Logan Ryan is no stranger to practicing against the New England Patriots offense.
The veteran cornerback was selected by New England in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft and played his first four seasons in Foxboro. Ryan, who signed with the Tennessee Titans in free agency after the 2016 season, went up against Tom Brady and Co. in practice Wednesday for the first time since leaving the Patriots. The Titans are hosting the Patriots for two joint practices this week before Saturday night's preseason game in Nashville.
With no Julian Edelman (injured left thumb) or Rob Gronkowski (retired) taking part in drills Wednesday, the Patriots offense looked quite a bit different than the unit Ryan is used to seeing.
"There were some new faces, for sure, but (Brady) was out there. Whenever he's out there, you got to be on high alert," Ryan told reporters after practice. "It was good competition today. It was hot. We brought great energy, it was physical. He definitely made some good throws. There's no surprise he's still pretty good."
Ryan, who tallied 76 total tackles with eight passes defensed in 2018, has been a leader in the Titans secondary during his two seasons in Tennessee.
New England Patriots
Last season the Titans ranked seventh in the league in pass yards allowed per attempt and sixth in pass yards allowed per game. Ryan and the excellent Titans pass defense were among the reasons why the team gave up the third-fewest points in the league. The problem for the Titans was their offense couldn't score, finishing as one of the seven teams that put up fewer than 20 points per game.
Going up against Brady and the Patriots offense this week is a great test for the Titans as they try to build on the success their pass defense has enjoyed in recent seasons.
Tom E. Curran's observations from Patriots-Titans practice>>>
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.