Despite not playing the Tennessee Titans since 2015, the New England Patriots will see several familiar faces when the Titans come to town this Saturday for a divisional-round playoff matchup at Gillette Stadium.
A quick rundown of the Patriots-Titans connections:
Jon Robinson, general manager
Robinson spent more than a decade (2002 to 2013) in the Patriots’ scouting department, rising up the ranks from area scout to director of college scouting. He then served as director of player personnel for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two seasons before taking the Titans’ GM job in 2014.
Logan Ryan, CB
Ryan spent his first four NFL seasons in New England and most of the 2015 and 2016 campaigns as the Patriots’ No. 2 cornerback behind Malcolm Butler. Last season, he led the Pats in tackles with 92 while also ranking second in pass breakups (11) and tied for second in interceptions (two). The Patriots decided this past offseason to bring free agent corner Stephon Gilmore aboard rather than retain Ryan, who went on to sign a three-year, $30 million with the Titans. He started 15 games in his first season with Tennessee — tallying 62 tackles and 11 pass breakups — and has expressed excitement about facing his former Patriots teammates.
Matt Cassel, QB
Yep, Cassel still is kicking around the NFL. The man who led the Patriots to an 11-5 record in 2008 currently backs up Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota. Now with his sixth team after stints with the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys, the 35-year-old has started one game this season, completing 21 of 32 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in a 16-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins. He also threw two interceptions in mop-up duty in a blowout loss to the Houston Texans.
Josh Kline, G
Kline started 13 games for the Patriots in 2015 and was expected to begin last season as the team’s starting right guard. He was waived less than a week before the season opener, however, after initially being included in the trade for cornerback Eric Rowe. The Titans scooped him up one day later. The decision to get rid of Kline was surprising at the time, but it worked out well for both parties. Shaq Mason has emerged as a borderline Pro Bowler for the Patriots at right guard, and Kline has started 31 of Tennessee’s 33 games since arriving in Nashville.
Draft-day trade
During the 2017 NFL Draft, New England traded the 72nd and 200th overall picks to Tennessee for the 83rd and 124th selections. The Patriots then flipped No. 124 to the Detroit Lions as part of a package for the 85th pick. They selected defensive end Derek Rivers at No. 83 and offensive tackle Tony Garcia at No. 85, neither of whom played a snap this season. The Titans used the 72nd selection on wide receiver Taywan Taylor, who caught 16 passes in 16 games as a rookie.
