The Tennessee Titans tight end position took a hit this offseason, as Jonnu Smith left in free agency, signing with the Patriots. The loss of Smith takes away a major weapon from Ryan Tannehill and the Titans’ offense and the team didn’t address the tight end position in the draft.
Here are the tight ends on the roster:
- Anthony Firkser
- Parker Hesse
- Tommy Hudson
- Briley Moore
- Jared Pinkney
- Geoff Swaim
Firksey is going to be the starter, barring something unusual. The 26-year-old tight end out of Harvard has never put up more than 400 yards in a season and hasn’t had more than one touchdown each year, but he’s the best name on the roster.
Swaim has been a journeyman, playing for three different teams in six years but this is his second season with the Titans. He had just nine catches for 83 yards and a touchdown a season ago, but he’ll have more opportunities to prove himself in 2021 with Smith no longer on the team.
Hesse, Hudson, and Pinkney have yet to appear in a game for Tennessee while Moore was a UDFA signing this year out of Kansas State. Moore is actually a UDFA that could make waves for the Titans if given the opportunity to play. Firkser went undrafted and look where he’s at today — Starting at tight end for the Tennessee Titans. It’s possible to make an impact as an undrafted free agent.
The Tennessee Titans’ tight end position is in a worse spot than it was a year ago.
Smith never had a ton of receiving yards during his Titans tenure but he was a red zone target, hauling in eight touchdowns last year. He was a significant piece of the Tennessee offense and not only did he depart this offseason, but so did Corey Davis and Adam Humphries. A.J. Brown and Derrick Henry are the only legitimate weapons returning in 2021.
Firkser and Swaim as the two main tight ends isn’t a great situation to be in but the hope is that with all of those weapons leaving, it’ll open things up more for Firkser. Hopefully, by season’s end, Firkser is considered a reliable target for Tennessee.