Titans reach deal with top receiver pick Kenny Britt just afterafter he misses 2nd practice

Top Titans receiver Kenny Britt agrees to contract

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Receiver Kenny Britt agreed to terms Saturday night on a contract with the Tennessee Titans, getting him into training camp a week before the team’s first preseason game.

The Titans open the NFL’s preseason Aug. 9 in the Hall of Fame game against Buffalo.

Agent Todd France confirmed by e-mail to The Associated Press that Britt agreed to terms with the Titans shortly after the team concluded its second practice of training camp without the No. 30 pick overall. The Titans announced they had agreed to terms a few minutes later.

General manager Mike Reinfeldt said before the deal was reached that the contract would be for five years.

“We’ve started training camp, and he needs to be here,” Reinfeldt said before the announcement.

Other terms were not immediately available.

Reaching a deal for Britt became easier once Hakeem Nicks, the receiver drafted in the slot before Britt, and running back Beanie Wells, taken a position later, agreed to their NFL contracts earlier Saturday. The Titans had hoped to complete a deal in time to have Britt, believed to be in Nashville, on the field Saturday afternoon.

But working out the guaranteed money and the structure slowed the deal down enough that Britt missed the team’s second practice. The Titans don’t practice again until Sunday afternoon, so his deal should be signed in time for him to join his teammates.

Tennessee made Britt the first receiver drafted by this team since 1998 and only the third in the franchise’s history. The Titans like his size at 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds, and he set a Big East Conference record at Rutgers with 3,043 yards receiving in 34 games in his three seasons.

Britt also is Rutgers’ all-time leader in career touchdown catches with 17 and had five consecutive 100-yard receiving games in 2008. He has 14 in his career, which tied former Pittsburgh receiver Larry Fitzgerald for the Big East record.

The receiver, the youngest player on the Titans’ roster by a full year, will be counted on to improve an offense that ranked 27th in the NFL in yards passing in 2008 despite posting the league’s best record. Tennessee also signed free agent Nate Washington.

Missing two practices wouldn’t be a problem in most training camps. Safety Michael Griffin, the team’s top pick in 2007, missed two practices before signing his deal and hit the field for the third session on the second day of camp. Running back Chris Johnson also signed his deal on the second day.

What shape Britt reports in will be key. He was limited during the team’s organized activities by a tight hamstring.

“We’re getting closer and closer to the ball game and still don’t have a sense of his conditioning level,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “When he does come in, we’ll evaluate him.”

Notes: Punter Craig Hentrich filled in for kicker Rob Bironas during a field goal drill Saturday. Bironas has a slight pull and should be back Sunday. … A few hundred fans turned out for practice in one of the biggest turnouts for the Titans since holding camp at the team’s headquarters, and many stayed through a light rain. Linebacker Keith Bulluck rewarded them by signing autographs for about 65 minutes.