Tennessee Titans linebacker Cedric Gray has been entered into the NFL’s concussion protocol after an ATV accident just days before the start of the season, the team has confirmed.
“Over the weekend in Tennessee, Cedric Gray was involved in a UTV accident and suffered a concussion and minor injuries,” the Titans said in a statement opinion on Monday, September 7th. “We look forward to Cedric returning to the field soon and in full health as he progresses through the NFL’s concussion protocol.”
According to a team source, there was no alcohol or reckless driving involved in the accident ESPN.
Gray, 23, is entering his third season in the NFL after playing his college ball at the University of North Carolina. The Titans drafted second-team All-American in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Tennessee Titans have fired their head coach Brian Callahan just hours after he publicly criticized their star quarterback Cam Ward. The Titans announced Callahan’s retirement on Monday, October 13, after a difficult 1-5 start to the season. The organization has not announced an interim coach to replace the 41-year-old Callahan at the time of (…).
In 2025, his first full season, Gray emerged as a starter and led the team with 164 tackles, which ranked fourth in the NFL.
The Titans open the regular season on Sunday, September 13th at home against the New York Jets. Gray’s status is listed as questionable for the game, but he must meet several criteria under the league’s concussion protocol before he can return to play. One of those criteria will be for an independent consultant to clear him to return to training and games.
While return plans can vary widely for those who suffer a concussion, Titans analyst Drew Beatty called his potential absence from the season opener “pretty disastrous for the defense.”
“Luckily it’s only short-term,” he said Heavy.com via SMS. “He has developed into a top-five ILB in football (in my opinion) and is a cornerstone of the defense. When you look at the aging Cody Barton (who is definitely on the decline) and Anthony Hill, who is now being pushed into the starting lineup in his first game as a rookie. Not great!”
The Titans’ season opener will bring additional intrigue for the head coach Robert Saleh in his first game at the helm. The Tennessee coach led the Jets from 2021 to 2024, when he was fired five games into the season.
Saleh, 47, tried to downplay the added significance in his first game and remained focused on his current team.
“Our desire to win Week 1 and beat the Jets is because it is Week 1 and nothing more,” Saleh said told reporters on Monday. “I am forever grateful for the opportunity they gave me.”
Lineman Solomon Thomas played for the Jets from 2022 to 2024, adding that the adversity those teams faced helped build the culture at Tennessee.
“We’ve been through a lot of adversity with the Jets, and we’re bringing all the things we learned from that adversity here and spreading them into the culture of this locker room and the culture of the coaches,” he said. “And I think it’s a lot of knowledge that we pass on from back then.”
