(Unrestricted Free Agent)

LINEBACKER
5'11" | 225 LBS

COLLEGE: AUBURN
ACQUIRED: UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT (OAKLAND) - 2017
NFL EXPERIENCE: (NFL/TITANS): 7/3
HOMETOWN: OLIVE BRANCH, MISS.
GAMES PLAYED/GAMES STARTED: 107/0 (PLAYOFFS: 6/0) 

Daren Bates is an athletic linebacker that has excelled on special teams coverage units during his NFL career. He joined the Titans in 2017 after spending time with the St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders. In 2018, he was named a Titans special teams captain for the first time. Bates, a former rookie free agent, will once again look to make his biggest impact as a core member of the Titans' special teams units and provide veteran depth in the linebacking corps.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

• In 2018, Bates was a team captain (special teams) for the first time and tallied 10 special teams tackles.
• In 2017, Bates set a career high and ranked second on the team with 16 special teams tackles.
• Bates registered back-to-back seasons (2014-2015) of double-digit special teams tackles as a member of the St. Louis Rams.

2019 SEASON RECAP:

Regular Season: 13 Games Played | 0 Starts
Playoffs: 3 Games Played | 0 Starts

• Led the team with 11 special teams tackles.
• Has led or tied for the team lead in special teams tackles seven times in 2019 (at JAX, vs. TB, at CAR, vs. KC, vs. JAX, at IND, at HOU).
• Played in his 100th career regular season contest against Tampa Bay (10/27/19).      

TITANS TIDBITS:

• In 2018, Bates and NFL defensive end Armonty Bryant opened AstroKids Gym in Austin, Texas. The facility offers children's classes and camps based upon proprioceptive learning.
• Bates is a Memphis native and a huge Memphis Grizzlies fan.
• For the My Cause, My Cleats campaign, Bates has worn specially designed cleats featuring the words "American Heart Association" to raise awareness for the organization's life-saving mission. His mother, Weslynn Bates, was a heart transplant recipient and lived some wonderful years following her surgery. She sadly passed away in 2015 at the age of 56.
• Bates is a tattoo enthusiast and has 107 tattoos.

CAREER TRANSACTIONS:

• The Memphis, Tenn., native was originally signed by St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent on May 9, 2013.
• Signed by Oakland Raiders as a free agent on March 14, 2016.
• Signed by the Titans as an unrestricted free agent on March 11, 2017.