NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jimmy Staten has bounced around the NFL since being drafted back in 2014.
Now, the former MTSU defensive lineman wants to stick with the Titans. He's counting the days until training camp after spending the offseason with the team.
"I love the culture here," Staten said at the end of the team's minicamp last month. "I love the brotherhood we have amongst each other, the way guys work. We get better every day, every week. I just want to show them I am ready to go, that I know my plays and I am ready to help this team.
"I'll be ready for camp. It is time to show what you've got."
A fifth round pick by the Seahawks in 2014, Staten was signed by the Titans in May after a workout with the team. He took part in all 10 of the team's OTAs, and minicamp last month.
Staten (6-4, 304) spent last season with the Falcons, and signed to a future contract after the season. But he was waived by the team in April, just before the NFL Draft. He's spent time previously with the Seahawks, Giants, Patriots, Chiefs and Bears as well. He was a rookie in Seattle when the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, and experienced last season's Super Bowl run while on the practice squad with the Falcons.
"You just have to keep working," Staten said. "You can't sit down and think about it, dwell on it too long. You have to get straight to work, and after (being waived by Atlanta) that's what I did. You never know when you are going to get that call and I am blessed to have gotten it from the Titans, and blessed to be here."
Staten, who recorded 100 tackles in 49 career games, including 35 starts, at MTSU, flashed during the offseason while competing on the defensive line.
In camp, he'll aim to use his size and strength when the pads come on. He said he'd love to earn a spot in Tennessee, where he's been reunited with former MTSU teammate Kevin Byard. He has a lot of friends in the Nashville area, he said.
"When I first came in, I just wanted to do what they needed me to do, and that still is my thought process," Staten said. "I want to do what they need me to do. I think I have done pretty well. There's always things I can work on. During the offseason I tried to polish plays while I'm working on my body. I have been around a little bit so I understand how things work.
"But I know I have to show them something (in camp). I'll be ready."
