William

Hayes

Coach Adam Gase said Hayes tore his ACL trying to keep his bodyweight from landing on Derek Carr during a second-quarter sack. Hayes has played well this season, so his loss will be felt in what had been a deep defensive line rotation. First-round sophomore Charles Harris should get more snaps moving forward.

Hayes was injured on a second quarter sack of Derek Carr. He appeared to be in immense pain and could be dealing with a serious injury.

The Titans were initially expected to move on from Hayes and Jason Jones up front, but they’ve shown interest in retaining both free agents. Hayes is coming off an uneven age-26 season, grading out slightly below average across the board in Pro Football Focus’ ratings.

Hayes, 27 in May, flashed starting capability when healthy with the Titans, but never developed into a quality pass rusher. The former fourth-round small-school draft pick appears to have plateaued as a power end at 6-foot-3, 272. Hayes may compete for playing time with Robert Quinn in training camp, and be replaced by Quinn on pass-rushing downs in St. Louis.

Hayes, 27, was the Titans’ starting left defensive end in 2010 under new St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher before falling out of Tennessee’s line rotation in a new scheme last season. A power player, Hayes goes 6-foot-3, 272 and would be a solid depth addition behind Chris Long for the Rams. The Broncos could use Hayes to back up Robert Ayers on the strong side.

Hayes has a visit lined up with the Rams and has drawn some interest from the Broncos, but it’s doubtful either team will offer significantly more money than the Titans. He’ll be a reserve wherever he ends up.

“He’s not quite 100 percent,” said Fisher, “but he will be there very quickly.” Hayes had issues with his labrum and rotator cuff after sustaining an injury in the season opener last year. He’ll be a rotational end in St. Louis.

The team has a few building blocks up front in DT Jurrell Casey, pass rusher Karl Klug, and 2010 first-rounder Derrick Morgan, but Jason Jones, Dave Ball, William Hayes, and Barrett Ruud are all free agents. At $35 million under the cap, the Titans are in “pretty good shape,” and Webster believes there’s a strong crop of free agents. The running game upgrades will likely come on the interior of the offensive line.

It’s believed Hayes suffered the injury in the first quarter but returned. He had two tackles and a sack. Hayes conceded after the game that the shoulder was “killing” him, and he’s going for testing. Hayes started with Derrick Morgan and Jason Jones both on the shelf. It looks like the Titans’ top three defensive ends are all now injured, though Jones is getting close to a return.

Hayes is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The soon-to-be 28-year-old enjoyed a career year with the Rams after coming over from the Titans prior to the season. He registered 35 tackles and set a new career-best with seven sacks while working in behind starters Robert Quinn and Chris Long. Pro Football Focus graded Hayes out as the ninth-best run-stopping 4-3 defensive end, too.