The Tennessee Titans took another step closer to getting slot cornerback Elijah Molden back after designating him to return from injured reserve Wednesday.
The 2021 third-round pick missed the first seven games of the 2022 season due to a groin injury he suffered in training camp, but Molden says it’s an issue that has bothered him since last season.
“Really, it’s been my groin for a long time,” Molden admitted, per Terry McCormick of Titan Insider. “It’s something I was able to play through last year, and it just kind of stuck around. One time I would think it was fixed, and it would kind of come back and I’m just finally getting it settled down and taking care of it.”
If Molden was playing hurt, he didn’t show it. In fact, from Week 3 on, he was one of the best rookie cornerbacks in the NFL, and really, one of the better ones overall.
After a terrible start to the season, Elijah Molden has been one of the best DB's in the NFL pic.twitter.com/9GRVMH9kWZ
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) January 5, 2022
In Molden’s absence, the Titans have had a revolving door in the slot but appeared to have finally figured things out when they deployed safety Amani Hooker in the slot and defensive back Andrew Adams in his place at safety.
While that was a successful formula, there’s no doubt this secondary will be better with Molden in the slot and Hooker back at his normal position, something we could see as early as this week.
As far as his status for Sunday goes, Molden says he feels good enough to go, and that’s great news for a Titans defense that needs all hands on deck against an elite Kansas City Chiefs offense.
“It feels great [to be back],” Molden said, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “Obviously it’s a long time coming, and in a perfect world I wouldn’t have missed this much time… I really had to work on my patience, of course, and also trying to figure out new ways to lock in, working… I feel good enough to go, and I am only getting better.”
