Titans sign Kenny Vaccaro to replace injured Johnathan Cyprien
Tennessee adds five-year veteran safety Kenny Vaccaro to fill a void in their secondary after starter Johnathan Cyprien suffered a torn ACL in training camp.
The Tennessee Titans have found a replacement for injured safety Johnathan Cyprien
The Titans announced Saturday they have agreed to a deal with Kenny Vaccaro after Cyprien, who started 10 games last year, suffered a torn ACL on Wednesday.
Vaccaro, 27, has spent his entire five-year career with the New Orleans Saints after being drafted 15th overall out of Texas in 2013. He played 68 games with the Saints, and made the All-Rookie team in 2013. Last season he had three interceptions, but missed the Saints playoff run with a torn groin.
Beginning his career as a versatile player in coordinator Rob Ryan’s defense, Vaccaro started to lose playing time last year to younger safeties Vonn Bell and Marcus Williams. Benched in the Saints’ Week 2 game against New England, he was the 117th rated safety according to Pro Football Focus, the lowest in the league. He was not re-signed after the season, joining a list of veteran safeties that struggled to find a team this offseason.
In addition to Vaccaro, the Titans also considered Mike Mitchell and Lardarius Webb. Vaccaro joins a deep Titans secondary that already has Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, All Pro Kevin Byard and 2017 first round pick Adoree’ Jackson.
Eric Reid was also supposed to have a workout with the Titans, but his flight to Nashville was cancelled. They remain interested in the former 49er, however, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
It is particularly surprising to see a safety of Reid’s quality on the market. A Pro Bowler in his rookie season, he has started 69 games for San Francisco in his five-year career. But Reid, who was one of the first players to kneel with Colin Kaepernick during the national anthem and has been consistently outspoken against racism and police brutality, didn’t receive any contract offers this offseason.
The notion that I can be a great signing for your team for cheap, not because of my skill set but because I’ve protested systemic oppression, is ludicrous. If you think is, then your mindset is part of the problem too.
— Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) March 15, 2018
Reid made it quite clear who he thinks is responsible for him not being able to find a team. In a message he posted on Twitter in March, he said it is NFL owners that are stopping their teams from signing him because of his protest. ”GMs aren’t the hold up broski. It’s ownership. People who know football know who can play. People who know me, know my character,” Reid wrote.
The Titans finished 9-7 last year and made the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Head Coach Mike Mularkey was fired, however, and replaced by former Houston Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel.