Titans Continue to Shop for Receivers

Oct 9, 2011; Houston, TX, USA; Oakland Raiders receiver Chaz Schillens (81), right, celebrates with receiver Louis Murphy after scoring on an 18-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Texans 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

The Tennessee Titans continue to bring in free agent receivers despite the fact that head coach Mike Munchak has said that the Titans aren’t shopping WR Nate Washington. If the Titans aren’t shopping Washington, I’m awfully curious about which receivers head is on the chopping block.

Out of the seven receivers above, you’d obviously cross out Britt, Wright, and if Washington isn’t on the block, then Washington. That leaves you with Williams, Mariani, Hawkins, and Preston, who seems could be back to the practice squad depending on what happens with Mariani and his health.

I don’t think the Titans would be wanting to part with Hawkins after giving him a new contract last year, though they certainly didn’t make any use of him in 2012. Williams is a talented player, though he has yet to find his rhythm. Really it would seem to come down to Washington and Mariani. Mariani wasn’t terribly missed during his absence thanks to the emergence of returner Darius Reynaud, who enjoyed a successful season as the Titans return man, earning another contract with them this offseason.That’s certainly damaged Mariani’s stock value.

And then there’s the obvious – Nate Washington.

While Munchak denied the Titans had been trying to shop Washington, the fact that they continue to bring in slot receivers seems to beg to differ. It certainly doesn’t dispel the idea. We’re still learning about this coaching staff and how they function. While Munchak is a straight shooter, his job is on the line and it’s certainly not unheard of to have a coach lying about possible roster moves.

We may not have heard the last of Washington being shopped. The draft presents another opportunity for the Titans to ship him off. They did it a few years back when they traded RB Lendale White and DT Kevin Vickerson to the Seattle Seahawks for a 4th and 6th round pick.

As with everything else, we’ll just have to wait and see how things play out. If their current visits are an indication of anything though, we’ll be seeing a new slot receiver on the team this fall.

You can find me on Twitter @JustinLStewart