The murder trial of former Titans scout Blaise Taylor has continued on Monday.
Taylor, 30, is accused of poisoning Jade Benning, who was pregnant with their child. Both the baby and Benning died in early 2023. He is specifically accused of lacing Benning’s pink lemonade with cocaine dissolved in alcohol.
On Saturday, one of Taylor’s former girlfriends testified that she had been impregnated by Taylor and has chosen to have an abortion. She also said that, after Taylor later impregnated another woman (not Benning), Taylor talked about trying to terminate the latest pregnancy.
“He was Googling things,” Apple Dennie testified, via News Channel 9. “He was looking stuff up to figure out how she . . . if there was something you could do to make her have an abortion. And asked me if I could get the abortion pills, and he could make her take them or put it in her drink.”
The prosecution rested its case on Saturday. The defense case commenced on Monday. The biggest question for the defense is whether Taylor will waive his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and testify on his own behalf.
Most criminal defendants don’t testify, mainly to avoid what would be an aggressive cross-examination that would outweigh the benefit of the defendant giving their side of the story on direct examination.
Titans Clips
Former Titans running back Chris Johnson revealed on Monday that he has been fighting ALS for more than a year. After Johnson’s interview with Michael Strahan was televised by Good Morning America, Johnson’s former team issued a strong statement of support for him.
“Some people leave a mark on an organization that you just can’t put into words,” Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk said. “Chris Johnson is one of those people for us. His leadership on the field, in addition to his impact in the locker room and Nashville community have written him permanently into the story of this franchise.
“Learning this news is extremely difficult, and we will support Chris every step of the way throughout his journey.
“We are holding him and his family close, and join our fans around the world in expressing our love for Chris.”
Johnson went public in order to provide hope for others who are suffering from ALS and their families. One way to support Johnson would be to donate to ALS research efforts.
There are multiple groups that are actively supporting ALS research efforts. We’re in the process of identifying the best ones that can be promoted here, for those who would like to donate.
Last February, former NFL running back Chris Johnson made the rounds in the days before the Super Bowl. He was fine.
Today, he’s battling ALS. To the point at which he can no longer speak.
Johnson revealed his condition in an interview with Michael Strahan on ABC’s Good Morning America.
“First, I want people to know I’m still me,” Johnson said. “ALS has changed what my body can do. But it hasn’t changed who I am.”
Johnson speaks with the assistance of a device controlled by his eyes. Shortly after his diagnosis, Johnson’s voice was recorded so that the machine-generated speech sounds like him.
He said it started when he noticed weakness in his right hand. “At first it was little things, like my grip didn’t feel right,” Johnson said. “And I wasn’t as strong as I’ve always been.”
Johnson’s wife, Brittany, said she thought it was simply a pinched nerve from his football career. Testing continued. Once Johnson was diagnosed with ALS, the outlook was grim.
“They told us about a medication that might extend life by a few months,” Johnson said regarding the initial message he received from his doctors. “Then they told us to get our affairs in order. It was hard hearing that, but after watching Good Morning America and seeing Dr. Merit [Cudkowicz] with Eric Dane, we reached out to her. She was willing to think more creatively, offering experimental treatments that might help in advance research.”
Johnson’s condition is regarded as a case of “sporadic ALS,” which occurs randomly in people with no known family history of the disease. More than 90 percent of all ALS cases fall into that category.
He has gone public with the goal of helping others. “If sharing my story helps even one person get diagnosed sooner, inspires more research, or gives another family hope, then it’s worth it,” Johnson said.
He said the disease has progressed faster than he ever imagined it would.
“I want people to understand just how quickly ALS can attack your body,” Johnson said. “Just over a year ago, I was picking up my seven-year-old daughter, so she’d make a wish with her birthday cake. Today, I couldn’t do that.”
He wants people to realize that patients with ALS remain who they used to be.
“Your mind stays sharp,” Johnson said. “People sometimes look at the physical disability and assume you’re not still the same person inside. I still think the same. I still dream. I still love my family. My body just doesn’t cooperate.”
Johnson was one of the best offensive players in the NFL. A first-round pick in 2008, he rushed for 2,006 yards in his second NFL season. That year, he set a record with more than 2,500 yards from scrimmage, and he was named the NFL’s offensive player of the year. (He said on PFT Live in February 2025 that reaching 2,500 total yards was his proudest accomplishment.)
Johnson completed his 10-year career in 2017 after a year with the Jets and three seasons with the Cardinals, He gained nearly 12,000 yards from scrimmage.
Currently, Johnson is fighting a much different battle. But he remains as determined today as he was when he played.
“Right now, there isn’t a cure, but we’re seeing more research, more clinical trials, and more promising ideas than ever before,” Johnson said. “Seeing how hard these doctors and researchers are working gives me hope.
“As long as they’re fighting for people with ALS, I’m going to keep fighting, too.”
We wish him the very best as he continues the fight. Here’s hoping that ongoing research eventually will lead to a cure for ALS.
In 2021, Mical Johnson became the NFL’s first full-time female scouting assistant, when she was hired by the Titans. On Saturday, she was called to testify about one of her former colleagues.
Via Nick Brinkerhoff of USA Today, the fifth day of the murder case against former Titans scout Blaise Taylor included evidence from Johnson. (It’s unusual for a criminal trial to proceed on a Saturday. The presiding judge possibly hopes to get the case concluded before July 4 weekend.)
Johnson, whose employment in Tennessee overlapped with Taylor’s for two years, told jurors that she had never heard of Jade Benning, whom Taylor is accused of poisoning while she was pregnant with their child. Johnson also said she didn’t know Taylor was expecting a baby.
As to the prospect of becoming a father, Johnson testified that Taylor had said he’s “not ready yet” or “not anytime soon.”
She also said Taylor’s demeanor changed in the fall of 2022. Benning was poisoned in February 2023 while pregnant. Johnson also testified that Taylor remaining in Nashville for the 2023 Scouting Combine, which coincides with Benning’s poisoning.
Taylor faces charges of both first-degree murder and felony murder in connection with the deaths of Benning and her unborn child.
In March 2024, former Titans scout Blaise Taylor was arrested on suspicion that he murdered his pregnant girlfriend. The trial began earlier this week.
Via Fox 17 in Nashville, prosecutors allege that the 30-year-old Taylor poisoned Jade Benning and her unborn daughter by spiking pink lemonade with cocaine dissolved in alcohol. Benning died on March 6, 2023 — her 25th birthday. The baby died on February 27 of that same year.
Friday’s evidence included testimony from a medical examiner that Benning had high levels of cocaine in her system and no history of cocaine use.
On Thursday, a friend of Benning’s testified that Taylor made an alarming comment when discussing the preparation of the baby’s nursery.
“He told me he was going to paint a black hole,” the friend said, via WMSV 4. “I’m going to call it midnight — the further you look, the deeper you go.”
Taylor worked for the Titans from 2021 to 2023. Prosecutors seek a sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
There’s a lot to digest in the lengthy New York Times article regarding former New York Times employee Dianna Russini.
The item, for the most part, handles a very delicate situation the right way. Still, some issues raised by the potential (or actual) conflict of interest arising from her relationship with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel didn’t get the attention they should have.
Here’s one that stands out, after re-reading the article. It relates to the 2021 trade that sent receiver Julio Jones from the Falcons to the Titans, who at the time were coached by Vrabel.
Regarding the Jones trade, the Times article says only this: “In June 2021, after breaking the story that the Atlanta Falcons had traded the wide receiver Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans, she went on television and told a story about receiving a sign while gambling at a bachelorette party in Atlantic City. ‘I’m at the roulette table on Saturday night around 11 p.m.,’ she said on ‘Get Up,’ ESPN’s weekday morning show ‘and I hit on black 11.’ Aware that Mr. Jones wore No. 11 for Atlanta, Ms. Russini recalled telling someone else in their party: ‘That’s Julio. Something’s up.’ She called her sources and confirmed her hunch. ‘I’m a witch,’ Ms. Russini said.”
There could be more to it than witchcraft or sorcery. In late April, we explored Russini’s reporting from the days preceding the Jones trade.
On May 27, 2021, Russini reported that the Falcons “have discussed several offers for wide receiver Julio Jones, including an offer of a future first-round draft pick.” The report, under a headline that proclaimed “Atlanta Falcons have offer of a 1st-round pick for Julio Jones, sources say” created a clear impression that the Falcons had an offer in hand of a first-round pick for Jones. Her report also downplayed the Titans’ chances of landing Jones, calling them a “long shot.”
As we wrote after the New York Post published photos taken in March 2020 of Russini and Vrabel in a Manhattan bar, this reporting may have helped deliver Jones to the Titans. First, by putting out word through a headline on the ESPN website that the Falcons already had been offered a first-round pick for Jones, other teams that may have offered a second-round pick could have reacted to the news by tapping out of further talks. Second, by calling the Titans a “long shot” to trade for Jones, the Titans may have been in a better position to operate unnoticed when the time came to get the deal done.
Ultimately, Jones was traded to the Titans on June 6 — not for a first-round pick but for a second- and a fourth-round pick, with a sixth-round pick also going from Atlanta to Tennessee.
Why did the Times not mention the Russini’s reporting on the upcoming Jones trade? One possible explanation would relate to the internal sensitivity regarding what the Times and The Athletic knew or should have known about the Russini-Vrabel connection before The Athletic signed her to a three-year contract worth nearly $2.4 million.
That’s one of the most overlooked aspects of the story. The Times (and, by extension, The Athletic) purport to have exacting journalistic standards. Presumably, the Times (and, by extension, The Athletic) would ensure that incoming hires have a history of reporting in a way that already meets those standards.
The more attention given now to potential irregularities predating Russini’s arrival at The Athletic opens the door to scrutiny and criticism of the The Athletic (and, by extension, the Times) regarding whether the standards that the Times Company applies to its other journalists were applied when The Athletic hoped to hire an NFL insider, as explained by Peter King at the time, “to be different, to be a subscription magnet, to tell good stories, to be a difference-maker on the NFL beat, and to break some stories.”
Is it possible that The Athletic wasn’t also looking for an NFL insider to stubbornly adhere to the high bar the Times applies to its journalists? Ignoring (or not seeking) evidence that arguably could have, or should have, put The Athletic on notice that the new hire wouldn’t be meeting or exceeding those standards could fuel the perception that, for this particular hire, The Athletic didn’t really care about that.
The Titans made it clear last week that they expect defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to continue playing at a high level.
Simmons signed a three-year, $105.8 million contract extension that puts him under contract in Tennessee through the 2030 season. The concern when signing a veteran player to a long-term deal is that they won’t be able to maintain the same level of play, but Simmons believes that the decision to hire head coach Robert Saleh will help him do more than maintain his current production.
“It’s kind of my first year playing in an attack defense,” Simmons said, via the team’s website. “That’s my game. I like to play on the other side of the line of scrimmage . . . I love this type of defense, to be able to be on the other side of the line of scrimmage each and every play. It demands you to make plays. I love this philosophy, and think it will help me make a lot more plays in the backfield, and it will help this team for sure.”
Simmons set career highs with 11 sacks and 17 tackles for loss last season without playing in an “attack defense,” so the prospect of turning him loose more often is one that’s likely to lead others to match his excitement about what this shift in philosophy will mean for his productivity in 2026.
The offseason programs around the league have largely wrapped up for 2026, with players and coaches around the league now experiencing some time off.
But training camps are just a few weeks away from opening.
The NFL announced the camp report dates for all 32 teams on Monday, with the first ones opening up in less than a month.
Below are the camp locations and report dates:
Arizona Cardinals: State Farm Stadium | Rookies: 7/22 | Veterans 7/22
Atlanta Falcons: Atlanta Falcons Training Facility | Rookies: 7/24 | Veterans: 7/28
Baltimore Ravens: Under Armour Performance Center | Rookies: 7/24 | Veterans: 7/28
Buffalo Bills: St. John Fisher University | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/28
Carolina Panthers: Bank of America Stadium | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/22
Chicago Bears: Halas Hall | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Cincinnati Bengals: Paycor Stadium | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Cleveland Browns: CrossCountry Mortgage Campus | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Dallas Cowboys: Marriott Residence Inn Oxnard | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
Denver Broncos: Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit | Rookies: 7/22 | Veterans: 7/28
Detroit Lions: Meijer Performance Center | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Green Bay Packers: Lambeau Field | Rookies: 7/27 | Veterans: 7/28
Houston Texans: Houston Methodist Training Center | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/28
Indianapolis Colts: Grand Park | Rookies: 7/27 | Veterans: 7/28
Jacksonville Jaguars: Miller Electric Center | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Kansas City Chiefs: Missouri Western State University | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
Las Vegas Raiders: Intermountain Health Performance Center | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Los Angeles Chargers: The Bolt | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Los Angeles Rams: Loyola Marymount University | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/25
Miami Dolphins: Baptist Health Training Complex | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/28
Minnesota Vikings: TCO Performance Center | Rookies: 7/26 | Veterans: 7/28
New England Patriots: New Balance Athletics Center | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/24
New Orleans Saints: Ochsner Sports Performance Center | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
New York Giants: Quest Diagnostics Training Center/The Greenbrier | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
New York Jets: Athletic Health Jets Training Center | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Philadelphia Eagles: Jefferson Health Training Complex | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
Pittsburgh Steelers: Saint Vincent College | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
San Francisco 49ers: SAP Performance Facility | Rookies: 7/18 | Veterans: 7/25
Seattle Seahawks: Virginia Mason Athletic Center | Rookies: 7/17 | Veterans: 7/24
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: AdventHealth Training Center | Rookies: 7/27 | Veterans: 7/28
Tennessee Titans: Vanderbilt Health Football Center | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Washington Commanders: Commanders Park | Rookies: 7/24 | Veterans: 7/28
The NFL has announced the full list of joint practices that will take place during training camps this summer.
The first set of them will take place on August 11 in four different locations. The Cowboys and Rams will practice in Los Angeles, the Colts will visit the Patriots, the Bucs will work out at the Jets’ facility and the Titans will go to Santa Clara to practice with the 49ers.
All in all, there will be 28 teams working in joint sessions in August. The Lions, Steelers, Chiefs and Broncos are the teams that will not hold joint practices.
The full list of joint practices is below with the host team listed second. If there are multiple practices scheduled, the date of the first practice is listed.
August 11 — Cowboys-Rams; Colts-Patriots; Buccaneers-Jets; Titans-49ers.
August 12 — Dolphins-Commanders.
August 13 — Jaguars-Saints.
August 18 — 49ers-Chargers; Raiders-Texans; Saints-Cowboys.
August 19 — Falcons-Colts; Ravens-Vikings; Panthers-Jaguars; Eagles-Patriots.
August 20 — Bills-Browns; Bears-Bengals; Saints-Rams; Giants-Dolphins.
August 21 — Seahawks-Titans.
August 25 — Buccaneers-Jaguars.
August 26 — Cardinals-Packers; Texans-Panthers; Commanders-Ravens.
August 27 — Bears-Titans.
The Titans and defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons have worked out a new deal that raises the bar, considerably, for the market at his position.
The initial reports pegged the new contract as a three-year, $105.8 million extension. That creates a new-money average of $35.2 million.
But there’s more to the deal than that, as usual. And, as usual, we’ve tracked down the complete details of what is a new five-year contract between the Titans and Simmons, who capped the 2025 season with the first All-Pro distinction of his seven-year career.
Here’s the full contract, per a source with knowledge of the terms:
1. Signing bonus: $20 million.
2. 2026 base salary: $13 million, fully guaranteed.
3. 2027 option bonus: $5.5 million.
4. 2027 workout bonus: $250,000, fully guaranteed (but must be earned).
5. 2027 base salary: $21.45 million, fully guaranteed.
6. 2028 90-man offseason roster bonus: $2.5 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2027.
7. 2028 workout bonus: $250,000, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2027 (but must be earned).
8. 2028 base salary: $27.05 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2027.
9. 2029 90-man offseason roster bonus: $5.5 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2028.
10. 2029 workout bonus: $250,000.
11. 2029 base salary: $22.251 million, $4.5 million of which is guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2028.
12. 2030 90-man offseason roster bonus: $1 million.
13. 2030 workout bonus: $250,000.
14. 2030 base salary: $30.75 million.
The contract carries $60.2 million fully guaranteed at signing. The practical guarantee is $90 million, since the third year becomes guaranteed after the first season.
Simmons becomes the first defensive tackle to have $100 million in total guarantees at signing.
The new-money average is $35.276 million. Factoring in the compensation previously owed through 2027, it’s a five-year deal with an average from signing of $30 million.
One last note. At a time when more and more teams are insisting on per-game active roster bonuses (and when teams like the Titans are routinely using them for significant veteran contracts), the Simmons deal contains none.
In all, it’s a firm three-year, $90 million commitment, with another $10 million that will be guaranteed into the fourth season.
