As the old adage goes, “opportunity seldom knocks twice.”
With the Tennessee Titans’ shocking trade of wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles over the weekend, the team’s wide receivers room lost a piece of its identity.
Brown, 24, was the Titans’ leading receiver in each of the last three seasons, including back-to-back 1000-plus yard campaigns in his first two years.
Although he wouldn’t commit to saying that he requested a trade out of Tennessee, the Ole Miss product noted that the Titans made a low-ball contract extension offer, a claim that has since been refuted.
With Julio Jones being released earlier in the offseason, trading Brown was a bit of a head-scratcher, considering the lack of proven depth on the roster.
“I feel like most of us were [shocked],” Nick Westbrook-Ikhine said of the Brown trade via ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “The first thing was like, ‘Wow. I really wasn’t expecting it.’ [I’m] happy he’s getting paid the money he needs, and that he deserves. The next thing was like, ‘Alright, well, that leaves a big opportunity for me’ and kind of raises that extra level of attention to detail going into this offseason.”
With all of the injuries the Titans endured last year, Westbrook-Ikhine achieved career-highs in receptions (38), yards (476), and touchdowns (4). He was targeted just once in Tennessee’s playoff loss to the Bengals, but he should be in line for more opportunities next year.
The Titans acquired Robert Woods in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams earlier this offseason to bolster their wide receiver corps.
Now, that move looks vital to the team’s success in 2022. The USC product is working his way back from ACL surgery, which is one of the many reasons why the Titans selected two wide receivers in the NFL draft.
Tennessee moved up to the 18th overall spot in the draft after the Brown trade, taking Arkansas’ Treylon Burks. Then, the Titans took UCLA wide receiver Kyle Philips with the 163rd overall pick in the fifth round.
The potential is certainly there, but it’s undoubtedly going to take some time for those guys to carve out a role for themselves. However, Westbrook-Ikhine is ready for a more prominent role.
“I feel like I was in a very much still like a learning role the last couple of years. I’m going to embrace this new opportunity, but it also helps a lot having Robert [Woods] in there,” he said. “He’s just got so much experience and he’s still got a lot to bring to the table.”
The Titans are hoping that Woods’ nine years of NFL experience, Westbrook-Ikhine taking on a larger role, Burks inserting himself into regular snaps and Dez Fitzpatrick taking a leap in Year 2 will be enough for quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
The Texas A&M product has come under tremendous scrutiny after an up-and-down season and a poor showing in the playoffs. Additionally, Tannehill will be tasked with developing chemistry with several new faces.
Westbrook-Ikhine has been through this before and has a good idea of what to expect from his quarterback.
“The biggest thing is he’s very clear and concise with his communication, so we know exactly what he wants from us as receivers,” the Titans wide receiver said of Tannehill. “He also walks the walk. He’s pushing conditioning, he’s always up there running with us… I see him do exactly what he’s holding us to do.”
No strangers to finding production in the undrafted free-agent market, the Titans also added SMU’s Reggie Roberson Jr, who hauled in 51 receptions for 625 yards and six scores last year. Opportunities will be aplenty in 2022.