Adrian Peterson will play his first game since Jan. 3 on Sunday when he makes his Titans debut.
The Titans promoted Peterson to the 53-player roster from the practice squad Friday, and he will help replace Derrick Henry. Henry is on injured reserve after hurting his foot in Sunday’s victory over the Colts.
“I am excited to be here,” Peterson said after practice Friday, via Jim Wyatt of the team website. “You think of an ideal situation for a running back like me and my style, it would be this right now. So, I am just going to live in the moment, enjoy it, and do whatever they ask me to do.
“It was a warm welcome (from teammates). Guys seem excited to have me here. But, of course, it’s about what you can do, now. I feel like once I came out, and the way I approached practice and the meeting room, I know guys are watching and kind of feed off that as well. My whole mindset is to let them know: Hey, I am coming in here, (and) I am serious, and I want to do whatever I can to do to contribute and help this team continue to be successful.”
Peterson, 36, has rushed for 14,820 yards and 118 touchdowns on 3,192 carries over his NFL career with Minnesota (2007-16), Arizona (2017), New Orleans (2017), Washington (2018-19) and Detroit (2020). He ranks fifth on the NFL’s all-time in rushing list behind only Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Frank Gore and Barry Sanders.
“I feel good,” Peterson said. “If they call my number, I’m going to go out there and contribute any way that I can. I do a great job of keeping my body in shape, mentally and physically, and keeping myself prepared for a moment like this.”