Tennessee Titans can still do more
A week ago, Tennessee Titans fans were calling for Jon Robinson’s job, but no one feels that way after he signed two-time Pro Bowl tight end Austin Hooper traded for L.A. Rams receiver Robert Woods.
When you look at the Titans’ immediate needs going forward, it is a legitimate debate between WR3, LG, and TE2. Left guard and tight end are positions where you can pencil in a starter, but a strong addition could take the position from average to very good.
Wide receiver is a different story. Last week adding one receiver would have been great, but Julio Jones was released and that means that the Tennessee Titans need to bring multiple receivers this offseason.
With Woods in the fold, the starting two receivers are locked in for week one but last year Titans fans saw just how rough a depth chart can get when wide receivers start to get banged up. Since that thought is fresh in the mind of fans and decision-makers alike, you can expect the team to spend one of their first two draft picks on a wide receiver.
There is another option though. Since Mike Vrabel hates starting rookies, maybe the smartest option is for the Titans to find a third wide receiver in free agency. That would give you a third veteran who could come in and play alongside A.J. Brown and Robert Woods, and it would allow Bobby Trees the chance to fully rest and recover before being expected to start.
Three names stick out as nice fits for the Tennessee Titans, starting with the biggest boom or bust candidate on the market.
Will Fuller
The Tennessee Titans have one of the best young receivers in the NFL in A.J. Brown and he has all the tools you could want in a WR1. On the other side, Robert Woods is a savvy route runner with great vision and football I.Q., and he dominates the short and intermediate part of the field.
What the Titans don’t currently have, is a proven deep threat. Enter Will Fuller.
Now, you have to sign Will Fuller knowing that he isn’t going to play every week and he probably will only play about half of his games for one reason or another. However, that is actually perfect for the Titans.
It feels inevitable that the Titans will draft a wide receiver with one of their top-100 picks, but drafting Will Fuller means that you have three real threats at receiver that can all win in different ways. So, until Fuller has to miss time there really isn’t any reason to rush a rookie to be ready for the start of the season.
Best-case scenario, Fuller stays healthy all season and you have a great rookie prospect on the bench watching one of the best wide receiver trios in the NFL.
Worst-case scenario, Fuller gets hurt early and you get to see your rookie investment in action.
The only reason why teams are scared of Will Fuller is that they don’t want to depend on him only for him to miss a big chunk of time. Well, that won’t be an issue in Tennessee.
Cole Beasley
Beasley is not the most well-liked guy in the world, but we are talking about bringing in a guy to be a one-year band-aid.
There are a few receivers out there who moonlight as slot receivers like Emmanuel Sanders, but there really isn’t anyone left who is a slot specialist like Beasley.
If the Tennessee Titans decide that they want to draft a receiver on Day 2 who projects to the slot in the NFL, then adding Beasley makes a lot of sense. The rookie could pick up the nuances of the game from him and Robert Woods who also spends some time there, and again no one would be rushing him to start.
There are some interesting Day 2 receivers in this draft class who fit this description. Guys like Wan’Dale Robinson and Calvin Austin played their college football fairly close to Nashville and these are guys who could be familiar with the Titans based on their proximity.
Is this a move I would make? Maybe, but it would be my least favorite signing on this list. My favorite/slightly delusional option for the Titans is a veteran that still has some juice left in the tank.
A.J. Green
Not only did A.J. Green play in 16 games last year for the Arizona Cardinals he led the team in yards per catch.
Throughout their entire career, A.J. Green and Julio Jones have been compared to each other. For most of that time, Julio Jones has been seen as the receiver with the better career by a slight margin. How interesting would it be for the Titans to sign Green and for him to have another great season to push himself about Julio in the conversation (at least in Tennessee).
That obviously isn’t going to be a motivating factor for the Titans or Green, but at this point, the starting receiver jobs in the NFL are disappearing quickly.
Since the Cardinals haven’t re-signed Green, maybe it is time for him to move on to another team where he can be a starter on the boundary.
In Tennessee, Green could start outside opposite A.J. Brown and Robert Woods could line up in the slot. When the Titans decide to just use two receivers, Green can be the first one off of the field because despite playing 900+ snaps last season, you don’t want to overwork him.
Again, the theme is to not put too much pressure on a rookie that Mike Vrabel won’t want to start. If that is the case, then drafting A.J. Green opens the door to drafting one of the “project” receivers in this draft.
Jalen Tolbert from South Alabama and Christian Watson from NDST come to mind as guys who are probably going to need some time to adjust to the talent level in the NFL, but who have all the skills to thrive.
Or (and this will thrill a large section of Titans fans), maybe Green is the perfect bridge to one of the Alabama receivers. Jameson Williams and John Metchie were both having great seasons before they each tore an ACL in the postseason.
Whether it is Williams in the first round or Metchie in the third round, Green would definitely take all eyes off of the timetable for either player and allow them to learn behind a Hall of Famer until they were ready to take the field.