5 Mid-tier wide receivers the Tennessee Titans should target in free agency
3. Kendrick Bourne
While all of these guys are under-the-radar options, Bourne is someone who especially seems to have flown under the radar. Having gone undrafted in 2017, he has found his form and established himself as a reliable contributor in any team's receiving core.
For as un-flashy as his name is, he has attributes that make an effective wideout in today's NFL, including pretty smooth route running. Possibly more notable are his abilities with the ball in his hands, as he is elusive and quick after the catch.
Like the previously mentioned Boyd, you cannot expect Bourne to take the top off of the defense, but so few receivers of his overall caliber can. He can consistently get open and will burn defenses if given legitimate space to work with, which is more than enough given what he would be asked to do for the Titans.
Bourne's numbers over the past four seasons have been quite solid, and he looked well on his way to a career year in 2023. Unfortunately, though, his season was cut short right around the halfway point as he suffered a torn ACL.
That will be easily the biggest knock on his resume as he enters free agency and for obviously good reason. But the good news is that the injury occurred at the end of October, and while many guys have taken longer than expected to rehab such significant injuries, general timelines tell you that Bourne should be ready to go for the start of the 2024 season.
On the early side of age 29, which he will be in the 2024 season, he will still be young enough to recover from an ACL and still be fine for a few more seasons. And the fact that he was having that good of a season in the Patriots offense, arguably the league's worst in 2023, indicates that Bourne still has juice in him.
When you weigh the pros and cons and consider the role that he would have in the Titans offense, the injury should not be a big scare, especially since he has no true injury history. Heck, if it brings down his asking price by a fairly significant amount, maybe that is more incentive to take a swing on a guy like Bourne.