Things haven’t gone all that smoothly for the Tennessee Titans offense in training camp so far, but that’s expected with such a young unit, led by a rookie quarterback. While the offense isn’t where it wants to be yet, the unit has seen enough promising flashes to be optimistic. What has been especially exciting for Tennessee is how quickly rookies are emerging on offense.
Of course, Ward has had his moments, and so has his college teammate Xavier Restrepo, who’s making his name known as an undrafted rookie. However, there has been another rookie pass catcher that has been especially impressive: tight end Gunnar Helm.
In a recent ESPN piece, looking at training camp updates throughout the league, Jeremy Fowler highlighted three rookie pass catchers for the Titans: Helm, Chimere Dike, and Elic Ayomanor. While all three have made plays throughout camp and are expected to be in the rotation, Fowler zeroed in on Helm to point out how he could emerge as the starter.
"And in the case of Helm, who has natural pass-catching skills, he could really take off. The Titans have been impressed with his pass-catching ability. Now, he has to nail the rest of the tight end routine. But don't be surprised if Tennessee runs two-TE sets with Chig Okonkwo and Helm soon enough."Jeremy Fowler (ESPN)
Gunnar Helm could emerge as Titans’ starting tight end with impressive camp
Helm was selected in the fourth round of the 2025 Draft after a four-year career at Texas where he caught 79 passes for 1,022 yards and nine touchdowns. The bulk of that production came during his final season when he posted 60 receptions for 786 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games. He’s now picking up where he left off, just at the next level.
It’s not surprising he’s throwing his name into the mix of the team’s top tight ends, because that’s not a position Tennessee is particularly strong at. In 2024, Chig Okonkwo led the Titans tight ends in receiving yards with just 478. Josh Whyle was next on the list with 248 yards. So if Helm can continue what he’s already shown, and improve as preseason games start, he’ll be ready to contribute as soon as Week 1.