CB Caleb Farley has a 'clipped wing.' Will he be back for Tennessee Titans this season?
Caleb Farley is a bird out of his cage, but he still can't fly.
In some ways, he admits, that might be worse than being stuck in the cage.
Farley returned to practice for the Tennessee Titans Wednesday after missing more than a year with a back injury he suffered in November 2022. The 2021 first-round pick has dealt with back and knee issues dating to his time at Virginia Tech and has seldom lived up to the potential the Titans saw in him when they drafted him No. 22 overall. He has played just 12 games in three seasons, and was on only special teams before his back injury in 2022.
Nevertheless, he's still progressing. He's not the player he wants to be. Not yet. But he has cleared the first hurdle by rejoining his teammates and getting his cleats on the turf.
"Being out there is an extreme blessing and I’m thankful and grateful for it. But it is a frustrating process being out there," Farley said. "I feel like (I have) a clipped wing. A bird can’t fly with a clipped wing. So it can be frustrating while you’re trying to get back to 100% dealing with what I’m dealing with."
How Caleb Farley has been working
Farley said he's taking things day-by-day and "pushing his limits" to test how much juice he has in his left leg and foot following his back injuries. Farley, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and cornerbacks coach Chris Harris all sidestepped questions about whether the plan is to try to get Farley back on the field before the end of the season, instead saying it's just great seeing him able to practice at all.
But Farley did say one of the goals of getting back on the field has been to "build momentum" toward the end of this season and into next year's offseason training activities.
Even being in this position is a bit of a surprise for Farley. He said that as recently as October, he didn't think he'd be able to practice at all this season. Now he's grateful he can "run around a little bit."
"He’s a guy that football means something to him," Harris said. "It means a lot to him. So getting the opportunity to get back on the grass, to see formations, to move around, it’s pretty exciting."
Will Caleb Farley be back this season?
The Titans haven't activated Farley from the physically unable to perform list but they have opened his practice window. That means they have 21 days to either activate Farley to the 53-man roster or end his season. Given that they opened Farley's return-to-play period with just 18 days left in their season, there isn't much pressure for Farley to return to the active roster beyond his internal motivation.
He says he's hopeful that getting back on the practice field will help his healing process. Because even 13 months after suffering the injury, Farley says he has a hard time articulating exactly how hurt he is. He says he has leaned on the message of Psalm 118:17 for wisdom throughout rehab, repeating the line "I will not die. I will live and proclaim what the Lord has done" as something of a mantra.
Farley's coaches and teammates weren't exactly surprised to see him on the field Wednesday. They saw the work he has been putting in. They've seen him in meetings, engaging with his coaches and the game plans.
Now he's getting his chance to fly.
Bad wing or not.
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The Titans (5-9) host the Seattle Seahawks (7-7) at Nissan Stadium on Sunday (noon, CBS).
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Will Caleb Farley be back for Tennessee Titans in 2023? His thoughts
