Tennessee Titans long snapper Morgan Cox wants to go unnoticed on the football field.
But 16 seasons in the NFL haven’t made the nerves completely disappear.
Cox, 40, enters Year 17 with 250 regular season games and five Pro Bowl selections behind him. There’s little about the NFL he hasn’t seen or done. He’s still finding ways to keep himself motivated.
“I get to compete against guys that are 15 years younger than me and still be able to hang with them,” Cox said. “That lights my fire as far as competition.”
On a punt, his direct competitor is the defender across from him. Once the ball leaves his hands, he stands upright to stop the rusher from blocking the kick.
Titans special teams coordinator John Fassel, who was hired in 2025 and re-signed
to a new deal in January 2026 under new head coach Robert Saleh, has seen their partnership develop.
Cox is a Collierville native and played high school football at Evangelical Christian. He went on to walk on at Tennessee before later being put on scholarship.
He and his wife, Lauren Cox, welcomed their fifth child in early August. Two days later, he left Memphis around 4:15 a.m. and drove to Titans training camp.
Fassel said he had punt rush drills waiting for him.
"I told (Cox) I got some rushes and I'm not throwing any softballs," Fassel said. "I know you just had the baby, but you know I'm coming."
#Titans Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel on LS Morgan Cox #TitanUp pic.twitter.com/apVErIFTpJ
— 104-5 The Zone 📻 (@1045TheZone) August 4, 2026
Cox, listed at 6-foot-4, 233 pounds, snapped, protected and covered nine reps. Fassel thought he looked like he was already in midseason form.
“Who is this guy,” Fassel said.
He gauges his confidence through the power of the snap and how he handles live rushers, who are usually faster and stronger according to Cox, after releasing the ball.
“It takes a certain amount of un-athleticism to be a long snapper,” Cox said.
He joked that he landed between positions growing up: too slow to be a full-time tight end but not quite strong enough to be a full-time lineman either. Long snapping gave him a chance to be on the field, so he took the opportunity.
Cox played offensive line and long snapped at ECS before playing for the Vols University of Tennessee, helping kicker Daniel Lincoln earn Freshman All-SEC honors as a sophomore.
Reflecting on his training routine, he said there was never a long snapper tailored workout on a specific body part to enhance his longevity. He described his workouts as general, reaching every part of the body and even then, injuries would take precedent.
He tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee during his rookie season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2010, then tore the ACL in his right knee while covering a punt four years later.
He left Baltimore after the 2020 season and has spent the past five seasons in Nashville. Two of those years paired Cox with one of the NFL’s most accurate kickers, Nick Folk.
His longevity reminded Fassel of other veteran specialists he’s coached at previous spots.
Specifically, punter Shane Lechler and kicker Sebastian Janikowski, who Fassel coached with the Raiders from 2008-11. They told Fassel about anxiety they felt before the season, despite their NFL tenure.
Fassel said that feeling or nervousness meant they wanted to keep playing. If they didn’t, it questioned whether their passion for the game would disappear too.
Cox told him he had similar feelings before that early August practice. Then he did what he always does, went to work.
“He’s a fantastic competitor, and he still has that juice because he still has those nerves,” Fassel said.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Titans long snapper Morgan Cox still finds a challenge in NFL at age 40
