NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A year removed from surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot and four months after a second operation, Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Kevin Dodd is sitting out OTAs.

His rehab work isn’t even testing the foot.

“I’m not really doing anything to stress it right now,” he said. “I really can’t tell you that much. But I feel fine walking around.”

If coach Mike Mularkey and the training staff have a date in mind for when Dodd can amp things up, he doesn’t know what it is.

Dodd's limitations are bad news. The operation on May 26, 2016, was deemed preventative by the Titans. Doctors inserted a screw in his foot. He had surgery again in January.

The Titans spent the 33rd pick in the 2016 draft on Dodd and need to be able to count on him as their third edge rusher behind Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan.

He played nine games as a rookie, recording five tackles and a sack. But then he faded. After two games as an inactive, the team placed him on injured reserve on Dec. 6 and Mularkey spoke of how the issue may have been more mental than physical.

“It was based on performance,” Mularkey said at the time. “[The foot] was affecting him, I think, a little bit in his head that this thing was not allowing him to play at the level he wanted to, and that affected his performance, which affected why we put him down.”

Dodd said he believes the plan is for him to be on the field the first day of training camp. But if he doesn’t make major strides by late July, it's possible he would start on the physically unable to perform list.

Morgan, the starting left outside linebacker, would benefit from a strong showing by Dodd as the third edge rusher.

“I was in a similar situation my rookie year, dealing with a lot of injuries,” Morgan said of Dodd. “I kind of know what he’s going through. And so we all encourage him, we all want him out there healthy and helping us. Everybody wants to see him succeed.”

Dodd said he’s frustrated, but having waited this long there is no need to rush things now.

“It’s never fun being a spectator,” he said. “I want to go out there and do what I do. I know there are a lot of questions from everybody, I’m a bubble to everybody. I’m going to do what I’ve got to do when I get out there.

“I’m not out to prove anything to anybody. But I do ask everybody to be patient. When I do get out there, I’m going to play to the best of my ability.”