Titans Place Starting CB on IR

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The Tennessee Titans have started off the season with an 0-3 record and nothing has gone right. Now, they're set to face another difficulty.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Titans have placed starting cornerback Chidobe Awuzie on injured reserve.
Status updates:
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 27, 2024
-- #Colts ruled out CB Kenny Moore II and DE Kwity Paye.
-- #Titans placed CB Chidobe Awuzie on IR.
-- #Texans RB Joe Mixon (ankle) is back at practice.
-- #Lions TE Sam LaPorta (ankle) is back at practice.
Losing Awuzie is going to be a huge blow for the Tennessee defense. He's a good cover cornerback, but he's also capable of making big plays as well.
Through three games this season, Awuzie hasn't made a big impact. He has four total tackles and no other statistics to mention. Maybe, this won't be as big of a loss for the Titans as it sounds and looks on paper.
To replace him, Tennessee will likely turn to Darrel Baker Jr. Baker is a former member of the AFC South rival Indianapolis Colts who the Titans claimed off of waiver just before the start of the season.
Of course, Tennessee will still have star cornerback L'Jarius Sneed on the opposite side of Baker.
Next up for the Titans will be a tough Week 4 matchup on the road against the Miami Dolphins. Tennessee is catching a break in this game, as the Dolphins' quarterback situation is looking bleak. Tua Tagovailoa is out due to concussion and Skylar Thompson is dealing with a painful rib injury.
At this point in time, there is no clarity about who will start under center for Miami.
Obviously, the Titans badly need to come through with a win this week. Going 0-4 to start a season typically does not end well. If they can scrap out a win and move to 1-3, they'll have a much better chance of rebounding and fighting their way back into playoff contention.
Make sure to tune in this week to see if Tennessee can pull out a victory on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.