The Tennessee Titans have long been a run-first offense. Before the arrival of A.J. Brown and subsequently DeAndre Hopkins, Titans fans rarely saw elite receivers suit up for their favorite team.
Now, the Titans are in the fortunate position of having two highly-touted playmakers at wide receiver: The aforementioned Hopkins, who had a 1,000-yard season in 2023, will be joined by Calvin Ridley in 2024.
Ridley signed a massive four-year, $92 million deal and gives the Titans a speedster who will complement Hopkins perfectly. The team also brought back Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to provide depth. Treylon Burks and Kyle Philips are other notable receivers on the roster.
Head coach Brian Callahan is thrilled to have these weapons at his disposal, especially guys like Hopkins, Ridley and Burks, all of whom can play all over the formation, something Callahan plans to utilize.
“Being able to move Calvin around is going to be exciting,” Callahan said, per Jim Wyatt. “But I think the other guys, being able to move those guys around, too, will be helpful. Moving Hop around, trying to get him some matchups, put his skill set in good position against lesser players. We’ll see what Treylon (Burks) can do as we move him around.
“I just think it’s a good group that has some flexibility, particularly with Calvin. I think he has played all over the formation, so that part to me is exciting.”
One of the beliefs when it comes to Ridley’s inconsistent play in 2023 has to do with the fact that the Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t move him around the formation much.
Calvin Ridley is still a really high-quality separator, so why was the production so volatile last season?
Let's unpack it. pic.twitter.com/FVT0TFudUu
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) March 7, 2024
Based on Callahan’s comments, that won’t be an issue in Tennessee.
“You’re looking at a very similar role that Ja’Marr [Chase] played, in terms of his ability to move around the formation, use him in motion,” Callahan said on the This is Football show. “He’s got such a unique skill set. He’s got great quickness, he’s got great speed, he can run all the different routes.”
The Titans hope the new-look room will help improve on the league’s 29th-ranked passing offense from a season ago.
