The Tennessee Titans made a somewhat surprising move on Wednesday when they decided to part ways with 2020 seventh-round pick, quarterback Cole McDonald, who was originally expected to at least make the practice squad out of training camp.
But in a corresponding move, the Titans added a much-needed veteran presence to their quarterback competition with the signing of Trevor Siemian, who made his practice debut on Thursday and will now compete with Logan Woodside for the backup job.
After practice, head coach Mike Vrabel explained the reasoning behind the decision, which is simple: he believes Siemian makes the team better.
#Titans coach Mike Vrabel on Trevor Siemian signing: We are just trying to make decisions that we feel like will make us better and are in the best interests of the team.
— Terry McCormick (@terrymc13) August 20, 2020
Vrabel did leave the door slightly ajar for the Titans to take another look at McDonald, who was up and down at best through the first three full-squad practices.
Vrabel also acknowledged that perhaps McDonald didn’t get a fair shot because of the abbreviated offseason, but noted that everyone is dealing with the same circumstance.
Vrabel on Cole McDonald maybe not getting much of a shot due to no off-season and no preseason: Maybe, but everybody is working under the same rules.
— Terry McCormick (@terrymc13) August 20, 2020
Vrabel: We will re-evaluate Cole McDonald when we get an opportunity. But with an 80-man roster, there are decisions we have to make. We moved on.
— Terry McCormick (@terrymc13) August 20, 2020
As far as Siemian goes, Vrabel listed what he likes about the veteran, but is holding off on giving a full evaluation after just one practice.
#Titans' Vrabel: Intelligence, decisiveness, accuracy were all keys in signing Siemian.
— John Glennon (@glennonsports) August 20, 2020
Vrabel on @TrevorSiemian: Hard to give you the state of the union on him after watching him in one practice. He's played in games. We'll watch him and see how he does here in camp@Titans
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 20, 2020
While Siemian isn’t going to win the Titans a Super Bowl, he does give them some experience at the backup spot. Prior to his signing, the Titans were choosing between two signal-callers who had never taken a regular season snap.
Of course, Siemian’s success in camp will depend upon how quickly he can pick up the playbook, but there’s no doubt he is the new favorite for the backup job behind Ryan Tannehill.
