Unpacking Tennessee Titans' wide receiver logjam with 53-man roster cuts looming

Colton Dowell took a second to look at the big white "N" painted in the lower bowl seats of Nissan Stadium, between the 30- and 40-yard lines. The letter helped spell out the word "Titans."

The rookie receiver from Lebanon used to sit in those seats, cheering for the Titans.

Now he was playing for them.

"It was surreal, man," Dowell, a seventh-round draft pick from UT Martin, said after his first game at Nissan Stadium in a Tennessee Titans uniform. "I’ve always dreamed about doing that and it was awesome to finally have that dream come to a reality."

Dowell had his best game of the preseason in the Titans' 23-7 win over the New England Patriots on Friday. He caught two passes for 49 yards and had 37 snaps, leading the receivers in both categories. Titans coach Mike Vrabel called it an important game for Dowell, who wasn't able to play in the preseason game at Minnesota.

Dowell is sitting on the 53-man roster bubble, with cut day Tuesday, and he needed the reps. He was playing Friday to make sure his first game playing at Nissan wouldn't be his last.

Which Titans WRs will make 53-man roster?

The final roster spots in the Titans' receiver room are anybody's to win. With Treylon Burks and Kyle Philips battling injuries, the team needs depth at outside receiver to start the season. Dowell is competing for a spot, along with rookies Kearis Jackson, Tre'Shaun Harrison and Gavin Holmes, as well as career backup Racey McMath and practice squad veterans Mason Kinsey and Reggie Roberson Jr.

The Titans won't keep all of those receivers. One or two could make the active roster. Another two or three might make the practice squad. But after Tuesday, odds are several who contributed Friday and throughout training camp won't be on the team.

"There’s definitely nerves there, but whenever you try really hard and put a lot of hard work into something, you’ve just got to accept the results," Dowell said. "I’m at peace with the body of work I’ve put out there."

"I don’t really know," Harrison said. "Anything could happen."

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Ideally, each player would have a highlight catch to point to in his favor. Dowell had one Friday, a 30-yard catch against man coverage in a tight window.

But it's not always that simple. Harrison was on the field for 27 plays but only targeted once for a 7-yard catch. Instead, he put strong perimeter blocking on tape to show he's more than a pass catcher.

Jackson, likewise, showed his value on special teams. He was the Titans' primary punt and kick returner against the Patriots, returning one punt across midfield for 16 yards. That return came after Vrabel called a timeout to get Jackson one last chance after his first four chances resulted in two fair catches, a touchback and a punt out of bounds.

But Jackson also had an offensive highlight to tout. Early in the fourth quarter, he continued a long crossing route across the field, slicing through zone coverage until Malik Willis found him in the front corner of the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown.

He kept the ball and put it in his backpack postgame to be sent home with his mom as a memento of his first professional touchdown.

Depending on how Tuesday goes, Jackson might have more souvenirs for his family.

"I feel like I have (done enough to make the 53-man roster)," Jackson said. "But at the same time, good is never enough. I still have room for improvement. I’m still a rookie but at the same time I feel like I can play at this level."

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Unpacking Tennessee Titans' WR logjam with 53-man roster cuts looming