Tag: Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Titans injury report: Nick Westbrook-Ikhine out, Colton Dowell limited

The Tennessee Titans returned to practice on Wednesday and multiple starters including Nick Westrook-Ikhine on the sidelines.

The Tennessee Titans were back on the practice field Wednesday, ramping up preparations for their Week 16 tussle with the Indianapolis Colts and watched numerous players sit out due to injury. 

As expected, Luke Gifford did not practice and remains in concussion protocol. The same could be said for the other players Brian Callahan mentioned during his press availability: Kenneth Murray, T’Vondre Sweat and Tony Pollard. 

Not mentioned during his session were kicker Nick Folk (abdomen), defensive back Daryl Worley (calf) and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (ankle). Unlike the other players that were held out for injury or rest, these three were not mentioned at all and are new. 

In all, 10 players sat out practice Wednesday afternoon. There was some positive news as linebacker Jerome Baker, who missed Week 15 with a neck injury, practiced and was not listed on the injury report. 

Wide receiver Colton Dowell had his 21-day practice window opened and returned to practice for the first time since tearing his ACL in December 2023 and was limited. 

The Titans’ complete injury report for Wednesday can be found below. 

Did not participate: DT Jeffery Simmons (NIR/rest), LB Kenneth Murray (hamstring), DT T’Vondre Sweat (shoulder), WR Tyler Boyd (foot), K Nick Folk (abdomen), RB Tony Pollard (ankle),  LB Luke Gifford (concussion), LB Otis Reese (ankle), DB Daryl Worley (calf), Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (ankle)

Limited participant: WR Colton Dowell (knee)

Full participant: CB Roger McCreary (shoulder), OT Jaelyn Duncan (hamstring)

Titans vs. Vikings Player of the Game: WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

The Tennessee Titans fell to the Minnesota Vikings, 23-13, in Week 11 and WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is our Player of the Game.

The Tennessee Titans hosted the Minnesota Vikings at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday in Week 11 action.

Before the game ever started, the Titans were fighting an uphill battle. The Vikings have a decent offense and a stout defense with a 7-2 record, while the Titans have struggled to acclimate to Brian Callahan’s scheme.

Still, the Titans fought hard, had two takeaways, and looked like they might be turning into an actual team. But the unforced errors, the penalties, and the turnovers are what truly hurt them today.

Still, there was one player who stood out this week with exceptional play. This week’s Player of the Game is Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.

Westbrook-Ikhine may not have caught all of the passes that went his way today, but he did record two catches for 117 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown reception came on a play where the line of scrimmage was Tennessee’s two-yard line.

Will Levis dropped back into the end zone looking for a deep ball and found Westbrook-Ikhine down the field. Mr. Reliable caught the pass and did the rest.

Westbrook-Ikhine has become a favorite target for Levis, right behind Calvin Ridley. They were both targeted six times today with Ridley catching four passes for 58 yards.

The Titans next face the Houston Texans on the road.

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How DeAndre Hopkins’ departure elevated Nick Westbrook-Ikhine’s game

The Titans’ trade of DeAndre Hopkins ignited a spark in its remaining wide receivers, including Nick Westbrook-Ikhine who is Mr. Reliable.

The Tennessee Titans got off to a pretty rough start in 2024, currently sitting at 2-6 heading into Week 10. During the offseason, the Titans made a ton of adjustments, firing Mike Vrabel and hiring Brian Callahan, hiring Dennard Wilson as defensive coordinator and signing talent like Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd.

But not all of those changes had the desired impact. In fact, Will Levis couldn’t find his receivers at all early in the season, and even Mason Rudolph struggled until the Titans traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Hopkins’ departure not only saw Ridley stepping up to set an example among the receivers, but Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has stormed onto the scene as a clutch receiver. His reliability is what led NFL Insider Turron Davenport to nickname him ‘Mr. Accord.’

 

While he doesn’t drive an Accord, Westbrook-Ikhine sported a shirt bearing the logo. “My buddy sent me I think it was when I made the 53 in training camp,” he told reporters. “Turron put out some sweet about ‘Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is like a Honda Accord, it might not look pretty but he’ll do what you need him to do,’ or something like that, it will get you from A to B. So, that was the ode there, just trying to be Mr. Reliable. I didn’t make that nickname, but I like it, you know, it’s an honor.”

Westbrook-Ikhine has recorded 10 receptions this season for 108 yards and four touchdowns. All of his receptions are for a first down or a touchdown, except for one.

Hopkins’ departure, Tyler Boyd’s nagging shoulder injury, and Treylon Burks landing on IR were perfect for Westbrook-Ikhine to show what he is capable of. And that’s exactly what the fifth-year veteran is doing. Stay tuned as the Nick Westbrook-Ikhine Show continues on Sunday in California.

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Contract details for Titans WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine revealed

The details of Nick Westbrook-Ikhine’s one-year deal with the Titans.

When it was first reported that the Tennessee Titans were re-signing wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to a one-year deal, we didn’t have the exact amount he was set to make on the contract.

However, thanks to Over the Cap, we now have that figure. NWI’s one-year deal is worth $2 million which presents a fairly significant raise from the $1.26 million he made in 2023.

It’s important to note, though, that only $750,000 of Westbrook-Ikhine’s deal is fully guaranteed, and ultimately his cap number for 2024 sits at $1.29 million.

That’s certainly a reasonable contract for someone who figures to slot in as a No. 4 receiver, at best, behind a top three of DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley and Treylon Burks.

I wouldn’t say NWI is a lock to make the roster, and his position on the depth chart will depend upon a few factors, like injuries, Kyle Philips’ involvement in the offense and if Tennessee adds more help at the position, whether that be in the 2024 NFL draft, free agency, or both.

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Grade for Titans re-signing WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

How we graded the Titans’ re-signing of WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in free agency.

In what is a testament to what the franchise thinks of him, wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has survived a coaching change and will return to the Tennessee Titans in 2024.

We know it’s a one-year deal, but the financial terms have yet to be revealed. Chances are it’ll be a slight raise from the $1.26 million he made in 2023, which is more than reasonable for the caliber of player he is.

NWI has had no shortage of detractors over the past few years because he seems to always find himself with a bigger role than anticipated, mostly thanks to injuries. That has, in turn, exposed the limitations he has as a receiver, but placing blame on him isn’t warranted.

NWI can’t control the factors that lead to his being thrown into those roles, all he can do is try to answer the bell when it happens, something we have seen him do occasionally during his four years in Nashville.

The reality is, he’s a solid depth piece in the wide receivers room who can block and be a key contributor on special teams, and teams need guys like him.

To be honest, I would have liked to see the Titans add more speed to the back end of their depth chart, but they certainly could do a lot worse than a depth piece like Westbrook-Ikhine, who brings value with the different ways he can contribute.

Grade: B

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13 pending offensive free agents with ties to the Panthers’ coaching staff

Mike Evans, who is set to hit the open market, had his best season in years under new Panthers HC Dave Canales.

With new head coach Dave Canales leading the transition, the Carolina Panthers have completely overhauled their offensive staff this winter. And with new faces comes new connections for the organization.

Here are 13 pending offensive free agents, in areas of particular need, with ties to Canales’ staff:

12 free agents Giants could target based on coaching hires

These 12 free agents could become free agent targets of the New York Giants based on their offseason coaching and coordinator hires.

The New York Giants significantly overhauled their coaching staff this offseason, changing two of their three coordinators while also switching out a multitude of assistant coaches.

Because of those changes, the team will need to readjust their personnel by way of free agency and the 2024 NFL draft in an effort to match talent with the new schemes.

As a reminder, here are the notable coaching changes:

  • Defensive coordinator, Shane Bowen
  • Special teams coordinator, Michael Ghobrial
  • Running backs coach, Joel Thomas
  • Offensive line coach, Carmen Bricillo
  • Tight ends coach, Tim Kelly

These new arrivals create an interesting dynamic headed into free agency. They are intimately familiar with several of the available players and have developed trust with them over the years.

While that doesn’t necessarily mean any or all of them will be signed by the Giants, there is likely to be some crossover.

Here is a look at 12 impending free agents the Giants could target based on the above coaching changes/hires.

Titans camp preview at WR: Locks, competitions, 53-man prediction

In our latest installment of Titans training camp previews, we take a look at the very shaky wide receiver situation.

As we continue to inch closer to training camp, the next installment of our 2023 preview series for the Tennessee Titans comes at wide receiver, a position that has been a hot topic of conversation this offseason.

After having arguably the worst wide receiver corps. in the NFL in 2022, the Titans did basically nothing to address their issue in free agency and the draft. As a result, they’ve found a way to be worse off.

Tennessee rightly parted ways with their lackluster leading receiver from last season, Robert Woods, but only added Chris Moore and seventh-round pick, Colton Dowell, two additions that were hardly adequate for what this team really needed, which was a wide receiver who could make a sizeable, guaranteed impact.

The Titans still have an opportunity to improve the group in a big way with their pursuit of DeAndre Hopkins, but seemingly putting all their eggs in that basket is far too risky.

As we wait for Hopkins to make a decision, we can only preview the guys the Titans currently have on their offseason roster. Here’s a look at who the roster locks and players on the bubble are, as well as a look at the competitions set to take place and a 53-man prediction.

Ranking the WRs in the AFC South entering 2023

From Calvin Ridley to Kyle Philips, here’s a ranking of the WRs in the AFC South entering 2023.

The AFC South isn’t the first division to come to mind when you think of the elite receivers in the NFL.

As far as what it does offer at the position is the return of a player that was on the trajectory to be one of the best in the league, a group that has the potential to be good-to-great receivers that are in the developmental stages of their career, and players that are looking to prove that they are more than being role players that contribute on special teams.

For the purpose of this list, I took the top three receivers from all four team’s depth charts according to Ourlads so you won’t find rookies like Josh Downs and Tank Dell who will likely end up being contributors for their offenses as rookies.

Be sure to check out our other AFC South rankings entering the new season:

Let’s take a look at how the receivers rank across the AFC South:

1 veteran on roster bubble at each position on offense for the Titans

Shaun Calderon takes a look at one veteran from each position group on offense who’s on the roster bubble ahead of training camp.

As we inch closer to training camp with each passing day, the Tennessee Titans still have their fair share of position battles that need to be resolved at a handful of different spots.

While there are a few question marks atop the depth chart, the majority of these battles taking place are set to identify which players will ultimately secure a reserve role for themselves.

Several of these competitions include a veteran player or two who are right on the cusp of the roster bubble.

This article is going to discuss one veteran player at each position group on the offensive side of the ball who could find themselves on the outside looking in come roster cut day.

Some positions have obvious choices to make, while others are worthy of having a real debate. Let’s find out which offensive veterans I think are on the roster bubble heading into camp.