Titans Injury Good News And Bad News? Making sense of what roster moves mean for Ridley, Winston, and Spears in Week 5

The Tennessee Titans are in Arizona for Week 5, looking to find a way to get into the win column against the Cardinals.

They have a handful of key injury situations that are in flux, which you can read about in more depth at this link. However, Saturday’s final roster transactions brought good news for one player and suddenly raised questions about the status of two others. Here’s what I know about Calvin Ridley, Tyjae Spears, and Kevin Winston Jr. right now.

Gameday elevations bring Ridley, Winston into question

On Saturday afternoon, the Titans made four final transactions before their fifth game of the year.

As I wrote yesterday, Ridley (knee, elbow) is listed as questionable heading into this one, but is expected to give it a go. He sat out of practice until Friday, and in Week 4, his day ended early in the second half as he ran just a dozen routes. I also wrote that WR James Proche remaining off the gameday roster would be the ultimate confirmation of Ridley’s readiness to play.

Well, Proche got called up. So, does that mean Ridley is now in question? No. This is an insurance move. With WR Bryce Oliver already out for this game, Proche is up just to be an extra body in the case that Ridley can’t finish the game like last week.

Some fans will be annoyed to see Proche get the nod over Xavier Restrepo, but Proche is the one who has gotten reps as an outside receiver in this offense. Restrepo has not. Bottom line, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ridley play a less-than-full game in Arizona. If that’s the case, Proche will be on hand to get a couple snaps.

A basically identical situation is playing out on the defensive side of the ball. Rookie S Kevin Winston Jr’s status was upgraded from “doubtful” in previous weeks to “questionable” this week, and with fourth safety Mike Brown headed to IR with a knee injury, it stands to reason that the rookie will make his debut in Week 5. But with S Kendall Brooks getting the gameday elevation, it’s fair to wonder if Winston will get his run.

This is the same deal as Ridley with Proche: insurance. Winston will take over Mike Brown’s role as the fourth safety, getting a lot of run on special teams at the very least. Brooks will be on hand as a trustworthy fifth option if needed.

Tyjae Spears’ Impact On Titans Offense

Spears was officially activated from IR on Saturday, and it’s worth pointing out that he brings something to this offense that it hasn’t had. Spears has wiggle and burst that no other Titans ball carrier has. And back in the summer, when this team was installing its offense, he was being used in some designed and unique ways that the Titans haven’t run yet this season.

I don’t want to get too far out on my skis here: He might play a minimal role this week as he eases back in and gets back into football shape after nearly two months off.

And the fact that he had ankle surgery a matter of weeks ago could mean he’s not back to full capacity for a bit. But once he is, you’ll see him used in ways that get him the ball in space. Maybe that will be an injection of juice that helps this Titans offense begin to function properly.