A new era has begun for the Tennessee Titans. With the first overall pick in this year's draft, the team selected Cam Ward out of Miami and hope that he'll be the last quarterback they have to spend an early draft pick on for quite some time.
While the Titans' wide receiver room leaves quite a bit to be desired, Mike Borgonzi made the brilliant move of signing Xavier Restrepo as an undrafted free agent. Ward and Restrepo played together at Miami and the wideout tore it up during his final year in college, tallying 1,127 yards and a whopping 11 touchdowns with Ward as his quarterback.
It shouldn't surprise anyone to see the two already picking up where they left off during their college days together. Titans beat reporter Jim Wyatt reported that "Ward and receiver Xavier Restrepo have great chemistry from their days at the University of Miami, and it was on full display on Tuesday," and then discussed a specific play that unfolded. "Ward connected with Restrepo on a bullet across the middle early, and he hit Restrepo again in a team period with cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. on his hip."
Cam Ward and Xavier Restrepo picking up where they left off at Miami
It's always a smart move to bring in a player that connected with the incoming rookie quarterback while they two were in college because it gives them a safety net. Ward hasn't played with Calvin Ridley or Tyler Lockett or Van Jefferson before, but he has played with Restrepo before and the two have always seemingly been on the same page.
The aforementioned three receivers paired with the two rookie draft picks Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike will likely make the roster and now it's looking more and more likely that Restrepo will nab the sixth (and potentially final) spot. Former first-rounder Treylon Burks is listed as a third-string receiver on OurLads, which isn't a good sign for his future in Tennessee.
Ward is going to need all of the help he can get as he tries to break into the NFL and hope to turn around the Titans. If Restrepo can help him do that, then good on Borgonzi for reuniting the pair of Hurricanes.