Fisher: Time running out for top draft pick to help Titans

Jones’ agent left Nashville on Friday after negotiating with Titans general manager Floyd Reese for a couple hours. The sixth pick overall and top defensive player taken in the draft is one of four draft picks who remain unsigned.

Fisher said he has to assume now that the cornerback will not be in this week, which means he will miss half the preseason games. If Jones is signed in time to play at San Francisco on Aug. 26, the coach then has a tough decision.

“Do we rush to get him ready to see if he can compete, help and contribute at the start of the regular season? If I do that, he’s going to have to play an awful lot. Then I’m taking time away from people who’ve been here, who I know are getting better,” Fisher said.

The Titans drafted Jones hoping he would become one of their starting cornerbacks after losing both starters in the offseason. They also want the player out of West Virginia to become the punt and kick returner to boost units that were among the league’s worst in 2004.

“We’ll deal with it when he gets in but with each passing day, it’s harder for me and the staff to think he’s going to help contribute in the return game. … This league’s different than where he’s used to playing, and there’s an adjustment period,” Fisher said. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

Jones has spent the past three weeks working out on his own in Jacksonville, Fla., and his agent said Jones is catching punts off a machine.

That’s not good enough to convince Fisher, who set return records while a player with the Chicago Bears in the 1980s.

“I haven’t seen him catching punts …,” Fisher said. “The last thing I’m going to do is put him out there and have one bounce off his chest. He needs to prove he can consistently catch it.”

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CONVINCING ARGUMENT: Jarrett Payton, the son of the late Walter Payton, made an early argument in Friday night’s 20-17 overtime exhibition loss to Tampa Bay that the Titans need to keep him on the roster behind running backs Chris Brown and Travis Henry.

Payton was an undrafted free agent out of Miami in 2004 and was on the practice squad that season. He spent the offseason in NFL Europe where he tied for a league-high seven touchdowns.

Against the Bucs, he was the Titans’ top rusher with 10 carries for 37 yards. He also had a long of 11 yards where he broke loose to the outside and went up the sideline.

“No doubt he’s a step quicker and a little more explosive, reading well,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “We didn’t think of him as an outside runner. He hit that one quick. … Also good to see a couple tackles on special teams. He knows that’s going to be an important part of his role.”

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YES TO PRESEASON OVERTIME: For any fans who think the NFL doesn’t need overtime in the preseason, coach Jeff Fisher doesn’t agree even though his Titans fell 20-17 Friday night to Tampa Bay in overtime.

“I don’t think you need to have two sets of rules. We’re playing preseason games to get ready for regular season games,” he said.

Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden didn’t look happy when Rob Bironas kicked a 53-yard field goal with 19 seconds left in regulation. When Earnest Graham ran 24 yards to the Tennessee 15, Gruden immediately sent in Matt Bryant for a 33-yard field goal to conclude the game.

Fisher said he can understand the Bucs thinking of their airplane waiting, a long flight home and the chance of injuries with more plays.

“The reality is we’ve got a chance for a kicker competing for a job in a very high pressure situation … I would do that every time. We play these games to try to win them,” Fisher said.

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INJURY REPORT: Travis Henry may miss practice Sunday with a mild case of turf toe. Running back Chris Brown and safety Lamont Thompson did not play against Tampa Bay because of sore hamstrings.

Fisher said they didn’t want to push either of them, especially Thompson who had missed three practices with tight hamstrings. Brown warmed up and was dressed for the game but didn’t feel right.

“With his history, it made no sense to push him out there,” Fisher said.

Brown pulled a hamstring at the start of his rookie training camp two years ago and missed the entire preseason.

Rookie cornerback Antoine Harris will have more tests on his knee after X-rays showed nothing structurally wrong. Fisher said he may have a chance to come back at the end of the week.

Receiver Brandon Jones had a swollen and sore knee after getting hit on a punt return.