The wide receiver position has been a sore subject for the Tennessee Titans and their fans for years, even before the infamous AJ Brown trade was made in April 2022. The receiver room has consistently struggled since that fateful day.
Having landed four wide receivers during the week of the 2025 NFL Draft, it's too early to say the Titans have gotten better at wideout, but at least for the moment, it has gotten deeper.
The Titans used not one, but two picks on receivers during the NFL Draft, selecting both Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor in the fourth round. They also signed Cam Ward's college teammate Xavier Restrepo as an undrafted free agent, and they signed veteran Tyler Lockett the night before the draft.
Those four moves were part of a Titans draft that many have graded highly, and it will force the team to make some tough decisions on who and who not to keep come training camp. Considering all the trouble they have had at receiver for essentially three consecutive seasons, everyone should consider this a good problem to have.
Roster locks: Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett
There is hardly anything needed to be explained here, as these are the only two receivers on the Titans roster that even somewhat resemble the term "headliner." Ridley was signed to a big-money contract last offseason and in spite of everything that went wrong in 2024, he had a 1,000-yard season and will be the team's number one option this Fall.
Lockett, as mentioned, was recently acquired and has had a remarkably consistent and healthy career for 10-plus years. He is certainly on the back end of his career and will not be expected to record the same numbers as he did in his prime, but he should at least be serviceable in 2025.
If absolutely nothing else, Lockett will be a great presence of veteran leadership on a Titans team that desperately needs it.
Expected to make it: Van Jefferson, Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor
While not quite locks, something went horribly wrong if Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor, and Van Jefferson don't make the 53-man roster. Jefferson, who has had an unspectacular career in the NFL, is a solid depth receiver at best. He's the favorite to play early snaps at "X" unless Dike or Ayomanor outperform initial expectations.
The Ayomanor pick especially earned praise as the team's strongest day-three selection. The Titans also added tight end Gunnar Helm in the fourth round. The hope is that the Titans landed a trio of pass-catching contributors in a single round.
In the thick of a battle for a spot: Bryce Oliver, James Proche, Xavier Restrepo
Anyone listed from here on down will come into training camp knowing they are competing to make the 53, and it starts with sophomore undrafted free agent Bryce Oliver. Oliver turned some heads with a strong performance in last year's preseason, and while he did not make the roster then, he eventually got called up from the practice squad and contributed late in the season.
Oliver saw some game action in 2024 and made some big plays. His spot is obviously nowhere near a given, but if he continues to build on what he did last season, it will be tough for Brian Callahan and company to justify keeping him off the roster yet again.
James Proche II was brought in earlier this offseason, and his value comes almost exclusively as a returner on special teams. Past Titans seasons can attest that that matters immensely, but considering that is about all he brings to the table, it might be tough for him to be awarded a spot. That is mainly because Dike can help out as both a gunner and returner, so Proche will really have to separate himself given the post-draft roster makeup.
Rounding out this list is former Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, Cam Ward's go-to receiver and teammate. Everyone already wants to see Restrepo make the roster. For what it is worth, he probably has a better chance than just about any Titans UDFA in past years, as he has chemistry with Ward and was a legitimately good player in college.
Fans still have to remind themselves that Restrepo was, in fact, undrafted, and not for no reason. He will be tasked with proving that his measurements and below average athleticism can be overcome, and do so early on, or else the Titans will remind themselves why they passed on him nine times during the draft.
On thin ice: Treylon Burks and Mason Kinsey
What can, at the very least, be described as a tumultuous career thus far, Treylon Burks' time as a Titan actually might be coming to an end in 2025. Burks was unfairly seen as the player acquired in the franchise-altering AJ Brown trade. He had no control over that situation, but it is not like he has done anything to make anyone feel better, coming nowhere near reaching the production level of a first-round pick.
Burks is a full-blown bust at this point in his career, having produced one touchdown in three seasons. Plus, his latest injury is apparently bad enough that it might keep him out of training camp, so the now fourth-year receiver will come into training camp facing an uphill battle.
There is no reason to think Burks deserves a roster spot. Sure, he was a first-round pick, but that was three years and two GM's ago. Burks has to be a standout performer at training camp to even have a chance.
Mason Kinsey is a cool story, having been on the Titans' practice squad for over four years now, mostly because of his value as a punt returner. The problem now though is that he hardly provides much else on the field, and the team has multiple other guys who can help on special teams, while adding more to the offense/defense.
As per usual, there is a very good chance the Titans would love to keep Kinsey around as a practice squad member for a fifth straight season, and the feeling might be mutual. But his chances of making the actual 53-man roster look slim and are highly unlikely to improve before the regular season starts.
Practice squad guys if anything: Jha'Quan Jackson, Colton Dowell, Tay Martin
Quite frankly, it would be quite a shock if any of these guys made the 53-man roster at the end of training camp. It starts with Jha'Quan Jackson, who was drafted last year by Ran Carthon in the sixth round, primarily because of his value as a kickoff and punt returner.
Jackson struggled at both, doing so poorly that he was a healthy inactive for the last five games of the year after his last fumbled kickoff return. The Titans clearly do not see a use for him outside of his special teams contributions, and if they cannot trust him to do even that, he might be on the way out sooner rather than later.
Colton Dowell was drafted in the seventh round in 2023 and made the roster, but tore his ACL and MCL late that year, and did not recover in time for training camp the next. He never saw roster action in 2024, and it is tough because he did not get a real chance to prove himself, but he ultimately has not shown anything to get excited about.
Tay Martin actually caught a deep touchdown pass in the Titans' Week 18 game in 2024, but that was his only appearance last year. Martin has played four total games in three years, so there is no reason to assume he will show anything worth holding onto.