Tennessee Titans have one of the worst tight end units in the league

The Tennessee Titans were hit hard in the offseason but one of the positions they were hit the hardest at was at tight end, as they lost Jonnu Smith to the Patriots.

The Titans didn’t add much at the position and plan to roll with Geoff Swaim and Anthony Firkser as the two main options at tight end. As a result, Mike Clay of ESPN doesn’t have the Titans’ tight ends ranked highly in his position rankings. Clay gave the Titans’ tight ends a rating of 0.6, which is their worst position on the team.

The only teams in worse situations at tight end than Tennessee are the Cardinals, Jaguars, Panthers, and Bills. This isn’t a great spot for Tennessee, who really relied on Smith last year and without him, Ryan Tannehill is missing a key target in the offense.

Tennessee Titans tight ends don’t inspire much confidence

Swaim spent last season with the Titans after having played for the Cowboys and Jaguars for a combined five years. The 27-year-old (soon-to-be 28-year-old in September) didn’t do much for the Titans last year, hauling in just nine receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown through 10 games and eight starts.

Firkser seemed to be the favorite to start and it’d make sense as to why. He’s younger (26 years old and not turning 27 until after the 2021 season) and has done a lot more damage during his time with the team. He’s also spent the entirety of his three-year career with the Titans, meaning the team knows what he’s capable of.

Firkser’s best season came last year when he caught 39 passes for 387 yards and one touchdown through 16 games and one start. The Harvard product is someone who the Titans are hoping to take a big leap this year and with how much Tannehill likes to target tight ends, it’s not crazy to think that Firkser could do just that.

As for the rest of the depth at tight end, Luke Stocker, Miller Forristall, Gabe Holmes, Tommy Hudson, and Jared Pinkney make up the rest of that group. It’ll be interesting to see who stands out and shines the most in the first preseason game and if anyone is able to make a leap on the depth chart.

Until we see what these tight ends are capable of, the Titans will continue to be at the bottom of the pack at the position.