Titans Tight Ends Know Touchdowns
Tennessee Titans tight end Geoff Swaim scored only the second touchdown of his six-year NFL career Sunday at Jacksonville.
So, any time he gets into the end zone, it’s a big deal.
“I kept the ball,” Swaim said. “I haven’t gotten into the end zone a lot, so it was cool to do it with two other tight ends in the game too. It was cool to score with them in the game and celebrate with them.”
Swaim breaking his scoring drought in the Titans matchup against Jacksonville displayed the
dexterity Tennessee uses within its scheme to get its tight ends involved.
“I have always viewed tight ends as a great security blanket for the quarterback,” he said. “So,
on third downs, it’s about being in the right spot. On first and second down it’s about stretching
the field, or just being the check down option. That is how you catch a lot of balls.”
Swaim’s 5-yard catch on the opening possession of the second half against the Jaguars made one of four NFL teams this season – the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles are the others – with at least four tight ends who have scored a touchdown in 2020.
Overall, Tennessee is tied with the Green Bay Packers for most total touchdowns by tight ends
(13). The Miami Dolphins (11), Las Vegas Raiders (11) and Indianapolis Colts (10) are the only others with 10 or more.
Jonnu Smith leads Tennessee’s group with eight touchdowns, seven as a receiver and one on a run. He trails only Kansas City’s Travis Kelce (nine) and Green Bay’s Robert Tonyan (nine) among all NFL tight ends. He needs one touchdown catch to top Delanie Walker for the most in a season by a Tennessee tight end during the Titans era (1999-present).
In the Week 13 loss to Cleveland, MyCole Pruitt scored on a 22-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill and on a recovered fumble. It was Pruitt who set the tone for what was to come when he scored the Titans’ first touchdown of the season on a 1-yard reception in the opener at Denver.
Pruitt now stands at three touchdowns on the year. Swaim and Anthony Firkser round out the group with one apiece.
The Titans have options at tight end, which makes them different than most NFL teams.
And the quartet of Smith, Pruitt, Firsker and Swaim have shown they are difference-makers. At least one of those four has scored in nine of this season’s 13 games and Tennessee is 8-1 in those contests. When the tight ends don’t score, it is 1-3.
“In the red zone particularly, I’m not sure I know the answer why tight ends are so productive,” Swaim said. “It could just be a function of the scheme.”
