The Tennessee Titans’ latest roster move has only added to the noise around an organization that already feels like it’s constantly resetting. After the team’s abrupt front-office shake-up, Tennessee has now released veteran defensive lineman Jordan Elliot following what the club called an “incident” at the team facility.
The Titans had already been in the spotlight when three front-office executives were let go: senior VP and chief revenue officer Adam Nuse, VP of creative Charles Jensen, and senior VP of brand marketing Erin Swartz. In the team’s official statement, those departures were tied to changes on the “business side” of the organization.
That kind of turnover has become familiar in Tennessee under President and CEO Burke Nihill, where the blame seems to keep moving around while the on-field results stay stuck in place. The latest personnel decision only deepens that feeling, because now the unrest has spilled from the front office onto the roster itself.
Elliott had missed Week 6 because of “personal reasons.” Saleh addressed that absence last Friday, saying: “He’s dealing with some personal stuff.” But the Titans have now put a public stamp on his situation by cutting him without offering any detail beyond the mention of an incident.
The timing is awkward, especially with another defensive-side question mark already hanging over the team. Alontae Taylor was a healthy scratch against the Colts, and while Turron Davenport reported the Taylor and Elliott situations are separate, it still leaves Tennessee explaining away two unexplained issues in the same week.
Elliott was never a centerpiece for the Titans, but he did have a role. His 1.5 STFs in the run game were the main evidence of his impact this season, and he had been a regular plug-in option for Saleh’s defense.
With Elliott gone, the Titans are expected to give DT Nazir Stackhouse more rotational work. Stackhouse made his presence felt in the gaps this past Sunday and stood out in the run game, so Tennessee at least has a possible answer in-house. What it still doesn’t have is an explanation.
The team said it “will have no further comment on the matter.”
Given where this franchise is right now, the scrutiny comes with the territory. The Titans are 7-33 in their last 40 football games, and when a team with that kind of record starts firing executives and cutting veterans under a cloud of uncertainty, every decision lands a little harder.
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The Titans made a sudden change on the defensive front after releasing Jordan Elliott following an investigation into an unspecified incident at their facility. Elliott, who was signed in free agency this offseason, had quickly become a regular part of Tennessees interior rotation and was the teams third-most used interior defender before the move.
His departure shifts attention to Nazir Stackhouse, who is now expected to take on a larger role in the middle of the defense. For a Titans unit trying to settle its rotation, the change adds another layer of uncertainty up front and puts more responsibility on a young nose tackle to help fill the gap. [Read more 🡒]
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The Titans have had a busy stretch off the field as they head toward their next game against the Browns, with roster changes and lineup decisions suddenly drawing as much attention as the matchup itself. Tennessee released defensive tackle Jordan Elliott after an incident at the team facility on Oct. 15, a move the team announced without adding more detail.
Robert Saleh also made starting cornerback Alontae Taylor inactive for Week 6 and declined to explain further, leaving another notable absence hanging over the weeks preparation. With Cleveland coming to town next, Tennessee is already dealing with a couple of situations that could affect both its depth and its defensive plans. [Read more 🡒]
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The Titans moved on from Jordan Elliott after an incident at the teams practice facility on Oct. 15, a sudden turn for a player who had only recently signed a two-year deal. Tennessee confirmed the release after reviewing what happened, but offered no further explanation, leaving plenty of questions around a roster move that arrived without much warning.
Elliott had appeared in five games this season, so the departure catches the eye not just because of the timing, but because of how quickly the Titans chose to end the partnership. For a team trying to stabilize its defensive front, the details behind the decision now matter almost as much as the decision itself. [Read more 🡒]