'You have to assume' NFL analyst drops nugget on Titans wide receiver as a dark horse roster lock to make the team in 2025
Bryce Oliver is going to be here a while
Calvin Ridley, Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike. Even Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson are included on some people’s lists. These are the names involved in the “roster locks” discussion for the Tennessee Titans’ 2025 wide receiver room. And it’s not hard to understand why these are the guys being discussed in that way.
But in the words of Jedi Master Yoda: there is another.
Longtime NFL Films analyst and overall legend of football media Greg Cosell spent some time with the Titans during their mandatory minicamp in June, attending player meetings and serving as an honorary coach for the week on the sidelines. He got a unique look behind the curtain at how this roster is taking shape, and last week on 104.5 The Zone’s “3HL”, he shared who he thinks the locks at receiver are:
“I think the competition is going to be fascinating because you know there's three guys who are definites. It's the two rookies, DK and Ayomanor, and Ridley. They're definites.
So now you're getting into who are the other receivers after that because you have to assume that Bryce Oliver makes the team, because he from what I understand—I'll be the first to admit I don't study special teams—but I'm told that he's a true ‘core’ special teams player, maybe the best special teams player on the roster. So that's a fourth receiver.
So now you get into Lockett, Van Jefferson, Restrepo… you know, it's going to be really competitive to see who the receivers are after those main three.”
All aboard the Bryce Oliver train, boys and girls. The 2nd year UDFA isn’t somebody many are thinking of as a “roster lock”, but the reality is his blue collar usefulness probably makes him one.
Yes, consider the speaker on this: I have been the self-proclaimed conductor of the Bryce Oliver hype train for the past year. So I’m inclined to lean into this kind of declaration made on the radio. But what Cosell said here is in line with what my eyes and ears have told me for some time now: Oliver is going to have a role on this team going forward.
When you’re a “core special teamer”, let alone the best teams guy on the roster, that makes you a higher priority asset than the average fan tends to realize. Those guys can be worth their weight in gold to coaches, especially when special teams is an emphasis. And after the year they had in 2024, that’s certainly the case for the Titans.
Oliver’s presence began to be felt on teams around midseason, when they started working him in as a gunner. His long speed elevated them significantly in that department, and he was a part of it really stabilizing down the stretch. He also played some sneaky good offensive football for this team down the stretch too!
Of course, most of it came in games when the Titans were already an afterthought. But the proof of concept is there. This guy has all the makings of the next NWI, and his ceiling is inarguably higher due to the speed he possesses. NWI never had that.
If he slides seamlessly into that role Westbrook-Ikhine filled the past four years, that’s great news for Tennessee. I expect him to be on the roster, and I expect him to do just that.