Delanie Walker being named potential Titans roster cut is outlandish

Bleacher Report’s Chris Roling named Tennessee Titans tight end, Delanie Walker, as a big name who could be a potential roster cut in 2019.

Tennessee Titans tight end, Delanie Walker, has been dealing with disrespect all offseason long, so his being named as a potential roster cut should come as no surprise.

Bleacher Report’s Chris Roling was tasked with coming up with a list of the biggest names who could be potential roster bubble cuts, and chose Walker as one of them.

Because of his recent contract extension that was signed in 2018 (two years, $17 million), his 2018 injury and his age (35), Roling believes Walker “may be expendable on cut day.”

"That wouldn’t have such a big impact on his outlook if he wasn’t 35 years old. He had to watch as younger guys like Jonnu Smith (2017 third-round pick) and MyCole Pruitt (2015 fifth-rounder) showed signs of emerging, even with the passing game grounded while Marcus Mariota struggled again.The Titans could opt to go with a youth movement. Those younger tight ends, a stable of running backs, wide receiver Corey Davis, free-agent arrival Adam Humphries and rookie A.J. Brown could make up the core around Mariota. Walker looks like he may be expendable on cut day."

There is no chance that the Titans cut Walker ahead of the 2019 season. Not only is he one of the great Titans to ever suit up in Tennessee, he is also essential to the team’s offense this season.

The Titans are doing everything they can to give quarterback Marcus Mariota the best chance to succeed in what is a contract year for him, so they sure as hell wouldn’t cut his favorite target in the passing game.

And that’s especially true when you consider Walker was one of the best tight ends in football from 2014 through 2017, with 800 receiving yards or more (1,088 in 2015) and an average of five touchdowns per year in that span.

Even if the Titans decided to do something insane and cut Walker, MyCole Pruitt would not be the next man in line to catch passes. He’s a blocking tight end and has shown nothing as a pass-catcher.

Behind tight end Jonnu Smith, the Titans would deploy Anthony Firsker as their next pass-catching tight end. Both are nice players and have shown some flashes, but neither one is anywhere near the level of Walker.

The veteran tight end made his preseason debut on Saturday night, and promptly scored a touchdown on a pass from Mariota. It didn’t take long for Walker to return to form in what was his first game in almost a year.

But make no mistake about it: even with all the shiny new toys at Mariota’s disposal, Delanie Walker remains perhaps the most important of any player in the Titans’ passing attack, and as he made clear after Saturday night, he’s very motivated thanks to all the doubters.