ESPN’s Matt Bowen says Titans should make this personnel shift
By Will Lomas
What changes need to happen?
On paper, you would think that going from an extra tight end to a wide receiver would mean that you are sacrificing receiving talent for blocking ability.
However, a look past the positions shows you that Corey Davis is the Titans’ best blocker outside of the offensive linemen on the roster. Similarly, Firkser is a more dangerous receiver, often beating the defenses worst player in coverage.
Firkser had 14.6 yards per catch during the regular season, which was third-best on the roster (for players with 10+ receptions) behind A.J. Brown and Kalif Raymond. That number only got better in the playoffs, and with 15 yards per reception in the postseason when things got tougher, you can see why they like him on the field.
However, the blocking ability of Corey Davis is so crucial to the long runs from Derrick Henry and the yards after catch from A.J. Brown and Jonnu Smith. Also, just because Firkser was more productive per reception, it doesn’t mean that Davis was bad as a receiver.
Last year Davis has 14 yards per reception, and a huge problem with the perception of Corey Davis is his volume. Whether you like it or not, Davis has been pretty productive with the chances he has had, even if it isn’t quite what you would want from a player drafted as high as he was.
Last year, there were only two players who were targeted less frequently than Corey Davis who also finished with more yards than he did. Those players were Jared Cook and Tyrell Williams, while players like Juju Smith-Schuster, T.Y. Hilton and Kenny Stills all had fewer yards and fewer yards per reception than Davis.
Final verdict
So what change needs to happen? Ultimately the best thing the Titans could do is throw the ball to Corey Davis more frequently and use this personnel as their standard offense. If the Titans built everything off of this group, you would have the flexibility to run or pass on the field, and you have the role players to sub in if you think something else is needed.
On top of that, this gives you your best combination of big-play weapons and blockers if all things are equal.
However, there are a lot of teams whose third linebacker is terrible in coverage which would explain why getting Firkser on the field frequently would be so appealing. They now have to go back to that decision of “Do I put a linebacker out there to get burnt, or do I put a safety out there to get run over by Derrick Henry?” and that is a decision no one wants to make.