Heading into his second season, Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo is slowly starting to gain some believers within the national media.
Pro Football Focus has consistently been a vocal supporter of the second-year tight end, even naming him as part of their “All-Breakout Team” for 2023 in a recent article.
You can now add Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay to that list of believers after the analyst listed the Titans’ explosive pass-catcher as a tight end “who will explode into stardom in 2023.”
Kay stated the following regarding his belief in Okonkwo:
The Tennessee Titans appear to have a special tight end in Chigoziem Okonkwo. While he didn’t get much playing time as a rookie—seeing just over a third of the offensive snaps—the position is notoriously tough to have instant success at and often takes time for prospects to fully grasp the intricacies of performing the job at a high level in the NFL. With another offseason soon to be under his belt, the Maryland product should make a noticeable leap in 2023.
Despite the learning curve and having veteran Austin Hooper contending for playing time, Okonkwo still managed to shine in his limited opportunities last year. He recorded 32 receptions for 450 yards and three scores. He had an especially strong finish to the year, tallying more than half his receptions and two of his touchdowns over the last five weeks of the campaign.
If Okonkwo can pick up where he left off while seeing the field far more often, he’ll quickly become a favorite target for whoever winds up under center for the Titans.
You’d certainly be hard-pressed to find any Titans fan who wouldargue with that statement.
Okonkwo was an obvious bright spot on a dismal offense who was seemingly capable of making a big play happen every time he touched the ball.
Okonkwo not only led all rookie tight ends in yards and touchdowns, but per PFF he also finished with the highest overall grade among the group with a 75.4, nearly 10 points higher than any of his peers.
As impressive as that feat was, Chig’s numbers more than held their own in comparison to the veterans at his position, albeit in a much smaller sample size.
Chigoziem Okonkwo pic.twitter.com/JSFfiTmKjX
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) June 7, 2023
The Maryland product finished his rookie campaign being ranked (among 47 qualified tight ends):
- No. 1 in yards per route run: 2.61
- No. 1 in yards per reception: 14
- No. 2 in receiving grade: 84.6
- No. 2 in targets per route run: 26.2 percent
- Tied for No. 2 in YAC per reception: 7.8
- No. 7 in passer rating when targeted: 125.1
Needless to say, if the Titans are wise, they’ll turn the phrase “feed Chig” from a catchy slogan into an actual plan of attack.
