In April of 2020 the Pittsburgh Steelers signed cornerback Breon Borders to a one-year contract, but the former undrafted free agent out of Duke didn’t get a long look at training camp. Instead he was waived on August 11, 2020, as soon as former third-round pick Justin Layne was ready to return from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
But by November of last year, Borders was a starting cornerback for the Tennessee Titans. In fact, he was thriving in that role, in spite of the feeble pass rush offered by Tennessee’s defense, which produced just 19 sacks last season, the third-lowest total in the league.
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Never mind that Borders finished last season on injured reserve with a hip injury. He has apparently picked up where he left off in 2020, when he allowed a completion percentage of just 51.1 percent and a passer rating of 86.6, strong work for a cornerback on a team that was unable to pressure opposing quarterbacks.
Mike Moraitis of USA Today notes that Borders has been “turning heads” at Titans training camp, looking more like a shutdown corner than a fringe player.
Ben Arthur, Titans beat reporter for The Tennessean, also had kind words for Borders …
Was on opposite side of field and couldn’t get great video, but Breon Border was pretty dominant in goal line 1v1s just now. Sticky coverage. Didn’t see him allow a catch. #Titans
… As did Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, who had the following to say about Borders, courtesy of Turron Davenport of ESPN:
Mike Vrabel had positive words for Breon Borders who’s had a solid start to training camp. He matched him up vs Racey McMath to conclude 1 on 1s. #Titans
Last season Borders played in six games for the Titans (with five starts). During that time he recorded 22 solo tackles, along with one interception and five passes defensed.
Bud Dupree Added to Tennessee’s Reserve/COVID-19 List
Meanwhile, one of the players the Titans are counting on to improve the team’s woeful pass rush doesn’t figure to see the field anytime soon. Per Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com, on Thursday the team placed former Steelers outside linebacker Bud Dupree on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
The @Titans have placed OLB Bud Dupree on the team’s Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Dupree also began training camp on the team’s PUP list.
That means Dupree is currently on two Reserve lists; a week ago he was placed on the club’s Physically Unable to Perform list, apparently not yet sufficiently recovered from the torn ACL he suffered last December 2nd against the Baltimore Ravens. The Titans signed Dupree to a five-year, $82.5 million contract in March, but it’s looking less and less likely that he will be ready to play when the regular season gets underway.
Titans Sign Former Steelers Center Patrick Morris
In one other Steelers-related move…. On Friday the Titans inked center Patrick Morris, having been waived by the Denver Broncos just a few days earlier. Morris came into the NFL with the Steelers in 2018, signing as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Christian. He spent most of 2018 and 2019 on Pittsburgh’s practice squad, and went on to play three games for the Broncos in 2019-2020 after the Steelers placed him on waivers.
Tennessee currently has one other former Steelers player on its roster, that being linebacker Ola Adeniyi, who signed with the Titans less than a week after Dupree agreed to his five-year deal.
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Ex-Steelers Cornerback ‘Turning Heads’ at Titans Training Camp