The Tennessee Titans are coming off one of their worst seasons in the past decade and have huge holes on their roster. One of the most glaring issues for the Titans is their offensive line, even after drafting offensive guard Peter Skoronski in the first round of last year’s draft. The Titans may pick another offensive lineman in the first round to complement Skoronski, but they also have massive questions at wide receiver heading into this offseason.
The Tennessee Titans Have a Wide Receiver Problem
The Problem
The team’s wide receiver issues arose when they traded A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles, as they tried to replace him with 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks. During his collegiate career at the University of Arkansas, Burks showed great promise via his explosive play ability. However, his collegiate success has not translated well to the NFL throughout his first two seasons. Burks has dealt with numerous injuries and has not played more than 11 games in a single season. He had over 400 receiving yards in his rookie year but performed much worse in 2023.
Alongside Burks being a possible miss in the draft, two Titans wide receivers are heading to free agency this offseason. The two receivers are Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Chris Moore. Although neither player was outstanding in the passing offense this year, losing both players would take away a large portion of production from the Titans wide receiver corps.
One bright spot in the Titans wide receiver room is De’Andre Hopkins, who had another season with over 1,000 receiving yards. The Titans have Hopkins under contract for one more season, so the team just needs one or two more elite receivers to solidify the position. Hopkins had double the receiving yards of tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, the second-leading receiver on the team. The fact that nearly every Titans receiver had less yardage than a tight end is concerning and needs to be addressed.
Part of the Titans wide receiver issues may have stemmed from the inconsistent quarterback play from Ryan Tannehill and Will Levis. The inconsistency will be slightly solved by allowing Levis to start an entire season, as Tannehill will likely not re-sign with the team in 2024.
Related: Will Levis Film Study
Two Possible Solutions for the Tennessee Titans at Wide Receiver
The first possible solution for the Titans is to draft a wide receiver in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Since wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is a top prospect, he will likely not be available when the Titans pick seventh overall. However, there will be plenty of talented receivers on the board. One major prospect is Rome Odunze, who played receiver at the University of Washington. Odunze accrued over 1,600 receiving yards in his final collegiate season, which led the NCAA. Another talented receiver is Malik Nabers of Louisiana State University, who nearly had 1,600 receiving yards. If the Titans can land one of those prospects, then they can make their wide receiver corps a strength heading into 2024. They could also take a later option like Ladd McConkey.
Another answer is for the Titans to sign a prominent free agent wide receiver this offseason. The only issue with this solution is the lack of elite receivers in this free agency window. Mike Evans is one name that stands out from the rest. Other options at wide receiver have not been as consistent or productive as Evans. Despite this fact, Gabe Davis and Tee Higgins are a couple of names that might be productive alongside Hopkins.
Main Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
