Xavier Restrepo has earned additional opportunities to play with Cam Ward and Titans offense

The Titans’ rookie receiver made his first catch in NFL Week 12.

Buck Reising — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans picked up their 10th loss of the season on Sunday in a 30-24 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks (8-3). What was evident in the defeat was that undrafted rookie receiver Xavier Restrepo should be on the field more for the remainder of the season.

His presence, in part, led to quarterback Cam Ward’s best performance of his career.

Chemistry matters for Ward and Restrepo

Moral victories are for losers.

That’s what any justification for a close loss for Tennessee will be. The season has long ceased to matter beyond the tracking of player development. That’s what it felt like we saw between Restrepo and Ward.

It feels like a stretch, given that only two of his six targets on Sunday were catches (a holding penalty negated a third), but there was undeniably a benefit in his presence.

Ward’s final collegiate season was, of course, spent with Restrepo at the University of Miami.

Restrepo caught 69 passes for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024. On off-script plays, the two had a bit of a mind meld, allowing Ward to extend plays and drives far beyond the average point, to great success. We saw glimpses of that today on off-schedule plays.

“They probably have something in their helmets communicating with each other, talking back and forth,” joked interim head coach Mike McCoy. “I think it’s just Cam has probably thrown more balls to him than anybody else. So, I think that there’s the—if you looked at the sideline a couple times, I looked back there one time, and it was like, Strep was there like right in his ear sitting on the corner of the bench, and just talking to him, and I’m like, okay, this is interesting. But that’s the relationship they have.

“They’ve had a lot of success playing together. I think it’s just great to see them playing at this level together, just pleased with the two of them and the way they work. Really, what you love about them, too, is the love for the game. Strep really loves the game of football. You guys deal with him all the time, but just the way he approaches it. He’s unselfish, and he was told what he needed to do to continue his development with the kicking game and things like that. Once we told him that, he was in there, living in there to try to figure out a way because he has a burning desire to get out there like he did today.”

Ward finished completing 28 of his 42 passing attempts for 256 yards and a touchdown to fellow rookie Chimere Dike. Ward also scrambled six times for 37 yards and an additional touchdown on the ground. It was the second consecutive week when Ward was the Titans’ leading rusher.

Tennessee hosts the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13.

Featured Image: USA TODAY Sports.

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