Titans counting on young WRs
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans seem confident their young wide receivers will quickly make an impact this year.
Injuries limited first-round draft pick Corey Davis as a rookie last season, when Tajae Sharpe — who had 41 catches for 522 yards as a rookie in 2016 — was unable to play because of a right foot injury. Taywan Taylor, Tennessee’s third-round pick a year ago, started promisingly before his production fell off.
Rishard Matthews, preparing for his seventh NFL season, is the only true veteran in the group returning from last season. The Titans did sign free agents Michael Campanaro and Nick Williams, but they have a combined 59 catches in 11 pro seasons.
“After your rookie year, you’ve just got to go,” firstyear Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “We’re counting on Corey, we’re counting on Taywan, we’re counting on Tajae and all of the guys.”
Whether that is a vote of confidence or simply an expectation, Davis said it doesn’t matter to the receivers.
“We’re going to come out here, and we’re going to do our job to the best of our ability,” he explained. “Rishard’s a competitor, Tajae, Taywan — we’re all going to come out here and compete day in and day out.”
Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk fired coach Mike Mularkey after last season despite the franchise winning a playoff game for the first time in 14 years. She then hired Vrabel, who brought on Matt LaFleur from the Los Angeles Rams as his offensive coordinator. The primary reason for the moves were to get more out of quarterback Marcus Mariota and the offense, which ranked 23rd in the NFL by averaging 224.4 passing yards per game last season.
Eric Decker, who led the receivers with 54 catches last season, wasn’t brought back. Of the returnees, Matthews has been the team’s top receiver since signing as a free agent in 2016. Sharpe has the most production of the other receivers after starting 10 of 16 games as a rookie.
“We’re all starting with clean slates,” Sharpe said. “The new coaching staff, they weren’t with us last year, so we all just have to prove ourselves.”
The Titans’ biggest hope for offensive improvement rests on Davis developing into the No. 1 receiver he was drafted to be. The 6-foot-3, 209-pounder struggled with injuries as a rookie, with ankle surgery limiting him until the final week of the team’s offseason program, and he injured a hamstring a week into training camp. That sidelined him for five games, and Davis finished with 34 catches for 375 yards in 11 games (nine starts).
He showed flashes of potential but didn’t catch his first touchdown pass until the postseason. That was a one-handed grab in the Titans’ divisional loss at New England, and he added his second in the fourth quarter of the rout.
“It’s a lot of injuries, up and down, but this year’s going to be different,” Davis said. “Just got to stay healthy and go out and ball.”
Davis, Matthews, Sharpe, Taylor and tight end Jonnu Smith spent time working out with Mariota in March in Los Angeles. Even while learning a new offense, Davis said he believes he’s ready to take advantage of a full offseason. The game has slowed down for him, and now he’s busy building his timing with the quarterback he calls Ocho — a reference to Mariota’s No. 8 jersey.
Mariota said the second year for any player in the NFL is almost like a sigh of relief.
“You understand the situation, you understand what’s expected of you,” said Mariota, who was drafted No. 2 overall in 2015. “Everything’s not brand new — so, I mean I can’t speak for him, but I think as you get older and as you continue to build up your years, the surroundings, the organization, everything just feels a little more comfortable.”