How the Tennessee Titans Can Still Find Quality Wide Receiver Help

Its no secret that many fans were upset when the cream of the crop wide receivers came and went to other teams around the league. Understandably so. The Tennessee Titans do have a need, plenty of cap space, and the looks of being ready to take that next step and be a real contender.

Tennessee Titans

Don’t panic yet though. There are still options out there through free agency, the draft, and don’t forget about trade options that could become available. Right now, we have to trust that Jon Robinson knows best — he has earned that. It’s all about balancing budget and production. What I mean by that is: would you rather have a receiver make $12-$14 million a year and catch 90 balls for 1500 yards, or a receiver who makes $3-$5 million a year who catches 60 balls for 900 some odd yards? Let’s take a look at some of the options left available for the Titans at this point.

Free Agency.

• Victor Cruz

• Michael Floyd

• Anquan Boldin

Victor Cruz can be a real difference maker when healthy. He runs good routes, has the ability to stretch the field, and most importantly he does what Jon Robinson preaches when talking the wide receiver position, he can get open and catch the football. The trick is keeping him healthy. Aside from health issues that’ve plagued his career, he just hit the 30 year old mark.

Michael Floyd has the size and speed combo be a true number one receiver in the league. The problems lay in not showing enough consistency and off field issues. So Floyd is likely far less likely an option in the eyes of Jon Robinson.

Anquan Boldin is 36 years old, but he’s had a very successful career. He has also shown production over the last few seasons. He is a big bodied receiver and makes for another good option in the red zone. Given his age and experience, he would also bring a certain leadership role to the locker room.

Live Feed

FanSided

Potential Trade Options.

• Jeff Janis (Green Bay Packers)

• Phillip Dorsett (Indianapolis Colts)

• Martavis Bryant (Pittsburgh Steelers)

• Danny Amendola/Chris Hogan (New England Patriots)

Jeff Janis is a young receiver at only 25 years old. He has great size and speed, but has never gotten his chance to shine in Green Bay’s crowded receiving corps. He tends to catch the ball with his body. He would be worth a 4th or 5th round pick.

When it comes to Phillip Dorsett, he is a real burner. He was drafted in the first round by the Colts, but has never developed into what the organization hoped he would be. At his age and with his natural ability he could potentially be worth a second round pick to someone, but definitely worth a 3rd.

Another option could be Martavis Bryant. Bryant is probably the least likely on this list, but he is by far the most talented. In fact, he would probably be the number one receiver on 20 out of 32 NFL teams. The drawback with him is he has already been suspended twice in his young career and he is only one strike away from an indefinite suspension. Luckily, he still plays under a rookie contract which might make him worth making a move for.

Danny Amendola or Chris Hogan are the most likely to find themselves on the trade block. Especially with the move bringing Brandin Cooks in. Cooks will most likely be taking Chris Hogan’s role in the offense, but Hogan is the better option for the Pats to keep around for depth. Amendola is a veteran receiver who can also contribute on special teams. something the Titans and co. seem to love.

More from Titans Draft

• Tennessee Titans suspiciously quiet about major draft need
• 3 needs that are being overblown by Tennessee Titans fans
• Tennessee Titans must be careful trading down in the 2023 NFL Draft
• Tennessee Titans should only spend their premium draft picks on offense
• Tennessee Titans connections may be crucial for a draft day trade

The Draft.

• Mike Williams (Clemson)

• Corey Davis (Western Michigan)

• John Ross (Washington)

• Noah Brown (Ohio State)

• Chad Hansen (California)

• Chris Godwin (Penn State)

• Malachi Dupre (LSU)

Mike Williams is considered by most scouts to be the best receiver in this year’s draft class. He has size, speed, he runs solid routes, and does a nice job adjusting to the football. He ate up Alabama and Ohio State’s defenses in the college football playoffs. With pick number five overall in this year’s draft, the Titans will have a shot to get him and it’s also possible he falls to them at 18th overall as well.

Although he isn’t as big as Mike Williams, some scouts have Corey Davis ranked ahead of him. He has a nice size, speed combo going for him. Davis is an advanced route runner and he’s dangerous after the catch as well. He would probably be better suited to pick up at 18th overall instead of fifth.

John Ross is a true burner. He broke Chris Johnson’s 40 yard dash record at the NFL combine, so he can certainly take the lid off a defense. I’ve seen comparisons to Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs and Brandin Cooks of the New England Patriots. He can also make some big plays on special teams, which again the Titans love. His only downfall is his size. At 5’11” and 190lbs, he’s better suited to play in the slot than as a number one receiver. Which makes me question his health. Slot receivers typically work the middle of the field where those big linebackers play. With his small frame, I question if he could stay healthy for a full sixteen game season.

Noah Brown is what a person would describe as an athletic freak and he could fall to the Titans in round 3. He can make those spectacular catches and he knows how to use his big bodied frame as well. I would like to see more explosion from him off the line of scrimmage though.

Chad Hansen could be another target the Titans go after in round 3. He has good size and with some time he could develop into a true number one in the league. I could see him as a rotational player or a decent number two option. He runs good routes, but I would like to see him run some different routes.

Chris Godwin has really raised his stock over the last few months. At 6’1″, he has some size to him, but he also has good speed. Its likely he goes in round 2, but with so much depth at so many other positions it’s possible he slips into round 3.

Like Chris Godwin, Malachi Dupre is a second round talent who could slip into round three. As a Titans fan watching scouting videos on Dupre I couldn’t help but notice so many similarities to Justin Hunter. A more well rounded, explosive Justin Hunter. He has that tall slim build to him, but he is explosive off the line of scrimmage, gets involved in the run blocking game, and he can really stretch the defense.

So, my fellow Titan fans, this is no time to panic. There are still some options out there to bring in and we still have Delanie Walker, Rishard Matthews, and Tajae Sharpe (whom I expect to improve headeing into year two of his career) catching passes for us. We also have a backfield of DeMarco Murray, Derrick Henry, and Marcus Mariota in a run first football scheme.