The Tennessee Titans continued to work through minicamp on Wednesday, and there was a host of subjects to talk about after the practice.
From the retirement of the jersey numbers of a pair of Titans legends, to the coaching staff catching punts, it was an eventful day.
Here are five takeaways from the second day of minicamp.
1. Several players were absent.
Tight end Jonnu Smith, right tackle Jack Conklin, offensive lineman Rodger Saffold, tight end Delanie Walker, defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, running back Dalyn Dawkins and kicker Ryan Succop were among those who did not participate in Wednesday’s practice.
As stated earlier in the week, Saffold missed due to a personal issue.
Conklin may still be yet to practice this offseason, but was seen running on a side field.
2. The offense struggled once more in the beginning of practice.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota and company didn’t have their best day on Tuesday, and Wednesday didn’t start off much better.
Mariota had a handful of bad, sometimes overthrown, passes to his receivers initially. The group eventually settled into a nice rhythm, though, and did well in the red-zone as they did in the previous practice.
3. Yes, Dean Pees caught a punt.
There are still a lot of question marks regarding who the Titans’ most solid punt returner will be in 2019.
But the team had a little fun with the issue yesterday, giving both offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and defensive coordinator Dean Pees a chance to catch a punt from the JUGS machine.
Smith couldn’t get under the ball, and was unable to reel it in. Pees had a perfect catch, and then spiked it.
It’s pretty clear to see who the winner is here.
4. There are four main players to look at as punt returners.
One of the first things the team went to work on was catching punts.
According to a team report, Adam Humphries, Cameron Batson, Kalif Rayond and Joseph Parker were the four players involved.
Adoree’ Jackson was also present, but worked on a side field as well.
5. Former players were in attendance.
On Wednesday, the team held a ceremony after the practice as they retired the numbers of former quarterback Steve McNair and running back Eddie George.
In addition to George, former Titans Blaine Bishop and Tim Shaw were there as well.
