Torn ACL Leads To NFL Team Giving Infamous Anthem Kneeler a Look
Tennessee Titans safety Johnathan Cyprien will miss the season with a torn left ACL, and coach Mike Vrabel says veteran Eric Reid is among the free agents the team wants to look at as a potential replacement.
Vrabel says the Titans are in the process of trying to bring in Reid along with other safeties for a workout.
Reid became infamous to many NFL fans when he became the first player to follow 49ers teammate Colin Kaepernick and begin kneeling for the national anthem.
Apparently in @titans coach Vrabel’s presser today he mentioned Eric Reid and Kenny Vaccarro as potential replacements for Cyprien. Eric Reid does THIS though so that will be interesting. He would fit right in. pic.twitter.com/a844BwFNZy
— Howie The Titan (@howie_thetitan) August 2, 2018
As is evidenced with the NFL’s ongoing public relations nightmare, Reid and Kaepernick opened up a can of worms the league clearly wasn’t ready for. Several prominent players, including Michael Bennett, Marshawn Lynch and Malcolm Jenkins, subsequently joined in on the anthem protests.
Reid is currently embroiled in a collusion grievance, along with Kaepernick, against the NFL. Reid claims that his anthem protests have kept him from getting a job. It’ll be fascinating to see if he joins the Titans, as that would all but ruin his grievance claim.
Frankly, Reid seems more interested in political activism than football at the moment. A quick glance at his Twitter page shows a large number of politically charged posts with nary a mention of football.
The closest Reid has come to mentioning football in the last month has been a quick shout-out to his younger brother, Justin Reid, who is on the Houston Texans.
Looking saucy lil bro! https://t.co/g6HvlN4Xr9
— Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) August 1, 2018
Potential culture fit notwithstanding, Reid’s injury-prone nature makes him a worrisome football fit for any team.
Despite claims that he’s being blackballed, Reid has missed plenty of action of his own fragility. In just the last two years, Reid has missed significant time due to knee and biceps injuries.
The Titans are also considering former New Orleans Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro as a potential Cyprien replacement.
The trio of Vaccaro, Cyprien and Reid are all run-stuffing safeties who tend to play in the box. With All-Pro safety and 2017 NFL interceptions leader Kevin Byard roaming the back end, the Titans need a safety who can effectively moonlight as a linebacker.
Cyprien left practice Wednesday after grabbing at his left knee. He walked to the locker room with trainers. Vrabel announced after practice Thursday that Cyprien tore his ACL.
The Titans have Kendrick Lewis and Demontre Hurst among the other options at safety on the roster.
Cyprien signed a four-year deal last season. He started 10 games after dealing with an injured hamstring last year.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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