Tennessee Titans: Observations From Watching Rehab Work from Jurrell Casey, Jeffery Simmons, and Jonnu Smith
Much of the first half of the second day of 2019 Tennessee Titans Training Camp was spent, for me, trying to get a gauge on where the Titans' trio of players on either PUP or NFI—DL Jeffery Simmons, DL Jurrell Casey, and TE Jonnu Smith—might be in their rehab. From watching Simmons, Casey, and Smith […]
Much of the first half of the second day of 2019 Tennessee Titans Training Camp was spent, for me, trying to get a gauge on where the Titans' trio of players on either PUP or NFI—DL Jeffery Simmons, DL Jurrell Casey, and TE Jonnu Smith—might be in their rehab.
From watching Simmons, Casey, and Smith on Saturday, I came away with three major observations about their status.
1. A Plan in Place
The three players spent some time Saturday, for the second day in a row, working on the far-field of the Titans' practice facility with strength and conditioning coach Frank Piraino. Most of the exercises they performed seemed to center on rebuilding strength.
After practice, I asked head coach Mike Vrabel for an explanation on the goals for those players' current rehab regiments. Here's what he had to say:
"Just kind of where they are each day with their plan. Some days, maybe [team director of sports medicine] Todd Toriscelli says they can do these types of movements, or let’s concentrate on the passing game for two days or transition to the run game, whatever that may be at whatever level they can do it.
"So, we try to make it as close to football as we can with an emphasis on, you know, Jonnu may just run routes all one day, and then today, try to transition him to something else, and Jurrell and Simmons might be doing something different, but still with a focus on some sort of football associated with their rehab."
Vrabel also noted earlier in Saturday's media availability that, when a player sustains an injury during Training Camp, he and Toriscelli sit down to make a plan of action that's unique to that player's individual situation.
2. Clear Pecking Order
Once the intensity of their drills picked up, it became clear which of the three players is closest to returning to action. That would be Jurrell Casey, who looked good whenever he was asked to change directions in drills.
Casey was also the only player of that trio that didn't wear a brace during the workout.
Next up in the pecking order is Smith, who also looked good whenever he was asked to change directions. He was, however, wearing a brace to support himself.
Simmons, who was also wearing a brace, took his changes of direction very gingerly. He lacked explosiveness in his exercises, particularly when running a suicide drill.
This information should not come as much of a surprise. Simmons tore his ACL earlier this year, and it was easy to tell that when watching him work on Saturday.
Smith suffered a torn ACL, but his injury occurred in 2018. He probably has a good shot of being ready for the season.
3. Shades of Conklin
During last year's Training Camp, offensive tackle Jack Conklin was coming off of a torn ACL that he suffered during the postseason. He, like Simmons and Smith, participated in exercises off to the side during multiple camp practices.
Ultimately, Conklin was rushed back into action during the regular season and didn't seem comfortable at any point last season. The Titans have certainly learned their lesson from that, and probably will be much more cautious with Simmons.
What that means is fans should not expect to see Simmons, or possibly even Jonnu Smith, for quite a while. It would not surprise me, based on the timeline of his injury and what happened with Conklin last year, if Smith misses the entirety of Training Camp and the preseason.
There is certainly hope that Simmons plays at some point during his rookie season, but giving him a redshirt year might be in the Titans' best interest.
Cover image: Troy Taormina & Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today
