Know the Tennessee Titans key contributors on offense, defense and special teams heading into the Vikings-Titans game Sunday.
Mariota completed 23-of-31 passes for 319 passing yards in three preseason games. He totaled a completion percentage of 74.2 and a passer rating of 104.1 heading into his second NFL season.
The 28-year-old running back enters his first year with the Titans, after a career low of 3.6 yards-per-carry with the Eagles last season. Murray looks to return to his form in Dallas where he rushed for NFL bests of 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2014.
Walker eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his 10 seasons in 2015 (1,088 yards). He had several career-highs last season, including catching 94 passes and hauling in six touchdown passes.
Sharpe was selected by the Titans with the 140th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. The rookie played his college ball at UMass and has reeled in nine passes on 12 targets for 163 yards in the preseason.
Johnson leads all active players with 14,100 career-receiving yards. Johnson will begin his 14th season in the NFL on Sunday and his first with the Titans after 12 seasons with the Texans and one with the Colts.
Derrick Morgan has shown the ability to rush the quarterback as an outside linebacker over his years in Tennessee. Morgan has 11 sacks in 26 games since 2014 when the Titans switched to a 3-4 base defense.
McCourty is a quick defensive back, who was clocked running the 40-yard dash at 4.3 seconds. His twin brother, Devin McCourty, is an active safety for the New England Patriots and they share a Twitter account.
Casey had 7.0 sacks and 54 combined tackles in his fifth season for the Titans in 2015, garnering his first selection to the Pro Bowl.
Orakpo is a three-time Pro Bowler who signed with the Titans before the 2015 season. He led the Titans with 12 tackles for loss and 37 quarterback pressures.
The current head coach for the Titans has prior experience in Minnesota. Mularkey played tight end for the Vikings for the first six seasons of his career 1983-88, playing 75 games and making five touchdown catches with the Vikings.
The NFL Kickoff Weekend matchup between the Vikings and Titans presents an interesting contrast between a team that tried to maintain general continuity while continuing to develop in Minnesota and a club that has undergone a high degree of renovation under General Manager Jon Robinson in his first year.
Here's a look at returning running backs and receivers for the Vikings and some of the changes that have happened for the Titans:
Running backs
Minnesota's roster has returned players who accounted for 2,013 of the team's 2,211 rushing yards (91 percent) in 2015. That figure would be even higher, however, had Teddy Bridgewater (192 rushing yards) not suffered a season-ending injury during practice last week.
The Vikings running backs room is the same as a year ago, with three-time NFL rushing champ Adrian Peterson back after totaling league highs of 327 carries and 1,485 yards. He is joined by Jerick McKinnon (52 carries, 271 yards) and Matt Asiata (29 carries, 112 yards), as well as fullback Zach Line (six carries, 10 yards).
The Titans have returned players who accounted for 832 of the 1,485 rushing yards (56 percent) they gained in 2015. Running back Antonio Andrews (143 carries for 520 yards) and quarterback Marcus Mariota (34-252) led the Titans. Mariota scored an 87-yard touchdown in his rookie season. Tennessee traded for DeMarco Murray and drafted Derrick Henry this offseason, before releasing Dexter McCluster, Bishop Sankey and David Cobb.
"They all have the ability to make tough matchups, can break a tackle here and there, are physical," Mariota said. "So really for us, they've done a good job so far and we expect a lot out of them this year."
Murray rushed six times for 93 yards, and Henry rushed 10 times for 74 yards in Tennessee's first preseason game. Murray totaled 153 yards on 19 carries in his first preseason in Nashville, and Henry totaled 216 yards on 34 carries in his first exhibition slate. Mariota totaled 33 rushing yards on five attempts this preseason.
Titans Head Coach Mike Mularkey, who was hired after coaching the final nine games of 2015 on an interim basis, said he tried to make the offense "more user friendly" this offseason, from protection schemes to play calls in the huddle.
Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer said the defense has been trying to get a feel for how the new personnel will perform.
"First games are always – especially with basically new staffs – they're always a little bit concerning, because what you've seen on tape may not necessarily be what you see in the game," Zimmer said.
Receivers
Five of the six receivers on the Vikings roster were with the Vikings last season. Stefon Diggs (52 catches, 720 yards), Jarius Wright (34-442), Adam Thielen (12-144), Charles Johnson (9-127) and Cordarrelle Patterson (2-10) have been joined by first-round pick Laquon Treadwell.
Receivers combined with running backs and tight ends to total 3,246 yards last season, and the Vikings have returned players who accounted for 2,773 yards (85.4 percent).
Tennessee's overhaul continued at receiver with newcomers Rishard Matthews (free agent) and Tajae Sharpe (rookie fifth-round pick) listed atop its depth chart. The Titans have returned players that accounted for 2,485 of their 3,893 receiving yards (63.8 percent) last season. Tennessee recently traded 2015 second-round pick Dorial Green-Beckham (32 catches for 549 yards) and released 2013 second-round pick Justin Hunter (22-264).
