The Tennessee Titans
announced on Monday that linebacker Cedric Gray was involved in a UTV accident in Tennessee over the weekend and sustained a concussion and minor injuries. He has entered the NFL’s concussion protocol six days before the season opener against the New York Jets.
The team said it looks forward to Gray returning to the field soon and in full health once he clears the protocol. Gray must complete the league’s return-to-participation program, a five-step process with no fixed timeline.
What the protocol means for Week 1
Gray led the Titans and ranked fifth in the NFL with 160 tackles in 2025, a total that tied for the second most by a Tennessee defender since 2000. He started 16 games and had three with at least 16 tackles, the first Titans player to record multiple such games in a season.
He played 917 defensive snaps after logging 48 as a rookie. Amani Hooker was next on the team with 81 tackles.
Robert Saleh’s defense is switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3 under coordinator Gus Bradley, with Gray penciled in alongside Cody Barton. James Williams Sr., Anthony Hill Jr. and Mohamoud Diabate are the other linebackers on the 53-man roster.
Tennessee has finished 3-14 in each of the last two seasons and hired Saleh in January. Sunday’s opener at Nissan Stadium, set for 1 p.m. ET on CBS, is his first game against the Jets since they fired him five games into the 2024 season.
Gray sustained a concussion in December on a collision with San Francisco tight end George Kittle and missed one game against Kansas City. He cleared the protocol in time to play the following week and posted 12 tackles.