Report: Tennessee Titans Were Originally Nicknamed 'Pioneers' Before Leak

Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill and Corey Davis were almost members of the Tennessee Pioneers.

As John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reported on 104.5 The Zone's Midday 180, "The Titans were going to be called the Pioneers but it got leaked so [team owner] Bud Adams changed everything."

The Titans sure dodged a bullet there. Not only would they have lost the nice alliteration of Tennessee Titans, but Pioneers also isn't the most exciting nickname for a professional sports team. It would have joined some of the all-time bad nicknames, including the Charlotte Bobcats, Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild. 

Yes, that's right, the state of Tennessee was close to having two of the worst nicknames in sports. Crisis averted.