Titans safety Johnathan Cyprien out for the year due to torn ACL

Erik Bacharach | The Tennessean

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Titans safety Johnathan Cyprien is out for the season with a torn ACL, coach Mike Vrabel said Thursday, a significant blow to a secondary that has looked on paper to be one of the best in the NFL this offseason.

Cyprien went down in the middle of Wednesday's practice. After rushing the edge on a safety blitz, he fell to the ground, grabbed his left knee and stayed down for a minute before limping off. A cart came out to transport Cyprien to the locker room, but he waved it off and walked there on his own.

Cyprien signed a four-year, $25 million contract with Tennessee in July 2017. He started 10 games for the Titans in 2017 and had 38 tackles and one sack.

"It’s tough for me as a new head coach to watch guys work hard, work extremely hard in the offseason, care about the team, play hard, do everything that we’ve asked them to do and then not get a chance to experience the NFL season this year," Vrabel said.

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So where do the Titans go from here? Vrabel said the team plans to discuss what options lie in free agency.

Two available safeties that could be fits are Eric Reid and Kenny Vaccaro.

The No. 18 overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft, Reid had 52 tackles and two interceptions a year ago for the 49ers. The 26-year-old safety was a Pro Bowl selection in 2013. Vrabel said the Titans are in contact with Reid's representation.

"He’s a guy that we evaluated," Vrabel said. "We’re probably trying to talk to his representatives and see how many guys we can bring in here for a workout."

Reid, 26, has filed a collusion grievance against the NFL as he has remained unsigned after he kneeled during the national anthem with former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick to protest social injustice and racial inequality.

NFL Network reported that Vaccaro will visit the Titans on Friday, and that the 27-year-old safety has had multiple offers, but hasn't found the right fit yet. Vaccaro had 48 tackles and three interceptions last year for the Saints, who drafted him No. 15 overall in 2013.

Then there's the players already on the roster.

Demontre Hurst, who the Titans signed and waived last season, has seen significant time with the first team at practice the past two days in Cyprien's absence.

"He had a good day (Wednesday)," Vrabel said of Hurst. "We’ll take a look and see what he did today, but he certainly stood out yesterday, taking advantage of the opportunities he got with the first group and being able to go in there.

"I think the biggest thing we look at right away is can a guy handle it mentally. Is he making the checks that he should? Is the communication where it needs to be? From first glance, it was."

Safety Kendrick Lewis would also be poised for first team reps with Cyprien out, but he also left practice early Wednesday and did not practice Thursday. Vrabel said Lewis will be among those competing to fill the void left by Cyprien.

"It’s tough man," cornerback Logan Ryan said. "With Cyp, I’ve just seen how much work he’s put in. There’s probably tears on my end, on his end. We formed a brotherhood and he’s one of my favorite teammates. I just saw the work he put in and one thing I told him, it wasn’t a lack of preparation.

"Definitely, nowadays, it isn’t a career-changer, and I’m sure he’ll be back out here as soon as he can be. It definitely is tough, but the good thing is we have depth. It gives other guys opportunities."