NASHVILLE – It was Jerry Glanville who famously said during a game that NFL stands for “not for long.” The flamboyant head coach made that assertion to an official as an example of how quickly someone can be out of a job in the world of professional football.
Bradley McDougald, however, is an example that it can work both ways. In short order, the veteran safety has gone from someone in search of a job to a starter for the Tennessee Titans in Sunday’s game at Seattle.
McDougald was a free agent who went unsigned throughout the offseason until the Titans added him on Aug. 16, three days after their preseason opener. Now, he is first in line to replace Amani Hooker, who was placed on injured reserve Tuesday due after he was hurt in Sunday’s season-opening loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
“I mean, that’s the league. It moves fast,” McDougald said Wednesday. “So, you’ve always got to be prepared. We say it all the time: ‘Next man up.’ It’s no different from that. I’ve been doing it a long time. I’m very comfortable and confident in my ability to prepare and get myself ready for the game.”
He has every reason to feel that way.
McDougald was one of three veteran safeties the Titans signed in a matter of days when injuries forced them to restock the position while the rosters were still expanded for the preseason. All three made meaningful plays in a victory at Tampa Bay, but the other two – Clayton Geathers and Jamal Carter – were released when the roster limit was reduced to 53 players. Carter is now part of the practice squad. Geathers is out of work.
The Titans cut McDougald at the start of the regular season but immediately signed him to their practice squad. He was a gameday addition to the active roster against the Cardinals and, thus, finished the contest after Hooker got hurt.
“He picked up the defense well,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “He picked it up quickly and performed well in practice and the games. That’s really all we ask of anybody that’s coming in here new is to pick it up as fast as you can and take advantage of every opportunity you get.”
This week’s opportunity is a unique one for the 30-year-old who broke into the NFL in 2013 as an undrafted rookie out of Kansas.
McDougald has appeared in 106 games for five teams, including his Titans debut Sunday, but some of his best days came during the three years he was with Seattle (2017-19). He started 39 games for the Seahawks and participated in the postseason for the first time (one game in 2018, two in 2019).
At the start of last year’s training camp, he was included in a trade package, which Seattle used to acquire Jamal Adams from the New York Jets. McDougald started seven games for the Jets – they lost all seven – before a shoulder injury sent him to injured reserve and ended his season. It was the first time in seven seasons he played fewer than 15 games.
The injury cost him an opportunity to face Seattle last season (the Seahawks won 40-3 in Week 14). Now, he is headed back, and he is a starter.
“I’m not worried about anything that happened prior to this or anything going forward,” McDougald said. “I’m just trying to help this team (win).”
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