6 WRs Titans should target if Corey Davis leaves in free agency
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Corey Davis had his best season as a pro at the right time as he prepares to hit the open market in 2021 after the team declined his fifth-year option last May.
Davis tied or broke career-highs in receptions (65), receiving yards (984), touchdowns (five) and 100-yard games (five) in 2020 as a key cog in Tennessee’s elite offense.
While the Titans would no doubt like to keep Davis on board, general manager Jon Robinson will have a tough task ahead of him in doing so.
Per Over the Cap, the Titans are projected to be $2.1 million over the cap if the final 2021 salary cap figure gets set between the new floor of $180 million at $180.5 million.
The Titans will have a tough time winning a bidding war that drives up Davis’ price, and the team really shouldn’t be spending big money on a No. 2 receiver in the first place.
With the possibility that the Titans lose Davis this offseason, here’s a look at receivers who the team can realistically target in free agency to fill the void left at the No. 2 receiver spot.
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The Titans would kill two birds with one stone if they were to sign Hilton, as not only would they be filling a need, but Tennessee would also be weakening the receiving corps. of their division rival, the Indianapolis Colts. Hilton had a down season in 2020, posting 762 yards and five touchdowns, though it's important to note he was working with a new quarterback and his production picked up somewhat during the latter stages of the campaign. There will be some questions about what Hilton has left in the tank after failing to post his typical top-shelf production in 2020, but he's still only 31 (32 in November), is more than sufficient as a No. 2 option at this stage of his career and could flourish with all the attention on A.J. Brown. Hilton also offers versatility as a receiver who can line up both inside and out.
Marvin Jones
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Jones has spent his entire career as a stellar No. 2 receiver, both with the Cincinnati Bengals to A.J. Green and with the Detroit Lions to Kenny Golladay. The 30-year-old has dealt with some injury issues in the past, but he played in all 16 games in 2020 and finished with 978 receiving yards and nine scores, numbers very similar to Davis. Jones has the ability to be a chain-mover and his speed would give the Titans the kind of deep threat to take the top off the defense that the team lacked last season.
Josh Reynolds
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We go from two proven commodities to one who is a bit more of a wild card but has shown potential to be a No. 2 option. While the Los Angeles Rams were high on Reynolds, it was hard to get the young receiver the ball to show what he can really do with there being two talented receivers in front of him in Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods. However, the 26-year-old, who was the Rams' No. 3 receiver in his fourth season, still posted solid production, as he notched career-highs with 52 receptions for 618 yards, to go along with two touchdowns. It stands to reason that Reynolds is capable of much more if he joins a team that doesn't have two good receivers in front of him. Admittedly, securing Reynolds as a No. 2 receiver would certainly come with risk because he's still unproven in that kind of role, but the Titans might have to roll the dice.
A.J. Green
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While Green has enjoyed career production better than any wideout on this list, he comes with the most risk at this stage of his career. At 33 years old (34 in July), Green has dealt with a myriad of injury issues since 2016, including missing the entire 2019 campaign. In 2020, he stayed healthy, but Green's production fell off a cliff after totaling career-lows in receiving yards (523) and touchdowns (two). There's a lot that goes into Green's lackluster season, though. He was fresh off missing an entire campaign, was working with a new quarterback in Joe Burrow, who also missed six games, and the Bengals had two talented receivers in Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd to take targets from him. Still, Green didn't exactly pass the eye test in games I watched and doesn't look like the same dominant receiver he once was. Regardless, the Titans don't need him to be that, but rather a serviceable No. 2 receiver.
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While drops remain an issue for Agholor, he did post a career-high 896 receiving yards and tied his high-water mark with eight scores for the Las Vegas Raiders last season. On top of that, the 27-year-old was a big play waiting to happen, as evidenced by his 18.7 yards per reception, good for second-best in the NFL. Combined with Brown, it could be big-play city in Nashville. In total, Agholor has totaled 700 yards or more in three of his last four seasons and warrants a look as a No. 2 option in free agency if some of the better options out there dry up.
Breshad Perriman
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Even with the disaster that was the New York Jets' offense in 2020, and even with him missing four games, Perriman was fairly productive with 505 receiving yards and three touchdowns. As far as the options on this list, Perriman is among those with the most question marks, but he would give the Titans some speed, something this team needs to add at receiver this offseason.
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