Special teams is an important third element in football that is seldom talked about, but can win or lose games for a team. For years, the Titans have ranked near the bottom of the league in return yards, but they may have finally solved that issue with their drafting of wide receiver Chimere Dike.
The fourth-round rookie draft pick out of the University of Florida just won the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after leading the NFL in kick return average in their week five victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The award marked the first time a Titans' returner has won it since the 2012 season, when Darius Reynaud brought home the honor.
That year was also the last time a Titans player returned a punt for a touchdown. The team has made several attempts at drafting a player capable of being an electrifying returner through the years, and Dike seems to be the one who stops that drought.
Titans rookie WR Chimere Dike is solving the team's multi-year problem on special teams
After the Arizona Cardinals scored a touchdown to take a 21-3 lead early in the second quarter on Sunday, Dike returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards into scoring position for their struggling offense. They eventually kicked a field goal to cut their deficit to 21-6, which was huge in their 22-21 comeback victory.
In his NFL debut against the Denver Broncos in week one, Dike offset Brian Callahan's late-half play-calling blunder with a 71-yard kickoff return with 16 seconds remaining to allow the Titans to cut a 10-6 deficit to 10-9 going into halftime. He also nearly broke their punt return touchdown streak in their week two loss to the Los Angeles Rams before a bogus block in the back penalty negated his 57-yard return touchdown.
Dike currently has the Titans ranked eighth in punt return average and seventh in kick return average, including third in total kick return yards with 666 yards. That number also makes him first among players returning kicks this season. He has proven to be a dynamic weapon for the team in the return game, giving the Titans something they haven't had in over a decade.