Titans put RG Nate Davis on IR, activate LB Zach Cunningham

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans placed their second starting offensive lineman on injured reserve in as many days Friday, with right guard Nate Davis joining center Ben Jones.

The Titans (7-7) at least got linebacker Zach Cunningham back from injured reserve, keeping them at 19 players on IR. A starter, Cunningham had been on IR since Nov. 12 with an injured elbow. Cunningham has played in five games this season after being picked up off waivers a year ago from Houston.

Now Cunningham will return in time to play against his old team Saturday. He returned to practice on Dec. 14.

Jones is on injured reserve with his second concussion in a month. The Titans signed offensive lineman Xavier Newman to the active roster off the practice squad on Friday.

They elevated linebacker Andre Smith and running back Jonathan Ward from the practice squad for the game against the Texans and released offensive lineman Beau Benzchawel from the practice squad.

Tennessee has used an NFL-high 80 players this season after using a league-record 91 players last season. The Titans earned the AFC’s No. 1 seed despite all the injuries, which included 26 players on injured reserve.

Tennessee is on its first four-game skid since the end of 2015, and its lead in the AFC South has shrunk to one-half game over Jacksonville.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL