NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans aren’t as thin at receiver now as they were at the end of Sunday’s home loss to the Houston Texans, when veteran Van Jefferson and practice squad regular Mason Kinsey were the only targets at that position for rookie quarterback Cam Ward.
The challenge will be getting everyone on the same page quickly.
“The injuries that we dealt with, you kind of lose chemistry on guys just because they get caught up and you haven’t got a lot of reps,” Ward, this year’s overall No. 1 draft pick, said Wednesday. “So that’s something that you’ve got to get in practice.”
The Titans already had to adapt to veteran receiver Tyler Lockett being granted his release as requested a month ago. Bryce Oliver was put on injured reserve last week after missing essentially all season. And then Calvin Ridley had a season-ending broken leg Sunday on his first play back after missing the previous three games due to a hamstring injury.
Van Jefferson has stepped into Ridley’s spot, joining rookies Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike in the group of first-string receivers ahead of Sunday’s home game against the Seattle Seahawks (7-3) at Nissan Stadium. Ayomanor didn’t practice Wednesday, though, as he deals with a hamstring injury, while Dike (chest) was listed on the injury report as a full participant.
That’s why the Titans (1-9) promoted James Proche II to the roster Tuesday and added a couple of more receivers to the practice squad to bolster the unit. Receivers are practicing at every spot within the position group in order to be ready for whatever.
“Shoot, after last week, we’ve got to know everything,” Titans interim coach Mike McCoy said. “You never know when that’s going to come up.”
Tennessee’s passing offense has been anemic at best this season. The Titans rank 30th among the league’s 32 teams with their average of 163.6 passing yards per game and 31st with 4.93 yards per pass, while Ward has as many touchdown passes as interceptions with six each.
Ridley’s short season ended without a touchdown catch for the first time in his eight-year pro career, with injuries limiting him to seven games. Jefferson just caught his first touchdown pass of the season in the 16-13 loss to Houston.
Tight end Chig Okonkwo has the team lead with 33 catches, which is tied for 66th in the NFL. His 375 receiving yards are good for 75th in the league this season, and Ayomanor has the most touchdown catches on the team with two. Jefferson, who started only two of the first 10 games, has 17 catches for 189 yards.
The Titans have a strong history of tight ends leading the team in receptions, with Frank Wycheck and Delanie Walker among the former franchise standouts to do that. Okonkwo had a 39-yard catch that help set up Ward’s touchdown pass to Jefferson against Houston, and the tight end said both he and rookie Gunnar Helm are ready.
“We’ve been, you know, kind of begging for this opportunity, asking for it all these weeks, and we’re finally getting that chance to go out there and show it,” said Okonkwo, who was listed as a limited participant Wednesday due to a foot injury. “So we’re definitely ready for it.”
Ayomanor was among seven Tennessee players who did not practice Wednesday. McCoy said defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (hamstring), outside linebacker Jihad Ward and right guard Kevin Zeitler (back) sat out for rest. The others were cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. (knee) and safeties Kendall Brooks (concussion protocol) and Xavier Woods (hamstring).