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Is Jonnu Smith Tennessee Titans ‘secret weapon’ in 2019?

By Michael Moraitis

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 21: Jonnu Smith of Tennessee Titans is tackled by Jatavis Brown of Los Angeles Chargers during the NFL International Series match between Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Chargers at Wembley Stadium on October 21, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 21: Jonnu Smith of Tennessee Titans is tackled by Jatavis Brown of Los Angeles Chargers during the NFL International Series match between Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Chargers at Wembley Stadium on October 21, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /
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Bleacher Report named Tennessee Titans tight end Jonnu Smith as the team’s “secret weapon” for 2019.

The Tennessee Titans will have a lot of weapons in general in the passing game this season, but is tight end Jonnu Smith the team’s “secret weapon?”

That’s how Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox characterized the third-year pro:

"Smith will be overshadowed by Tennessee’s additions and Walker’s return. He could be a valuable weapon once he is back to 100 percent, however. In 2018, Smith averaged 12.9 yards per reception, second behind only Corey Davis among regular offensive personnel. Three of his 20 receptions also went for touchdowns."

We found out yesterday that Smith will start training camp on the PUP list, so his health will be something to monitor as he continues to recover from an MCL injury.

In his sophomore campaign, Smith turned 30 targets into 20 catches for 258 yards and three touchdowns in a season in which fellow tight end Delanie Walker missed all but one game. His season was cut short after 13 games after suffering the aforementioned MCL injury.

The problem for Smith having a true breakout season is the talent surrounding him. Not only do the Titans have Walker and No. 1 wideout Corey Davis returning, but general manager Jon Robinson also added slot man Adam Humphries and second-round pick, A.J. Brown.

Not to mention, the Titans will likely move to less two tight end sets under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. If that turns out to be the case, Smith won’t be seeing the field very often over Walker.

Smith still stands as a very real “secret weapon” possibility, though. With so much attention on the other pass-catchers—including Walker—Smith is a matchup nightmare in two tight end sets, and could be forgotten by opposing defenses in the red zone.

With that said, he could compile plenty of touchdowns, but we wouldn’t expect any kind of blowup season from him considering he didn’t post big numbers when Walker wasn’t on the field.

Big numbers or not, we tend to agree that Smith has the makings of a secret weapon in the Titans’ offense thanks to all the attention that will be on his teammates.

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