Training Camp Stories from Tennessee Titans Staff

Training camp in the NFL is more than two weeks of drills and scrimmages—it’s a crucible where teams bond, rookies learn the ropes, and veterans rediscover their drive. For the Tennessee Titans staff, the 2024 camp in Nashville was filled with moments that didn’t make the highlight reels but defined the team’s identity: early-morning conversations between coaches and players, trainers tending to injuries with care, and equipment managers staying late to prep gear for the next day. These stories, told directly by the staff who live and breathe camp, offer a rare glimpse into the hard work, heart, and humor that go into getting a team ready for the season. Whether it’s a position coach pushing a rookie to overcome fear or a nutritionist adjusting a player’s diet to boost performance, Training Camp Stories from Tennessee Titans Staff captures the unsung heroes of the NFL—and the little moments that make a big difference.

Training Camp Stories from Tennessee Titans Staff begins with defensive line coach Terrell Williams, who recalls a pivotal moment with rookie defensive tackle Byron Murphy II during the first week of camp. “Byron was talented, no doubt—but he was playing tight, like he was scared to make a mistake,” Williams says. On a sweltering Tuesday morning, after Murphy missed a tackle in a scrimmage and walked off the field looking defeated, Williams pulled him aside. They sat on the sideline, away from the noise, and Williams shared a story: his own rookie year as a coach, when he’d botched a play call that cost his team a preseason game. “Mistakes aren’t failures—they’re just chances to learn faster,” Williams told him. The next day, during a 1-on-1 drill against veteran center Ben Jones, Murphy didn’t hold back: he used a quick spin move to beat Jones and sack the quarterback. After the drill, Murphy looked over at Williams and smiled—and Williams knew the rookie had turned a corner. “That’s the magic of camp,” Williams says. “You don’t just teach football—you teach confidence. Byron went from tentative to dominant in 24 hours, and that’s a story I’ll tell every year.”

Another story from Training Camp Stories from Tennessee Titans Staff comes from head athletic trainer Tom Kanavy, who remembers a late-night in the training room with running back Hassan Haskins. It was week two of camp, and Haskins had tweaked his hamstring during a sprint drill—nothing serious, but enough to sit out the next day’s practice. Instead of heading home, Haskins showed up to the training room at 7 p.m., asking Kanavy to walk him through recovery exercises. “Most guys would take the night off, but Hassan wanted to do the work,” Kanavy says. They spent an hour on foam rolling, stretching, and light resistance band drills, with Haskins asking questions the whole time: “How does this help? What should I avoid tomorrow? When can I start running again?” As they wrapped up, Haskins thanked Kanavy—not just for the help, but for treating him like a person, not just a player. “That’s the thing about this team,” Kanavy says. “The players don’t just show up for themselves—they show up for the staff, too. Hassan could’ve gone home, but he stayed because he wanted to get back on the field for his teammates. That’s the kind of mindset that wins seasons.”

A heartwarming tale from Training Camp Stories from Tennessee Titans Staff comes from wide receivers coach Rob Moore, who witnessed a quiet act of leadership from veteran Robert Woods. Rookie wide receiver Colton Dowell, a seventh-round pick, was struggling with the playbook—he’d mixed up two routes in a row during a team drill, drawing a frustrated sigh from the quarterback. After practice, Moore expected Dowell to head to the locker room, defeated. Instead, Woods pulled Dowell aside, grabbed a whiteboard, and sat with him on the bleachers. “I watched them for 45 minutes,” Moore says. “Woods didn’t just explain the routes—he walked Dowell through why each step mattered, how to read the defense, even how to communicate with the quarterback. He didn’t have to do that—veterans often keep to themselves during camp—but Woods chose to lift Dowell up.” The next day, Dowell ran both routes perfectly, and after the drill, he looked over at Woods and nodded. For the Tennessee Titans, moments like this aren’t just about football—they’re about building a culture where veterans mentor rookies, and everyone succeeds together. “Woods didn’t just make Dowell a better player,” Moore says. “He made our whole wide receiver group tighter. That’s the power of leadership.”

A humorous yet revealing story from Training Camp Stories from Tennessee Titans Staff comes from equipment manager Brad Alge, who recounts a mishap with quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s helmet. It was the final week of camp, and the team was preparing for a preseason game against the Chicago Bears. Alge had just finished prepping Tannehill’s game helmet—polishing the shell, checking the chinstrap, and adding a new “Titan Up” decal Tannehill had requested—when a intern accidentally knocked it off the table. The helmet hit the floor, cracking the facemask. “I panicked,” Alge says. “We only had one backup, and it was still being repaired.” Instead of getting upset, Tannehill walked over, picked up the helmet, and laughed. “Hey, Brad—think we can tape it? I’ve played with worse,” he said. Alge and his team spent 20 minutes reinforcing the facemask with heavy-duty tape, and Tannehill wore it for the entire practice. Afterward, he thanked Alge, saying the helmet “felt like a lucky charm.” For the Tennessee Titans, this moment summed up camp perfectly: it’s not about perfection, it’s about rolling with the punches. “Ryan could’ve gotten mad, but he chose to laugh,” Alge says. “That sets the tone for the whole team—no matter what goes wrong, we handle it together.”

Wrapping up Training Camp Stories from Tennessee Titans Staff is a story from head coach Mike Vrabel, who reflects on the final night of camp—a team dinner at Nissan Stadium. “We don’t do fancy dinners,” Vrabel says. “Just burgers, hot dogs, and a lot of stories.” As the staff and players sat together on the field, under the stadium lights, Vrabel noticed something: rookies were sitting with veterans, coaches were laughing with trainers, and even the front office staff was mingling with equipment managers. “That’s what camp is really about—building a family,” Vrabel says. He remembers looking over at defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, who was teaching rookie Byron Murphy II how to properly season a burger, and wide receiver Treylon Burks, who was telling jokes to the interns. Later, Vrabel stood up to speak, but he didn’t talk about X’s and O’s. He talked about the moments: the early mornings, the tough drills, the late nights in the training room. “This team isn’t just a group of players and staff,” he said. “We’re people who care about each other.” For the Tennessee Titans, that night wasn’t just a dinner—it was a promise. A promise to fight for each other, to support each other, and to remember that football is about more than wins and losses. “Camp ends, but the family stays,” Vrabel says. “That’s the story I’ll carry with me all season.”