The Tennessee Titans terminated the contract of 26-year-old defensive back Erick Hallett on Saturday, clearing a roster spot to activate cornerback Joshua Williams from Injured Reserve ahead of Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, the team announced.
Williams, who joined the Titans in the offseason after four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, had been placed on IR on August 31 with a pectoral injury.
Designated to return on October 7, he practiced over the past two weeks and is now eligible to play.
The team also elevated defensive lineman Timmy Horne and safety Isaiah Oliver from the practice squad for the matchup in Indianapolis.
Hallett’s exit ends a short, stop-and-start stint in Nashville.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound safety, a sixth-round pick (208th overall) of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Pittsburgh, spent most of his early career on practice squads.
He saw action with the Detroit Lions in 2025, posting 18 tackles in three games with two starts before the Titans signed him off Detroit’s practice squad on December 16, 2025.
In 2026, Hallett made the Titans’ initial 53-man roster, was waived on August 31, and was quickly re-signed to the practice squad.
Elevated for the first two games (where he recorded one tackle), he was promoted to the active roster on September 26 in place of linebacker Owen Pappoe.
Primarily a depth and special-teams player, he saw limited defensive snaps—around 11 on the season—and was credited by special teams coordinator John Fassel with improving as a gunner after training as a personal protector.
The move comes as the winless Titans (0-5) continue searching for answers under first-year head coach Robert Saleh.
Tennessee has ranked near the bottom of the league in scoring and total offense amid frequent roster turnover and injuries in the secondary.
Activating the more experienced Williams, who has 86 career tackles, 18 passes defensed, and an interception across 65 games (plus a key special-teams role), adds a proven option while the team navigates a difficult start in the AFC South.
For Hallett, a second-team All-ACC performer at Pittsburgh with 168 tackles and eight interceptions in college, the waiver opens the door to opportunities elsewhere as clubs look for secondary depth and special-teams contributors later in the season.
