The Tennessee Titans 2022 playoff run was cut much shorter than expected. Headed into the bracket as the number one seed, Tennessee fans were likely not expecting the shocking divisional round loss which prematurely ended their season. Fans were in for possibly and even bigger surprise come draft night, where the Titans traded star wide receiver A.J. Brown for the 16th pick.
Now, it may seem like the Titans are caught in a limbo. Coming off a crushing defeat and their offensive core taking a huge hit, what should the expectation even be for Tennessee for this season?
While it may be difficult to understand how the team as a whole might do, the obvious question mark is which player (or players) will replace Brown's production. The 24-year-old put up 869 yards in five touchdowns last season, but made hs impact felt with big time, game winning plays. With that in mind, the Titans have created a solid new receivers group to try and match his output.
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Titans Key Position Group For 2022 NFL Season: Wide Receivers
First up is the new biggest name in Tennessee's wideout room: Robert Woods. The 29-year-old has spent his last five seasons with the Rams, topping the stint off with a Super Bowl ring. He had a down season, putting up just over 500 yards and 4 touchdowns, but only played in nine games thanks to an ACL injury.
When healthy, Bobby Trees can keep up with the best of them. He broke the 85 receptions threshold three times as a Ram and recorded two 1,000+ yard seasons. Moving from Matthew Stafford to Ryan Tannehill isn't super favorake, but Woods had his best seasons before Stafford even touched down in California.
If he can show up healthy and stay that way, Woods will likely be the Titans' workhorse all season.
Although Woods will likely do the most in terms of replacing Brown's numbers this season, the Titans front office probably views Treylon Burks as the actual replacement of the future. The rookie wide receiver was selected using the 16th pick Brown was traded for, and drew comparisons to Brown coming out of Arkansas.
In his final season with the Razorbacks, Burks went off, putting up 1,104 yards and 11 touchdowns. His big, physical frame allows him to overpower defensive backs and make big plays, very similar to Brown's playstyle. Burks has his downsides, including asthma issues that have sidelined him at times during training camp. However, it's important to remember that Brown was not even the best receiver from his own school coming out of college (cough, cough, DK Metcalf.)
Burks will need some time to adjust to the NFL's speed, but similar to Brown, he could soon be one of the faces of the Tennessee Titans.
Rounding out the key players in the Titans receiver room is Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who is actually now the longest-tenured Titan of the three. A 2020 undrafted free agent, NWI entered the league well under anyone's radar. He only started one game and recorded 33 yards in his first season, but impressed the coaching staff enough to earn a permanent spot on the team.
Last year, Westbrook-Ikhine flashed some promising potential, recording 476 yards and four touchdowns. NWI has earned himself a shot as the Titans' go-to third receiver. He's still unknown to most mainstream fans, but he could be huge for Tennessee this season if he continues to improve.
At the end of the day, losing A.J. Brown made the Titans a much different team. It's very likely the immediate result of trading Brown is a worse record and postseason finish. However, if the Titans wide receiver room can fulfill their full potential, Tennessee could surprise a lot of people this season.
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