Robert Saleh Is Vouching for Jordan Elliott After the Titans Released Him: What the Coach Told the Other 31 Teams
The Tennessee Titans released defensive tackle Jordan Elliott on Tuesday, five days after what the team called “an incident at our team facility.” The Titans said they had reviewed it and would have no further comment.
Their head coach had plenty.
What the Titans Said, and What They Did Not
Tennessee’s statement, posted by team writer Jim Wyatt on Oct. 20, confirmed only that something happened on Thursday, Oct. 15 involving Elliott and that the club decided to cut him. The statement never mentions a firearm.
The firearm details come from reporters, not the team, and they do not all say the same thing. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported a source said Elliott went to his car in the players’ lot for a gun, and that the gun never left his parking spot. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported he was attempting to retrieve a gun from his car. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston reported the sequence began with a heated argument on the practice field between Elliott and Titans offensive lineman JC Latham. Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team reported Elliott was told to leave, took off his pads and left the building, and that nobody was hurt.
Here is what has not been reported by anyone: an arrest, a criminal charge, a police report, or any law enforcement investigation. Nashville stations covering the story have not named a single agency. Elliott has not commented publicly, and no statement from his representatives has surfaced. Latham told Wyatt there had never been “no bad blood between us two.”
The league is looking at it. An NFL spokesperson told Mike Florio of NBC Sports on Oct. 21: “Yes. The club promptly notified the league of the matter which is under review.” The league’s firearm policy bars any personnel from bringing a firearm to a club facility.
Saleh Went to the Podium and Did Not Hedge
Saleh, in his first season in Tennessee after a head coaching run with the Jets and a return to San Francisco as defensive coordinator, spoke Wednesday. He framed the whole thing as a mental health matter rather than a criminal one.
“He’s never committed a crime in his entire life,” Saleh said, per Nick Gray of The Tennessean. “And to me, those are small signs of a cry of help.”
He also said he would stand on the table for Elliott’s character, and that “rules are rules with regards to guns on property.”
Then he made a pitch on behalf of a player his own team had just cut, telling the rest of the league that if anyone needs a run-stopping defensive tackle, they should call him. Per Fox 17 in Nashville, Saleh said Elliott had been referred to a clinician, and that he could not say whether this was a mental health issue, only that Elliott was being pointed toward support.
The Football Part Is Simple
Elliott is 28. He was a third-round pick by Cleveland in 2020, No. 88 overall, and he started 64 of 97 career games across four years with the Browns and two with San Francisco, where Saleh was his defensive coordinator in 2025. He signed with Tennessee on March 12 for two years and $8 million, with $3.24 million guaranteed.
He played five games for the Titans this season, started one, and made 11 tackles with no sacks. Over the Cap lists Tennessee’s dead money at roughly $3.39 million this year and $875,000 next year.
Tennessee is 1-5 and hosts Cleveland on Sunday. Elliott is a free agent, and no team has been reported to have called. Whether his old coach’s pitch lands may come down to what the league review concludes.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
