Chris Payton-Jones, a former cornerback in the NFL and UFL, has died. He was 30.
Via Justin Barney of News4Jax, Payton-Jones was involved in a car accident on Saturday night.
Undrafted out of Nebraska in 2018, Payton-Jones played for the Cardinals, Lions, Vikings, and Titans. He appeared in 29 regular-season games, with six starts.
He played for the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL in 2023. He then played for the UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks in 2024 and 2025.
“Chris was a beloved teammate and leader in the locker room, who demonstrated the importance of hard work, determination, and resilience throughout his career,” the UFL said in a statement. “As importantly, Chris was always a bright soul who everyone throughout the league enjoyed spending time with off-the-field during his three-year tenure.”
Payton-Jones had retired from football in January.
We extend our condolences to his family, friends, teammates, and coaches.
Shane Bowen is reuniting with Mike Vrabel.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Bowen is joining New England’s coaching staff as a defensive analyst.
Bowen, 39, previously worked with Vrabel on the Texans and Titans. He served as Vrabel’s defensive coordinator from 2021-2023 with Tennessee.
Bowen then spent the last two seasons as the Giants’ defensive coordinator. He was fired in November as New York reshaped its coaching staff multiple times during the season.
The Buccaneers have agreed to terms with a pair of cornerbacks on one-year deals.
Kemon Hall is signing with the Buccaneers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports, and Chase Lucas is also joining the team, Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports.
Hall, 28, spent last season with the Titans.
After being reinstated from an NFL suspension, Hall went back and forth between the active roster and the practice squad. He played 66 defensive snaps and 70 on special teams in four games and totaled nine tackles and a forced fumble.
Hall entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Chargers in 2019. He has also spent time with the Vikings, Saints, Cowboys, Chargers and 49ers.
In 28 games, Hall has recorded 24 tackles, one forced fumble and one recovered fumble.
Lucas, 29, was with the 49ers last season and played 98 defensive snaps and 204 on special teams in 15 games.
The Lions made him a seventh-round pick in 2022, and he has 15 tackles and a pass defensed in 33 career games.
The Titans know they will have a new look at cornerback in 2026, but the makeup of the group isn’t set in stone yet.
General Manager Mike Borgonzi’s bid to reshape the unit started during the 2025 season with trades involving Jarvis Brownlee and Roger McCreary and continued with five other departures this offseason. Cor’Dale Flott, Alontae Taylor and Joshua Williams all signed with the team as free agents in moves that have left Borgonzi feeling good about the group without leading him to label it as a finished product.
“We are never satisfied at any position, really, when you have a chance to acquire players through the draft or even after the draft,” Borgonzi said, via the team’s website. “But we certainly feel good about the guys we brought in right now. But we are not done there. We are not done adding.”
The Titans have the fourth overall pick and there hasn’t been much speculation about the team going for a corner at that spot, but it sounds like there will be a move to address the position at some point in the draft.
The Titans had running back Derrick Henry for eight seasons. He earned four Pro Bowls in his time in Tennessee and twice led the league in rushing and four other times led the league in carries.
The Titans, though, miscalculated where Henry was in his career. They let him walk to Baltimore, where he signed a two-year, $16 million deal. The Titans instead signed Tony Pollard to a three-year, $24 million deal.
In the past two seasons, Henry has played all 34 games and has 666 touches for 3,859 yards and 34 touchdowns and Pollard has 576 touches for 2,605 yards and 10 touchdowns in 33 games.
The Titans are the betting favorites to select Notre Dame running Jeremiyah Love despite having Pollard and Tyjae Spears on their roster at the position.
Titans General Manager Mike Borgonzi said last week that his team is positioned to take the “best available player,” but coach Robert Saleh, when asked about Love, doesn’t sound as if he believes running back is a need.
“I love our backfield. I love our running back room right now,” Saleh said, via Jim Wyatt of the team website. “Shoot, Pollard dropped over 100 on us [last season against the 49ers], so I think he’s pretty good. And then Spears has tremendous versatility as a three-down back and they both play with a physical mindset. . . . I’m a believer in our backfield and I think it’s a group that can help our team.
“I look at our running back room as one of the better ones in football.”
Saleh wants a game-changer, but the defensive coach puts edge rushers in that category.
“Edge rushers are playmakers, too,” Saleh said. “When you are drafting that high . . . you are looking at: Who can change the game in one play? And, edge rushers can change the game in one play. Love is a very talented young man, and he can change it in one play. There’s receivers who can change it in one play.
“Right now, we need guys and we need to develop guys currently on our roster who can change the game in one play and when you are looking at all these guys from a consistency standpoint, who can flip the game on its head? Edge rushers can close it, and skill guys can end it.”
Love, Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey, University of Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. and Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese were among the top-30 draft prospects who visited Nashville.
