1. Curtis Samuel.
When it comes to free-agent wide receivers that match the Titans’ new style and are viable alternatives, Samuel is hard to beat. When the 2024 season begins, he will be on the verge of turning 28, and his skill set is ideal for the team’s pass catchers.
He has a lot of speed and has very capable route-running skills on top of that. He can create separation with no problem and make explosive plays, and if there is one thing the Titans need, it is a wide receiver who can create separation.
Samuel is known just as much for his abilities with the ball in his hands, as he oftentimes gets yards after the catch, especially in short range. He also makes plays out of the backfield, whether that be on end-arounds or lined up as the running back.
He is a Swiss Army knife kind of player, as you have to respect the possibility of him stretching the field and his presence in the red zone. He may not be a true headliner in the NFL, but his versatility makes him a quality player on any team, and he is super exciting to watch.
2) Tyler Boyd
First of all, and most obviously, he has a strong connection with Brian Callahan, who he had the entire time as offensive coordinator in Cincinnati. The familiarity alone is a huge reason why bringing in Boyd would be a smart move for the Titans.
He has also been extremely consistent throughout his eight-year career, only recording a season with less than 600 receiving yards once. This past year was one of his lowest from a production standpoint, only recording 667 yards and two touchdowns, but a lot of that is due to the Bengals’ issues at quarterback.
Even then, he is still plenty good enough to be a third option in a passing offense, and at age 29, his game should age fine for at least a few more seasons.
3. Kendrick Bourne
While all of these players are under-the-radar, Bourne appears to have slipped through the cracks. After going undrafted in 2017, he has rediscovered his form and established himself as a consistent contributor to any team’s receiving core.
For as un-flashy as his name is, he has attributes that make an effective wideout in today’s NFL, including pretty smooth route running. Possibly more notable are his abilities with the ball in his hands, as he is elusive and quick after the catch.
Like the previously mentioned Boyd, you cannot expect Bourne to take the top off of the defense, but so few receivers of his overall caliber can. He can consistently get open and will burn defenses if given legitimate space to work with, which is more than enough given what he would be asked to do for the Titans.
Bourne’s numbers over the past four seasons have been quite solid, and he looked well on his way to a career year in 2023. Unfortunately, though, his season was cut short right around the halfway point as he suffered a torn ACL.
4. Josh Reynolds
Before you ask, no this is not a joke, and yes I remember how poorly Reynolds’ previous time with the Titans went. Rarely does someone who requests a midseason release from a team and is granted it ever consider coming back to play for them, but things in this world, especially in sports, can change on a dime.
And if Reynolds came back, he would not be signing with the same Titans as he did in 2021. The team now has a new head coach, a new (or different) general manager, and will have a completely different kind of offense than they did under Mike Vrabel.
When Reynolds previously signed with the Titans, he was not expected to be a world-beater but had an even more dismal experience than anyone could have imagined. He played in only five games and put up an appalling 90 yards, registering no official starts and several games as a healthy inactive.
He joined the Detroit Lions after his midseason release, and nearly immediately proved that whatever it was, the Titans had failed him. He put up 306 yards and two touchdowns in the final seven games in 2021 and performed similarly for the Lions in 2022 and 2023.
5. Noah Brown
Brown just finished his sixth year in the NFL, but did not really jump onto the scene until the 2022 season. Looking at his recent progression, you could make the case that he is on the up and up and could gain much more recognition soon.
Brown “broke out” in 2022 with the Dallas Cowboys, posting 555 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 16 games, and nearly doubled that pace in 2023. In the most recent season with the Houston Texans, he had 567 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 10 games but was prevented from realizing a true jump due to various injuries throughout the year.
It is a shame, because the talent is clearly there, and Titans fans saw it in person when he had eight catches for 82 yards and a touchdown in Nashville. In terms of pure skillset, he is easily one of the better choices on this list for the team.
He has route running and contested catch abilities, and like Curtis Samuel, has speed and is capable of being a playmaker over the top. Brown is not on Samuel’s level as a pure ball carrier but is bigger, and combining his size with his skills makes him at least an adequate option on the boundary.
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