Titans linebacker Cedric Gray in concussion protocol after UTV crash

Tennessee Titans linebacker Cedric Gray entered the NFL’s concussion protocol after being involved in a utility terrain vehicle crash over the weekend in Tennessee, the team said in a statement.

His availability for the Titans’ season opener Sunday against the New York Jets is not clear. To play on Sunday, he would have to complete the return-to-participation program, which includes being examined and cleared by the independent neurological consultant assigned to the Titans.

Gray, 23, finished fourth in the NFL with 164 tackles last season, his second in the league. He was drafted in the fourth round out of North Carolina in 2024.

“Over the weekend, Cedric Gray was involved in a UTV accident in Tennessee and sustained a concussion and minor injuries,” the team said in the statement. “We look forward to Cedric returning to the field soon and in full health when he clears the NFL’s concussion protocol.”

Gray’s crash is the latest in a string of incidents involving football players and off-road vehicles. Georgia running back Dante Dowdell, who was expected to be a key backup for the Bulldogs, suffered serious injuries this offseason in an ATV crash near his home in Picayune, Miss., Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said in July. In an update posted on Instagram on Monday, Dowdell — who played for Kentucky last season — wrote that he suffered a punctured lung, broken ribs and nerve damage in his arm and required nine staples in his head.

Former New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney, now with the Packers, missed seven games during the 2022 season after injuring his hand in an ATV incident in Cabo. McKinney later said he was close to losing three fingers because of the injury.

In 2017, defensive lineman Malik McDowell suffered a head injury in an ATV accident after being drafted in the second round by the Seattle Seahawks. McDowell also got into repeated legal trouble and never played a game for the Seahawks; he made a short-lived comeback with the Cleveland Browns in 2021.