Former Titan doing well with Cleveland
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans released cornerback Jason McCourty in April to avoid paying the veteran $7 million and to get younger in their secondary.
Now they get to see him again with the 30-year-old McCourty proving he’s not done yet.
The Titans (3-3) visit the Cleveland Browns (0-6) on Sunday, and McCourty already has three interceptions this season.
“When I left Tennessee, it wasn’t really about the money, it was more about the opportunity to play,” said McCourty, who had been a mainstay in the Titans’ secondary since being a sixth-round draft pick in 2009. “I knew if I came back I was going to be the fifth-string cornerback.”
McCourty believed he could still contribute to an NFL team and decided to test his chances as a free agent for the first time. His goal? To compete and be a team’s second or third cornerback.
McCourty has been a bright spot for his winless team, starting each game. He also returned one of his interceptions for a touchdown and has two forced fumbles and 24 tackles this season.
“I’ve just been happy with myself,” McCourty said. “I guess a little bit of it is proving to yourself that, ‘Man, you can still play this game. You still are a good player.’”
With McCourty gone, the Titans revamped at cornerback in the offseason, signing Logan Ryan from New England, drafting Adoree’ Jackson in the first round and adding free agent Tye Smith as a backup to holdovers Brice McCain, Kalan Reed and LeShaun Sims. Of that group, Smith has the only interception.
McCourty said he is not bitter at the Titans for wanting to move on without him.
“I remember being a young player in Tennessee and talking to the vets there that I had, they always used to tell me at some point the game will humble you,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how good you are, what you’ve done. At some point, someone is going to tell you either you’re not good enough, we don’t want you anymore.
“So you know what’s to come, and I think I just look back on it
just grateful for the eight years that I did have there.”
Injury report
Titans running back DeMarco Murray, who tweaked his hamstring for the second time this season during Monday night’s win against Indianapolis, returned to practice Friday but was limited and will be a gametime decision Sunday.
Tight end Delanie Walker (calf injury), who leads the team with 25 catches this season, was added to the injury report Thursday and was held out of Friday’s practice. He is listed as questionable. The Titans will also monitor the progress of linebacker Derrick Morgan (abdominal strain), who was
limited in his workouts for the second straight practice
Murray has 313 rushing yards through six games, 5 fewer than backup Derrick Henry, who ran for a career-high 131 yards in the 36-22 win over the Colts. Murray was in and out of the lineup in that game while bothered by the hamstring.
“I take it one day at a time, no matter what the situation is,” said Murray, who led the AFC in rushing yards in 2016. “If it’s something I can play through and fight through, then I’ll do that and worry about the aftermath when it’s done, no matter what the repercussions may be. We’ll see how it feels. I’ll warm up prior to the game and see how it feels and make a decision from there.”