Third Down and Who? Shopping for Wide Receivers to Pair with Titans' DeAndre Hopkins
NASHVILLE — Picture third downs in 2024. Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis, taking a play call from coach Brian Callahan, can throw to 5-time Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins, or No. 1 draft pick Rome Odunze, maybe Cincinnati Bengals beast Tee Higgins, or Arizona Cardinals speedster Marquise Brown.
When the free agent signing window opens in March, the Titans will have more than $67 million in cap space to sign new players, according to Overthecap.com.
The Titans also have a significant opportunity to strengthen the wide receiver position with the NFL Draft in late April.
AllTitans.com is assembling the 2024 Titans wide receiver group using available tools and intelligence about talent as an exercise in wishful thinking.
Pro Football Focus, an analytics platform that measures and grades the performance of every NFL Player, has listed the best free-agent wide receivers available and their potential landing spots.
Leading up to the April 25-27 draft weekend, various media outlets evaluate college players and project which NFL teams they will join. So far, mock drafts predict that the Titans will take an offensive tackle (Joe Alt or Olu Fashanu) or a receiver (Odunze) with their first pick.
This much is known: The Titans' passing game was an inconsistent mess in 2023.
Hopkins was good, leading Tennessee with 1,057 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. The next three receivers — Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Chris Moore, and Treylon Burks — had fewer catches and yards combined.
Burks has two years remaining on his contract. Moore and Westbrook-Ikhine are unrestricted free agents.
So, what are the Titans' options?
ESPN's first mock has Tennessee taking Odunze with the seventh overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Oduzne, a consensus All-American with national runner-up Washington, has size (6 feet 3, 215 pounds) and a brilliant track record. In 2023, he caught 92 balls for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns.
"Odunze brings top-tier size, speed, and strength to the receiver position," PFF said. "He has consistently dominated at the catch point this season and can reportedly run 4.3-4.4 at around 215 pounds."
If the Titans take an offensive lineman with the No. 7 pick and wait until later rounds they could look at North Carolina's Devontez Walker or Georgia WR Ladd McConkey in the second round.
Higgins, who with Ja'Marr Chase has been the other half of one of the NFL's best receiving duos, played for Titans coach Brian Callahan the past four seasons in Cincinnati. He was a 1,000-yard receiver in two of those seasons. Injuries limited him to 12 games in 2023.
Higgins recently said he believes a move to Tennessee would be ideal — that is, if the Bengals don't franchise tag or re-sign him.
Pro Football Focus currently expects the Bengals to keep Higgins with a 1-year contract for $20.71 million.
Another free-agent option could be Brown, who had 574 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games last season for the Cardinals. PFF believes Brown could fit well with the Titans.
"Tennessee has the contested catch savant in DeAndre Hopkins and sophomore Treylon Burks as another big body who can win deep or catch bubble screens and get upfield when healthy, but Brown brings an entirely different dynamic to a passing game that desperately needs help," PFF said. "Hopkins is entering a contract year, so Brown is the pricy veteran for 2025 and beyond as Tennessee continues to rebuild."
Brown is projected to sign a one-year, $12 million deal.
Other free agents for the Titans to consider include Tampa Bay's Mike Evans, the Colts' Michael Pittman Jr., and Jacksonville's Calvin Ridley.
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