The ground game was the most prominent part of the Tennessee Titans’ offense last season, with running back Derrick Henry finishing out the season with the NFL’s rushing title (1,540 yards).
But the Titans also showed flashes in a passing game that had originally appeared stagnant when the season began.
In particular, former Ole Miss wide receiver A.J. Brown quickly cemented himself as the team’s No. 1 wideout, and will continue to come into his own in the upcoming season.
So, where does the Titans’ corps of wide receivers rank among the rest of the NFL’s units?
According to Pro Football Focus’ Ben Linsey, not incredibly high.
He placed the Titans at No. 23 on the list, which ranked them third among the rest of the AFC South. The Houston Texans (No. 20) and Indianapolis Colts (No. 22) were both ranked higher.
“A.J. Brown was all the Titans could have hoped for and more as a rookie last season,” Linsey wrote. “His after-the-catch ability translated immediately over from Ole Miss to Tennessee, and he ended up leading all wide receivers in yards after the catch per reception at 8.9 yards, averaging over 20 yards per reception in all.”
But what about the other players at the position not named A.J. Brown?
“Beyond Brown, the Titans’ receiving corps is full of solid yet unexciting options. Corey Davis has provided reasonable WR2-caliber play at wide receiver the last two seasons, but he certainly doesn’t look like he’s going to turn into the guy the Titans expected when taking him fifth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. Adam Humphries and Jonnu Smith are also nice pieces, but not much more than that (though Smith does have the big-play ability to develop into a larger receiving threat). It’s reasonable to think Tennessee might move up these rankings, but right now, they’re closer to a middle-of-the-pack group.”
The Titans seem to have all the pieces in place to expand upon last year’s success across the board, so it will be interesting to see how much the passing game grows in 2020.
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