Gray Is Out. Tennessee Opens Anyway.

Cedric Gray was ruled out Friday, confirming what concussion protocol had made likely since the UTV accident over Labor Day weekend. He led the Titans with 164 tackles last season and was their most reliable defensive presence on a team that needed every reliable presence it could find. He won't be on the field Sunday against the Jets.

The timing stings because the secondary was already short. Nazeeh Johnson, signed in August to add depth to a thin back end, is suspended for the first six games following a PED violation — a piece I noted when it happened. That's two planned contributors gone before the opener kicks off, and the names behind them on the depth chart are largely unproven at this level.

What's left is what's left. Cody Barton and the linebacker group absorb more responsibility. The defensive backs — Cor'Dale Flott, Alontae Taylor, and the corners behind them — get an earlier-than-expected audition. Robert Saleh, now coaching against the Jets organization that let him go, said this week the focus is simply on winning. That's the right answer. It's also the only one available.

Tennessee opens a new season having spent the offseason building around Cam Ward and the offensive line. The defense was always the shakier half of this roster. Gray's absence makes Sunday a stress test for that shakiness, right out of the gate.