Concussion protocol sidelights the star linebacker following a UTV accident, forcing Tennessee to rely on rookie depth for their high-stakes season opener against the New York Jets.
The Tennessee Titans told us Friday what we have known for a while following the first two days of practice.
The final injury report came out and confirmed our suspicions. The good news was that no other players were added to the injury report throughout the week.
It was still linebacker Cedric Gray and edge rusher Keldric Faulk.
Faulk appeared on the injury report with a shoulder injury that he sustained during the preseason. He was never really in doubt, especially after Robert Saleh said that his status for the season opener wasn't in jeopardy.
Faulk was a full participant every day of practice this week and didn't carry an injury designation.
It seems the UTV accident was severe enough to keep Gray out of the game on Sunday, as he was ruled out against the New York Jets.
This means the Titans will be down a key linebacker in the season opener, potentially opening the door for rookie Anthony Hill Jr. to see more snaps.
Gray was involved in a UTV accident over Labor Day Weekend, and the news came out on Monday that he was going into the NFL's concussion protocol.
It was believed that Gray had a chance to clear concussion protocol by the end of the week, but it seems that he didn't do enough to do so.
It looks like the Titans are going to be without one starter for the first official game of the Robert Saleh era in Music City.
Gray had a tremendous season last year for the Titans. He led the team with 164 total tackles, as well as one sack and seven TFLs.
Something to watch will be if the Titans decide to call up extra reinforcements at linebacker from the practice squad.
The Titans recently added Mohamoud Diabate to the practice squad. Don't be surprised if he maybe gets called up to the active for depth purposes or even to start the game on Sunday.
Then, there's how this situation effects Hill.
We'll have to wait and see how long Gray is out of the lineup. This could really open a door for Hill to prove himself.
Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said earlier this preseason that he needed to see more consistency from Hill. This is his chance to prove that he's capable of stringing together consistent performances.
At the end of the day, it's good that the Titans don't have many injuries heading into the regular season.
The Titans and Jets kick off Sunday at noon CT on CBS live from Nissan Stadium.
