One Titans WR Already Predicted as Odd Man Out

The goal is simple. Give Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward every possible weapon in the arsenal and leave nothing to chance.

That is a tall order for the Titans, who have a crowded wide receiver room and only one football to go around. There will be plenty of competition throughout training camp and the preseason, but the question becomes whether anyone will be cut before camp to give the rest of the receivers more repetitions.

The locks are Calvin Ridley, who will be the No. 1 hammer for Ward. The Titans also signed Van Jefferson and Tyler Lockett in free agency and they appear to be receivers No. 2 and 3 respectively. Tennessee also has three promising rookies in Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor and Xavier Restrepo, an undrafted free agent who was Ward's favorite target in his final, record-setting season at the University of Miami.

Ayomanor will get his repetitions and should factor in the offense. Jefferson will split reps at the "X" receiver spot, and Dike can play the "Z" role with his explosive speed.

Restrepo is an interesting commodity. He is a pure slot-option guy who gives Ward a safety blanket. No matter what happens on the field, if everything breaks down, Ward will be looking for Restrepo, who is like 7-11. He is always open.

The odd man out could be former first-round pick Treylon Burks. He has been labeled as a bust and his statistics back that up. General manager Mike Borgonzi brought in five receivers this offseason which is a telling sign that the old crop of receivers, including Burks, needed to be replaced.

Burks, to his credit, is coming off of an injury as he tore his ACL last season. He did not take part in OTA's or the mandatory minicamp. He was present and just participated in individual, non-contact drills.

Titans coach Brian Callahan should have a better idea of Burks' health status when the team reports for training camp. Burks is protected financially due to the injury, but the Titans might look to eat his contract until he is healthy and then waive him or possibly look for a trade as soon as he can pass a physical. He might be better off with a change of scenery.

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