By Titans Online
Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan has been lost for the season.
Lewan, a three-time Pro Bowler, delivered the
news on Monday. Lewan left Sunday’s game against the Texans with a knee injury.
“I wanted to let everyone know I got an
MRI today,” Lewan said via Twitter. “I Tore my ACL yesterday against
Houston. Don’t feel sorry for me, I’m going to handle this rehab like a Pro and
come back better than ever. Thank you @Titans fans for your support.
#NoBadDays”
Now, the Titans must do their best to replace
Lewan, who has started 85 games since being drafted in the first round of the
2014 NFL Draft.
Ty Sambrailo stepped in to play left tackle on
Sunday, and he’s been the first off the bench this season. Dennis Kelly,
meanwhile, has started all five games at right tackle.
Titans Coach Mike Vrabel on Monday said the
team will evaluate all options while placing Lewan on Injured Reserve. He said
tackle Isaiah Wilson, the team’s first-round pick in the 2020 draft who was
added to the 53-man roster last week after spending the first part of the
season on the team’s Reserve/COVID-19 list, is making progress.
“Disappointed for Taylor – he works
extremely hard and we’re confident he’ll be back (next season),” Vrabel
said. “But that’s kind of what we’ve done, it’s how we operate – we’ll get
the next guy in there and we’ll see what is best for the team and try and move
forward with the next guy in there. Ty has played a bunch in that back-up role
in the first five games.”
Sambrailo, signed by the Titans as a free
agent after playing previously with the Broncos and Falcons, played in 57 games
with 13 starts before joining the Titans.
Wilson has worked hard on his conditioning to
put himself in a better position to help the team, Vrabel said.
“Ty has played in this league – he’s
played multiple positions and he has versatility,” Vrabel said. “He
had to play in there (vs. J.J) Watt early (vs the Texans), but I thought he
settled down and played well like he has in the past for us when he’s needed to
come in there and play.
“As for Isaiah, we haven’t practiced
much. We have to get out there and practice and evaluate where that is this
week and see where he can help us.”
On Monday, after news of Lewan’s injury
surfaced, Vrabel was even asked about scenarios like moving Kelly from left to
right tackle, or even moving guard Rodger Saffold to tackle, a position he’s
played in the past.
“We’ll go through all the scenarios and
we’ll figure out which ones we think are best for the players, and best for the
team,” Vrabel said.
The Titans face the Steelers on Sunday at
Nissan Stadium. You can hear that game live on Thunder Radio, your home for the
Tennessee Titans in Coffee County.