Will Fuller could be the missing piece for Tennessee Titans offense
After taking some time to reflect on the Tennessee Titans’ picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, it was very clear that there are reasons to be excited as well as reasons to be concerned.
Overall, I believe entirely in Jon Robinson’s capability to build a team, but by trading A.J Brown, there is a considerable amount of pressure on rookies to perform in 2022.
Specifically, the Titans aren’t loaded at the receiver position. If A.J. Brown was still in Nashville, then this would be one of the best groups in the NFL. Unfortunately, Tennessee lacks proven starters at the top of this list after Robert Woods, and young players are going to have to step up.
1. Robert Woods (4.51)
2. Treylon Burks (4.55)
3. Kyle Phillips (4.58)
4. Nick Westbrook-Ikine (4.68)
5. Dez Fitzpatrick (4.46)
Why this creates a domino effect for the Tennessee Titans
This is a problem. Even if there is disagreement with who is 3 and who is 4, the fact that the fastest wide receiver in our top five is Dez Fitzpatrick likely means that defenses are going to take their chances with the deep ball.
This means that they are going to be more willing to stack the box against a healthy Derrick Henry, and the Titans have less ability to punish them for doing so.
This is where Will Fuller comes into play.
The former Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins WR would instantly step in as the second most accomplished receiver on the roster with elite speed (4.32 40-yard dash). This would force defenses to account for him on every play, taking attention away from the dominant run game.
Additionally, this takes the pressure off of Burks to immediately replace the production that the Titans are losing in A.J. Brown. Signing Fuller is also cohesive with the Titans scheme as new passing game coordinator Tim Kelly worked extensively with Fuller as a member of the Houston Texans.
The concerns with Fuller are due to his extensive injury history, but I don’t think that should be a big issue for the Tennessee Titans.
The NFL is in the third or fourth wave of free agency right now, and that usually means the contracts aren’t going to include a lot of guaranteed money or long-term cap implications. Instead, this is when you have a chance to get a good value on a player who is limited in what they can bring to a team, but who can still make an impact and potentially use a one-year deal to leverage themselves into a big contract down the like (think Jadeveon Clowney).
Assuming that he is not asking for a ridiculous amount of money, no one in free agency matches his pedigree and compatibility with the Tennessee Titans offense, and he should be the first person Jon Robinson calls once the Julio Jones camp money hits the bank account on June-1st.