Jordan Elliott had appeared in all five of the Tennessee Titans’ games to open the 2026 season, recording 11 combined tackles. But on Friday, October 16, the defensive tackle was pulled from practice before it began. A day earlier, an incident had taken place at the Titans’ facility, though the team had yet to disclose what happened.

Robert Saleh offered little clarity when asked about Elliott’s absence, saying the defensive tackle was dealing with “personal stuff.” Elliott did not travel with Tennessee to Indianapolis for its Week 6 game against the Colts either. His absence left a regular contributor on the defensive line out of the lineup without an injury designation, but you couldn’t hear the team complaining. In fact, the Titans eventually released Elliott after reviewing the October 15 incident.

Reports later alleged that he had retrieved a firearm from his vehicle following a confrontation with a teammate. Reacting to the reports, former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho delivered a blunt verdict on Speakeasy: “Jordan Elliott will never play another game in the National Football League.

“You can’t bring a gun inside the facility to use on your own teammate and expect to ever play football again. We’ve seen other defensive tackles like Christian Wilkins just disappear for locker room conduct. You do something as egregious as threaten the life of one of your brothers over some words, you’re never playing again.”

On Tuesday, October 20, the Titans, too, confirmed the release in a statement, five days after the incident, although they did not offer much.

“On Thursday, October 15, there was an incident at our team facility involving Jordan Elliott. Following our review of the incident, we have made the decision to release Elliott from our roster. We will have no further comment on the matter,” the Titans said in a statement.

ESPN’s Turron Davenport reported that a team source described the decision to release Elliott as one that had been “universally agreed upon.” The NFL is also aware of the situation, although neither the league nor the Titans had publicly detailed any further disciplinary action at the time of the reports.

The details came from A to Z Sports, which cited sources saying Elliott got frustrated with a teammate on the practice field that Thursday, October 15.

According to subsequent reporting by KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson, the teammate was Titans offensive tackle JC Latham. Elliott was reportedly told to leave the practice field following their confrontation.

The Athletic writer Michael-Shawn Dugar shared the report on X, providing additional details.

“However, that frustration carried over into the locker room after practice. Sources say Elliott was seen storming out of the locker room upset. According to multiple sources, Elliott then went to the players’ parking garage next to the facility to retrieve a firearm from his vehicle. The situation was de-escalated before there was any altercation involving the firearm,” the post read.

Wilson’s reporting identified veteran defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers as the teammate who intervened and talked Elliott down. Reports also indicated that security cameras captured the sequence of events. The situation was de-escalated before any confrontation involving the firearm occurred, and no one was reported injured.

The Metro Nashville Police Department told A to Z Sports by phone on Tuesday afternoon that no reports had been filed and the team had not contacted them about the incident.

That distinction matters: the Titans confirmed an incident and an internal review, while the firearm-related details came from media reports citing sources. The absence of a police report does not independently establish what happened, and the team has declined to elaborate publicly.

Acho didn’t stop at saying Elliott’s NFL career is over. He also went after his maturity, calling him a boy who doesn’t know how to regulate his emotions.

“But it appears that all Jordan Elliott was, at least in that moment, is a 6’3”, 315-pound boy. Because if you can’t control your emotions, then you are not indeed a man at all. I hope more than anything, just go make sure you get your emotions in check because this wasn’t an opponent. This was quite literally a teammate who you were supposed to go to war with, not go to war against.”

Acho’s comparison with Christian Wilkins was intended to underline how conduct away from game-day performance can affect a player’s future. But his prediction about Elliott’s career remains his opinion, not an announcement of a permanent NFL ban. Elliott’s future will depend on what emerges from the incident and whether another team is willing to sign him.

Elliott signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the Titans back in March 2026. The move reunited him with Saleh after two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, where he had played under the coach. Tennessee brought him in as a familiar face who could help implement Saleh’s defensive system.

Elliott had started 16 games for San Francisco in 2025, making his sudden departure from Tennessee particularly striking. Earlier in his career, he recorded two sacks and 36 tackles in 2022 with Cleveland, followed by a career-high 2.5 sacks in 2023. He was drafted in the third round by the Browns in the 2020 NFL Draft.

For now, in Elliott’s absence, veteran defensive tackle Timmy Horne was elevated from the practice squad for game day last week. ESPN reported that Horne played 24 snaps against Indianapolis. Tennessee has not announced a corresponding roster move to fill Elliott’s vacated spot, leaving the team to work out its defensive-line rotation without a player it had signed specifically to help with Saleh’s system.