The Tennessee Titans are reportedly planning on letting wide receiver Corey Davis and tight end Jonnu Smith leave in free agency, according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, ending their respective tenures in Nashville.
While it isn’t totally shocking to see Tennessee part ways with two of their offensive weapons, we figured Davis at least had a chance to be re-signed by the team this offseason.
After all, Davis was a key cog in the Titans’ elite offense, Ryan Tannehill’s No. 2 option and he was part of one of the better wide receiver tandems in the NFL last season, along with fellow wideout, A.J. Brown.
However, it appears the Titans weren’t intent on paying a No. 2 receiver a significant amount of money during an offseason in which the team is strapped for cash and has big needs to fill, particularly on defense.
Despite his coming off a career year and having unrealized star potential, we never really expected the team to retain Smith, as he’s more of a luxury than anything else, which made him expendable.
He was never utilized enough in the offense, and Tennessee’s unit didn’t miss a beat when his role in the passing game waned after the injury to left tackle Taylor Lewan forced him into more of a blocking role.
With neither returning in 2021, the Titans are now faced with a ton of work to do with a pass-catching group that was already lacking depth.
Not only is Tennessee losing two of its top-three receiving yardage leaders from last season, but they released Adam Humphries, leaving a hole in the slot, also.
As far as where the Titans go from here at both positions remains to be seen.
We’d expect Tennessee to add a new, cheaper No. 2 receiver and at least one depth piece in free agency for a much-needed immediate fix, and then explore adding at least one or two more during the 2021 NFL draft.
At tight end, the team could re-sign its other free agents at the position, like Geoff Swaim, Antony Firkser and MyCole Pruitt, all of whom combined check the boxes the Titans need at the position. From there, Tennessee could explore adding another during the draft with an eye on the future.
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