In just his second career game since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans, wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick was one of the few bright spots in a 22-13 loss to the Houston Texans.
Fitzpatrick reeled in three of his six targets for 35 yards, all career-highs, and he found the end zone for the first time in his young career on an 18-yard scoring strike in the third quarter.
While not a huge game by any stretch, it was great to see after Fitzpatrick was down and out prior to the season when he missed out on the 53-man roster and ended up on the practice squad.
“I always try to keep chopping at the wood,” Fitzpatrick said. “Consistency always, everyone believing in me and me believing in myself. But at the end of the day it is really not about me, it’s about us really trying to get that team win.”
Tennessee has been plagued by injuries all season long, and that continued in Week 11, with both wide receivers A.J. Brown and Marcus Johnson leaving early, opening the door for Fitzpatrick to see more work.
“I know our team believes a lot in the next man up mentality, so I know I had to prepare all week like I was going to play as much as I did today,” Fitzpatrick said. “When the opportunity was afforded to me today, I just took advantage of it. I still had a lot of mistakes out there that I’d like to have back, so I have to grow from this.”
As Fitzpatrick stated, his career day wasn’t without some errors. In fact, it appeared that at least one of Ryan Tannehill’s four picks were the result of Fitzpatrick running the wrong route.
In all, two of Tannehill’s interceptions were on targets to Fitzpatrick.
Tannehill with Fitzpatrick after INT No. 3. #Titans. pic.twitter.com/QjG9pN40sS
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) November 22, 2021
When asked if the Titans’ execution or the Texans’ defensive performance was the cause of Tennessee’s first-half donut, Fitzpatrick said it was a little bit of both.
“I think it’s a little bit of both,” Fitzpatrick said. “We shot ourselves in the foot a lot. We were moving the ball down the field and we just have to find ways to score touchdowns in the red zone, and that starts with us.”
After seeing 13 snaps in Week 10, Fitzpatrick was on the field for 64 in Week 11. He could see a similar workload in Week 12 if Brown and/or Johnson can’t suit up.
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