Going into the 2023 offseason, the Tennessee Titans had the option of either placing a $2.66 million tender on restricted free agent wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, or letting him test the free-agent market.
Tennessee chose to do the latter and it paid off. According to Over the Cap, Westbrook-Ikhine’s one-year deal with the Titans will cost $1.26 million, which is less than half the price of the aforementioned tender, and the contract includes just $400,000 in guaranteed money.
When news broke that NWI was being re-signed, some Titans fans and media assumed he would return to his role from 2022, which was clearly more than he could handle.
However, the fact that the Titans didn’t offer him the tender with the idea they could get him back for cheaper — and half price, at that — and with a lack of guaranteed money doesn’t exactly scream that this team is planning a big role for him.
As I’ve said all along, NWI is a fine back-end-of-the-depth-chart receiver, as he’s a somewhat serviceable pass-catcher and good blocker and special teams contributor.
But his struggling in a bigger role in recent years is neither his fault nor the Titans’ fault, as he’s been pushed into said role because of injuries. I don’t think the Titans ever planned on him being as involved as he’s been.
Most games played by a #Titans WR the last 2 seasons:
NWI 33
Woods 17
Rogers 16
Hollister 15
McMath 14
AJ 13
Burks 11
Julio 10
Conley, Johnson 7
Reynolds, Dez 5
Board, Batson, Philips 4
Kinsey 3
Gordon 2— Wes on Broadway (@TitansStats) March 17, 2023
While I expect Tennessee to return him to the bottom half of the depth chart, that will ultimately depend on the health of the guys in front of him, a group that will likely include at least Treylon Burks, a veteran signed or traded for, and a rookie selected in the 2023 NFL draft.
If NWI does somehow end up in a bigger role, it won’t be by choice.
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