Receivers struggle against man coverage, plus other Tennessee Titans observations Monday

The Tennessee Titans held their 13th day of training camp Monday at Saint Thomas Sports Park, their last practice before joint work with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers later this week.

Here’s what stood out:

WRs struggle getting open

The offense had arguably its worst day of training camp thus far. It couldn’t complete deep shots. The back-seven was all over the ball – cornerbacks Caleb Farley and Greg Mabin and sixth-round rookie linebacker Chance Campbell were among the biggest standouts – and there were some misfires from all three quarterbacks, but the biggest issue appeared to be the receivers struggling to win their one-on-one matchups. That was a big problem in the Titans’ offense last season.

“Those are 50/50 balls and we’ve come down with some of those earlier in camp,” coach Mike Vrabel said of the receivers. “(Monday), the defense was able to make plays down the field on those contested catches that we have to try to come down with. We have to go up and try to stay under control and try to high point the football and then come down with it.”

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WR coach Rob Moore has nickname for rookie Kyle Philips

Titans receivers coach Rob Moore revealed that he calls fifth-round rookie Kyle Philips “The Professor,” a nod to his ability to correctly answer questions thrown his way.

He added that Philips has strong “route imagination” and route running skills “that makes the elite players who they are.” The former UCLA standout has been one of the Titans’ biggest training stars.

“He’s a bit of a know-it-all,” Moore joked. “His passion for the game shows up a lot. … He really does have a good mind for the game. He’s a guy that can make adjustments in a quick moment. I think from that standpoint, he’s done a great job of grasping what we’re asking him to do.”

Philips smiled when asked about the nickname, saying that he finds it funny.

“It definitely makes me feel good, but it also puts a little bit of a target on my back in meetings,” Phillips said. “Sometimes, (Moore will) throw some trick questions out there to try to catch me (mess up). When he does, he doesn’t let me live it down. So it goes both ways.”

Mike Vrabel praises OLB Rashad Weaver

Vrabel spoke highly of second-year pro Rashad Weaver, saying his strongest quality is his “relentlessness.”

A 2021 fourth-round pick, Weaver played just two games as a rookie after suffering a season-ending leg injury. He’s expected to be one of the Titans’ top reserve outside linebackers this season.

“He plays extremely hard,” Vrabel said. “He keeps coming. Takes a million reps. Competes, has gotten better. But his effort definitely stands out. That’s thing when you talk about Rashad: He’s going to go. He’s going to keep coming at you. However many times you put him in there, he’ll go out there and go as hard as he can.”

Rough day for Randy Bullock

Place-kicker Randy Bullock has been a machine in training camp, but he hit a rough patch for the first time Monday. He went 6-of-9 on field goals, missing from 43, 50 and 56 yards. He was good from 30, 33, 37, 33, 33 and 51 yards.

Participation report

At least seven players didn’t practice: outside linebackers Bud Dupree and Harold Landry, defensive lineman Denico Autry, safeties Amani Hooker and Theo Jackson, defensive back Chris Jackson and wide receiver Mason Kinsey.

Up next

The Titans are off Tuesday and will have the first of two joint practices with the Bucs on Wednesday ahead of their preseason matchup Saturday at Nissan Stadium.

Ben Arthur covers the Tennessee Titans for The USA TODAY Network. Contact him at barthur@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @benyarthur.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans WRs struggle getting open and other Tennessee takeaways Monday