Titans Roster Moves Tracker: Live updates for waiver claims, free agent and practice squad signings after cut day
The Tennessee Titans made a flurry of moves after Sunday’s cut down day including three waiver claims, one free agent signing, and reported practice squad additions.
The Tennessee Titans completed roster cut down day on Sunday taking the 91 man training camp roster all the way down to the initial 53 man roster for the season. The next couple of days NFL teams will fill out their 16 (or 17) man practice squads.
Monday also had the waiver claim deadline pass at 1pm ET, where the Titans made three waiver claims from the fourth spot in the waiver order.
Notes: If you’ve already viewed this page, you may need to refresh it to have the latest version of the article as we’ll be fluidly updating cuts in live time. Also, shoutout to Justin Melo who does a great job over this NFL cycle every year.
Titans make three waiver claims and one free agent signing
LB Owen Pappoe, Arizona Cardinals
Pappoe was a five star recruit as the top outside linebacker in the country for the 2019 class and played his college ball at Auburn and was a fifth round pick by the Cardinals in 2023.
Reports around Arizona share that Pappoe lost out for one of the top inside linebacker jobs and was relegated to just a special teams player, which isn’t a bad thing for Tennessee considering the young linebacker depth.
DB Melvin Smith Jr.
Charles Goldman (A to Z Sports Chiefs writer): Smith Jr. is another player Chiefs fans will want to get familiar with. He was an undrafted free agent out of Southern Arkansas. During the 2025 NFL season, he spent the entire year on the team’s practice squad, and now he has quietly worked his way up the depth chart to become one of Steve Spagnuolo and Dave Merritt’s trusted defensive backs.
“Last year, it was a good learning year, coming in, the playbook and having to learn the playbook, learn how things are run here,” Smith said this week. “Last year, to learn under guys like (Rams CB) Trent (McDuffie), and guys like (Rams CB Jaylen Watson) JWat, (Bengals S) Bryan Cook. It was just a really big learning year, and trying to soak in everything, be a sponge to them.”
DT Nazir Stackhouse, Green Bay Packers
Wendell Ferreira (A to Z Sports Packers writer): Nazir Stackhouse was a cool story last year. He is a guy the NFL probably forgot to draft and had potential to be a late-round player. He showed that with a strong training camp and preseason for the Packers, which led them to keep him on the 53-man roster throughout the entire 2025 season.
But Stackhouse was a developmental player despite his 6-3, 320-pound frame. So he barely was part of the defensive line rotation, playing 14% of the defensive snaps and 8% of the special teams snaps in 2025. When Stackhouse did play, he was below average. He generated four pressures, six tackles, and three stops. According to PFF, his run defense grade was 44.5, and the pass rush defense was 49.3. Stackhouse has the versatility to play both 1-tech and 3-tech along the interior of the defensive line.
This year, though, the Packers added several pieces to the position. The competition was so impressive that the Packers ended up keeping seven interior defensive linemen on the 53-man roster, and therefore Stackhouse became expendable.
When watching training camp and preseason games we always try to identify players who are likely on the wrong side of the roster bubble, but who have value in one way or another on the team’s practice squad.
The Titans had several who I’d like to see stick around, and based on early reports, it seems like general manager Mike Borgonzi agrees with my sentiments.
S Terrell Burgess
OT James Hudson
Hudson played last year for the New York Giants under Brian Daboll and Carmen Bricillo.
Titans corresponding cuts to roster additions
OT Austin Deculus
Titans fans will rejoice this move. Deculus was not a good option for one of the tackles but he was the only one worth keeping around just in case a better tackle couldn’t be found elsewhere.
Is Hudson a better option? We’ll see.
LB Mohamoud Diabate waived
Easton Freeze: Diabate was a strange one this training camp in Tennessee. He was a starter on the unofficial depth charts the Titans put out, but that only served as a notice that he was likely to make the initial 53 (which he did). It didn’t reflect the fact that he failed to stand out amongst Titans linebackers for most of August and felt like the most cuttable of the top 6 in that room. Now one day after cutdown day, he’s replaced by a waiver claim.
CB Erick Hallett
S Jerrick Reed II
WR Xavier Restrepo
Titans Practice Squad Reported Additions
DB Derrick Canteen
Canteen was an early training camp addition, and as Melo says in his post, stood out pretty quickly. I noticed his ball skills and his tendency to be around the football quite a bit. He’s a tad undersized at 5-foot-10, 193 pounds, but I don’t see that being a limiting factor. The team had him listed as a “DB” and not as a cornerback or safety, which I take as a guy who can fill in as nickel depth on the practice squad.
WR Tyren Montgomery
The Titans ended training camp with me not being as optimistic as I was previously about Montgomery having a spot on the practice squad, but I’m glad to see him reportedly having one. He’s a great athlete, but his limited experience playing football and his DIII John Carroll career leaves him needing polish for playing the receiver position. He has high upside, but it might be multiple years down the road.
TE Joel Wilson
I didn’t really think Wilson had much of a shot to make the 53 man roster as TE 4 after rookie Jaren Kanak was lost with a torn pec in mid August. If Kanak wasn’t out for the season Wilson would be the fifth TE in camp. But he sticks around as a player who can help give solid looks in practice at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds.
S Bishop Fitzgerald
I think Fitzgerald is a good player, and probably the best of the Titans undrafted free agent class this year (where none of them made the 53 man roster). The USC product and All-Big Ten safety from last year could have multiple options around the league, but the Titans like him and it would be good to keep him around to develop for the future.
WR Hank Beatty
Beatty seemingly stole Mason Kinsey’s practice squad spot that he had held onto for so many years. I like Hank Beatty. He can help in the return game, and it my book, he was the third best true slot receiver in camp behind Wan’Dale Robinson and Xavier Restrepo. I also think Beatty has more upside to play special teams when compared to Restrepo once he gets more experience doing so. That being said, Restrepo is multiple steps ahead of Beatty as a pass catcher.
DB Jalen McMurray
The former Tennessee Vols defensive back played against Beatty in Nissan Stadium in Illinois’ Music City Bowl win in the last college game for both players. McMurray played that game when most inside the Tennessee program thought he was too hurt to play. He’s a hard nosed guy who will be great to practice against, like Beatty, on the other side of the ball. He has slot nickel and outside corner versatility, but is more nickel.
RB Michael Carter
Michael Carter on the practice squad is the easiest and most logical decision that could be made by this Titans team. Carter is an instant call-up if anything happens to top backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears. He’s potentially the third best “NFL running back” the Titans had in camp, but rookie Nick Singleton has more upside and Julius Chestnut is a top notch special teams player. Until Singleton gets more pass protection polishing, I’d rather have Carter be a regular offensive contributor if injuries stack up.
DT Laki Tasi
Laki Tasi (really fun to say) gives the Titans the ability to sign up to 17 players as the International Pathway Program player. Melo says he’s “big” but that’s not descriptive enough for a 6-f00t-6, 373 pound man who played rugby in Australia. Keep him around and keep watering that tree.
OL Rasheed Miller
WR Xavier Restrepo (maybe)
