Tuesday was not a landmark day for the Tennessee Titans.
After starting a brawl with teammate JC Latham, star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons went viral for coming unglued on a local radio host during a live broadcast. And to make matters worse, edge-rusher Arden Key is facing a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drugs policy, per Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky.
Key was expected to be a starter on the Titans defensive line that also features Simmons and 2024 second-round pick T’Vondre Sweat at defensive tackle with Harold Landry as the other edge-rusher.
Titans head coach Brian Callahan told reporters he was aware of the news during his Tuesday news conference, but didn’t comment further on the situation, citing it as a league issue.
“It’s not something that you wanted to hear, but we don’t really have a choice [in the matter],” Callahan said, per Turron Davenport of ESPN. “We’ve got to go play football with who we have and if we can find someone else, we will and if we can’t, then we’ve got to play with who we have.”
Brian Callahan on Arden Key's oncoming suspension: pic.twitter.com/iB8A30zXRA
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) July 30, 2024
In his first season with the Titans in 2023, Key logged 30 tackles, 40 pressures, 29 hurries, six sacks, four QB hits, four tackles for loss and two forced fumbles, per Pro Football Focus.
He finished third on the team in sacks and hurries and fourth in pressures while backing up Denico Autry, who posted a team-high 11.5 sacks, 53 pressures and 36 hurries.
