Tennessee Titans: An Examination of Each Wide Receiver’s Role in 2017

Jun 13, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans wide receiver Corey Davis (84) catches a pass during OTA at St Thomas Sports Park Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 13, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans wide receiver Corey Davis (84) catches a pass during OTA at St Thomas Sports Park Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
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Nov 13, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans wide receiver Rishard Matthews (18) pulls in a touchdown catch during the first half while defended by Green Bay Packers defensive back Micah Hyde (33) during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans wide receiver Rishard Matthews (18) pulls in a touchdown catch during the first half while defended by Green Bay Packers defensive back Micah Hyde (33) during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Rishard Matthews

Though the signing of Rishard Matthews went relatively unnoticed in the free agency period of 2016, his rise to prominence certainly did not go unnoticed after he recorded 945 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns en route to becoming the Tennessee Titans’ No. 1 wide receiver. Even after opposing teams’ defensive coordinators began to take notice of Matthews as a threat, he continued to produce down the stretch and supplanted Delanie Walker as the lead receiving threat on the Titans roster.

Heading into the 2017 season, expect Matthews to continue to experience success, but he will likely also experience a slight downturn in productivity due to the Titans’ wide receiver room receiving several upgrades during the offseason. Matthews will likely start the season as the No. 1 receiver, but should cede the rights to that position to Corey Davis before the season is out. Matthews will then slot in as one of the better No. 2 wide receivers in the National Football League and will capitalize on being covered by less capable backup cornerbacks once defensive coordinators begin to focus on Davis.

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