NASHVILLE — Robert Woods spent last season with the Los Angeles Rams, yet even the veteran wide receiver saw from afar what the Tennessee Titans went through while using an NFL-record 91 players on the roster.
A month into this season, it seems like the Titans are trying to match — or maybe even top — that number.
They currently have 10 players on injured reserve, with two others on the physically unable to perform list. Nine players on the active roster weren’t there during Tennessee’s offseason program, not counting another on the practice squad who was added last week.
That doesn’t include Wednesday’s injury report, led by rookie wide receiver Treylon Burks (toe), who could be sidelined for more than just Sunday’s road game against the Washington Commanders (1-3).
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill said Burks is a tough receiver to replace.
“Whoever ends up stepping in there for us and getting a bigger role is going to have to come up huge for us,” Tannehill said. “… We have big, strong physical receivers who can use their size and strength to create some space, so we’re going to have to do that moving forward.”
The Titans, who have back-to-back wins after starting 0-2, have just five wide receivers on the current roster, though veteran Josh Gordon is an option off the practice squad.
Fortunately for the team, Woods is one of those available. The receiver the team got via trade during the offseason currently leads Tennessee with 13 catches for 167 yards and got his first touchdown reception as a Titan in last Sunday’s division road win against the Indianapolis Colts — a victory that was an important step for the two-time reigning AFC South champions who were the conference’s top playoff seed last season despite the flood of injuries.
Woods — who had his own injury history, with a torn ACL last November ending his season after nine games and forcing him to miss the Rams’ Super Bowl title run — already has noticed how the next man up approach is more than just words for the Titans. He credits coach Mike Vrabel’s mindset for keeping everyone ready, no matter where they’re at on the depth chart.
“Be prepared like you’re going to start,” Woods said of Vrabel’s message to the team, which will undoubtedly welcome having an open date in the season’s sixth week.
Washington coach Ron Rivera certainly is aware of Woods, a savvy veteran in his 10th season with 7,244 receiving yards. Rivera also is impressed with the rest of the Tennessee receivers, a group he sees as good blockers for a heavy play-action offense that leans on two-time NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry and uses a lot of screen passes.
“They move their guys around a lot, so if we’re looking to match up, we’ve got to be very aware as to where everybody’s lining up,” Rivera said.
The Titans found themselves in a similar situation last year when they had four receivers available for a road game against the New England Patriots. Cody Hollister made his first NFL start that game alongside Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, an undrafted receiver out of Indiana who has started three games this season.
Rookie receiver Kyle Philips, who missed the Titans’ win over the Las Vegas Raiders with an injured shoulder, is no longer on the injury report.
The Titans also can call up Gordon once more this season off the practice squad and keep him on the active roster. If they try to put Gordon back on the practice squad after that, the Titans risk losing him through waivers. Gordon has been on the field for a combined 24 snaps in the two games in which he has played.
The absence of Burks is something the Titans will prepare for ahead of kickoff. After that, those who are on the field can’t worry about those who aren’t.
“It changes that we don’t have him out there, but at the end of the day, next man up,” Westbrook-Ikhine said. “So somebody’s got to step up. Everybody knows what to do, and there’s full confidence in everyone.”
Another goal this weekend will likely be sustained offense.
The Titans are just the second NFL team since 2000 to score on the first possession of each of their first four games and the first since the 2011 Patriots. The challenge comes after halftime, where the Titans have been outscored 64-7.
They haven’t scored a second-half point since a touchdown late in the third quarter of the season-opening loss to the New York Giants, a stretch that has reached seven straight quarters after halftime.
“We’re a fast-starting team,” Woods said. “It’s more so just keeping that tempo up throughout the whole game. And I would say just finishing, finishing in the end zone when we get down there — and get down there a lot more.”