I know the topic of the Tennessee Titans receiving corps has been hotly contested this offseason. There’s a large portion of Titans fans who feel the team didn’t do nearly enough to address the wide receiver position, and that’s putting it mildly. The big free agent addition was veteran Chris Moore, and the lone draft pick was 7th rounder Colton Dowell. I admit that I was pretty surprised that the dominos fell in that manner. But then, I got to thinking about it, and now, I’m somehow okay with what the Titans have at wide receiver.
For one, we know Mike Vrabel is good at game planning in a way that masks his team’s weaknesses. They don’t have anyone to throw the ball to? No problem, we’ll just run it down their throats. It might help to have an offensive line that can actually block, but you get my point. Vrabel has proven that he can coach competitive football around a receiving corps that leaves plenty to be desired. For another, I still don’t think this offense is going to depart too far from what it has been in recent years from a philosophical standpoint. They’re going to drastically tinker with the playbook, push more tempo, and streamline the terms they use to simplify it. But, I still think this is going to be a team that wants to be the toughest on the field, and mow their opponents down. Any receiver they would’ve drafted after the second round would probably have been the third or fourth receiving option at best, and that value is not as good as what Tyjae Spears and Josh Whyle could be to this offense. I know there’s a ton of you who will just fundamentally disagree with the Spears pick, but I like it. So, within that context, I get why they didn’t end up drafting a receiver earlier than they did – not to mention, the entire NFL told us we were probably wrong about guys like Tyler Scott and AT Perry.
But, wait! There’s more! Third, I really like Treylon Burks. He was my favorite wide receiver coming out of his draft class. I thought, and still think, that he could develop into what the San Francisco 49ers have in Deebo Samuel if he hits his ceiling. I’m going to be digging into some of his tape this summer on Stacking The Inbox, so you better go sign up to be a VIP member. But, the bottom line here is that I’m comfortable projecting him to be the team’s WR1, and think he could actually have a breakout season in 2023. From there, tight end Chig Okonkwo should have a much larger role in the passing game, and there’s a guy out there returning from injury that we all seem to be forgetting about.
Kyle Philips content for the people. #Titans pic.twitter.com/YWAgr67ndc
— AtoZ Sports Nashville (@AtoZSports) May 31, 2023
That’s right – Kyle Philips. Gotta like those sudden cuts. I have no idea what he’s doing with his hands there, but I’m sure it’s something. I’m sure he’s been coached to do that for a valid reason. To me, it kind of looks like what I used to do on the dance floor at the Red Rooster back in 2011 and then wonder why no women were dancing with me. They don’t call me twinkle toes for nothing, and I guess that kind of prowess on the dance floor was feared more than admired. Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.
Nonetheless, I do think this is the hallmark of Philips’ game, and while I’m familiar with it on a surface level, I think I just might have to dive into his game against the Giants. He had nine targets in that game…nine targets! For a guy who had never played a down of NFL football prior to that. What does that tell you about how Vrabel trusts this guy? I look forward to firing up that tape up to see what exactly went so right for him to get such a large share of the targets. I’ll say…it’s not a bad time to be a VIP member over at Stacking The Inbox.
But, back to my original point here – Philips has the trust of this staff. He has a valuable skill set, and assuming he stays healthy, I figure he rounds out the top three of this receiving group, and this regime either feels comfortable with that, or they have an ace up their sleeve *cough*DeAndreHopkins*cough*. Ultimately, I look at the draft and free agent haul as “pass-catchers,” and not specifically wide receivers. Spears is going to catch passes. Whyle’s going to catch some passes. Moore’s going to catch some passes. All in all, for where this team is right now, I’m actually okay with that.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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