
Diabate may also get called up to the active roster for a bit as well. The other linebackers on the roster currently are James Williams Sr. and Owen Pappoe, who was recently claimed off waivers by the Titans.
This could end up being an opportunity for Hill to prove he deserves to start at linebacker. With this 4-3 system, the Titans will have three off-ball linebackers. If Hill gets his chance and impresses the coaching staff, he could take over one of the other spots when Gray is healthy and able to return.
Hopefully, Gray will be back in the lineup sooner rather than later, but this definitely can affect the playing time of a rookie like Hill.
