Tennessee Titans: Mike Vrabel on the hot seat, and other awful takes
B/R says Delanie Walker is a potential roster cut
Bleacher Report’s Chris Roling missed the mark by a very wide margin with this on.
In his article about the biggest names who could potentially be cut before the season, Roling went with Tennessee Titans tight end, Delanie Walker, as one of his choices, saying the veteran might be “expendable” because of his injury from 2018, his age, and his contract.
"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."
Yikes. As we pointed out on Monday, this take is outlandish, but we can go through it again just in case you missed it.
The younger tight ends Roling mentions earlier in the write-up are Jonnu Smith and MyCole Pruitt. The problem there is that Pruitt would not be a replacement for a top-notch pass-catcher like Walker, as he’s just a blocking tight end and has shown nothing in terms of catching the ball.
If anything, fellow tight end, Anthony Firsker, would get a bump in the passing offense if Walker were to be cut, which again, will not happen.
In a season in which the Titans are trying to make an important, long-term assessment on Mariota, there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell Walker will get cut. He’s Mariota’s most trusted target, and is arguably the No. 1 option in this passing offense.
Walker is one of the best tight ends in the league, having totaled 800 yards or more (1,088 in 2015) and five touchdowns in each of the four seasons prior to his injury-shortened 2018.
Not to mention, the man is a legend in Tennessee, and in my opinion, a future Hall of Fame tight end. With all those factors being considered, you don’t just dump him like the garbage.
Walker made it clear after he made his return in Preseason Week 2 with two catches and a touchdown that these kinds of takes from doubters only fuel his fire to come back this season. I’d hate to be tasked with tackling him in Week 1 when he hits the field against the Cleveland Browns.