Verner getting a look at FS for Titans
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Titans defensive back Alterraun Verner is getting playing time at a new position that is very old to him.
Verner has been a starter at cornerback, where he played his entire college and NFL career. But when the Titans experimented with different packages, Verner saw significant practice time in OTAs as a free safety --- a position he last played in high school.
"They kind of mentioned it to me, and I asked them what my role was they just said they wanted to see what I could do back there," he said. " I said it's no problem. I want to try and help the team as well as I can. So if they want me to do it, I'll go ahead and give it a try."
Verner said he still considers himself a cornerback first, and there is certainly the real possibility he will remain a starting cornerback. Third-year pro Tommie Campbell manned the cornerback position Verner usually plays on Thursday.
"If I have to guess, I can somehow play it in an emergency, and this is the time, so that they know I can do it rather than if we get to the season and I haven't yet," Verner said.
Titans coach Mike Munchak likes the options Verner at safety gives him.
"We think that's a position he can also play," Munchak said. "If he can help our team by doing something else and putting someone else in his spot, then we can put three corners on the field and do things that maybe you couldn't do if he wasn't that versatile."
What was in the works for a while came to pass for Tennessee Titans center Eugene Amano when he was officially released on Thursday.
Amano was out all of last season with a torn triceps, and the Titans were expected to let him go once he was healthy enough to be released.
Amano, a seventh-round pick from Southeast Missouri State in 2004, was with the club for his entire professional career, making the transition from backup to starting guard to starting center. He signed a five-year, $25.8 million contract in 2010, the year he moved to center.
The Titans had moved on from Amano this offseason after the offensive line struggled the previous two seasons. The signings of offensive linemen Andy Levitre, Rob Turner and Chris Spencer, plus drafting Chance Warmack and Brian Schwenke, left no roster spot for Amano, even as a backup.
