After a Labor Day concussion, the linebacker’s return provides a critical defensive boost for Tennessee as they prepare for a high-stakes clash against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Tennessee Titans fans have been waiting for good news on Cedric Gray ever since his UTV accident during Labor Day Weekend.
Gray missed the first game with a concussion, and Robert Saleh shared a positive update on the linebacker at Monday's Zoom call. Saleh believed that Gray was going to clear the NFL's concussion protocol and make a return on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
There's no better time than Week 2 to have Gray back in the lineup. The Eagles are going to be a tough team, and the Titans desperately need a rebound after falling to the New York Jets 23-10 in the season opener.
The Titans started Anthony Hill Jr. in his place, and he had a great game. Hill led the team with 16 total tackles and was the highest-graded rookie of the weekend.
Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley was asked about Gray at Thursday's press conference. He has liked what he's seen from Gray at practice and is awaiting the test results to determine whether he can play.
"Good," Bradley said. "I think, you know, here he is being out a couple of weeks, you know? Who are we getting? But yesterday in practice, boy, he did a great job with his conditioning. He did a great job showing us his speed on the field. So, we're kinda taking it day by day, seeing how he feels. We'll see how the tests come out and things like that, but he's made really good progress and come back in a really good frame of mind."
Gray had another good day at practice on Thursday. The Titans released their injury report, and he was a full participant for the second day in a row.
James Williams Sr. was limited in practice for the second consecutive day as he recovers from an elbow issue.
It seems like there's a strong chance Gray plays on Sunday, based on the injury reports so far. It'll be interesting to see what the linebackers look like once Gray is back in the mix.
Hill has definitely made his case for inclusion among the starters. On Sunday, the Titans started Mohamoud Diabate, Cody Barton, and Hill.
If Gray comes back, we may see him, Hill, and Barton as the starters. The Titans definitely can't afford to keep Gray out of the starting lineup. He just led the team with 164 total tackles last year and also accounted for seven TFLs and one sack.
This makes things interesting for Mohamoud Diabate as well. The Titans called him up from the practice squad last week ahead of the season opener. If Williams isn't able to play, he may be on the active roster once again for Week 2's game with Philadelphia.
The Titans will need their best players out there for Sunday's game with the Eagles.
It'll all come down to the final injury report on Friday. We'll learn the status of both Gray and Williams very soon, and how it will affect the other players.
The Titans play the Eagles on Sunday at noon CT on Fox, live from Nissan Stadium.
