Tennessee Titans: Julio Jones Gives the Titans Unique Flexibility at Wide Receiver
There's a hidden advantage to the Tennessee Titans now having WR Julio Jones in the fold on offense. Everyone knows about the "pick your poison" effect that Jones will have for the Titans— teams facing Tennessee won't be able to simply "take away" the seven-time Pro Bowler with double coverage, as that would leave a […]
There's a hidden advantage to the Tennessee Titans now having WR Julio Jones in the fold on offense.
Everyone knows about the "pick your poison" effect that Jones will have for the Titans— teams facing Tennessee won't be able to simply "take away" the seven-time Pro Bowler with double coverage, as that would leave a defense undermanned in its efforts to also slow down RB Derrick Henry and WR A.J. Brown.
However, Jones' presence gives the Titans another major asset that not everyone is talking about: a third starting wide receiver who can play both on the perimeter and in the slot.
In recent years, the Titans haven't had that advantage.
Brown and Corey Davis, the Titans' top two receivers from 2019-2020, both had the ability to play inside and outside, but the team wasn't able to take advantage of that versatility.
That's because Adam Humphries, the team's No. 3 receiver, was a slot-exclusive player.
Humphries only played in the slot, which meant that Brown and Davis were always relegated to the outside when all three players were on the field.
That prevented former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith from being creative with how he aligned the team's receivers. Instead of being able to choose his slot receiver based on matchups and opponents' weaknesses, Smith always had to give Humphries the nod.
New offensive coordinator Todd Downing, who will call plays for the Titans in 2021 following Smith's departure to Atlanta, won't face the same obstacle.
Instead, he will get to mix up the Titans' receiver alignment based on matchups, since Jones, Brown, and free-agent signee Josh Reynolds all have the ability to play outside and in the slot.
This should bode especially well for Brown, who excelled as a slot receiver in college at Ole Miss but hasn't seen much playing time yet on the inside in the NFL.
Flexibility is always an advantage in the NFL. Considering how often head coach Mike Vrabel talks about wanting versatility, he should be really excited about his team's receiving corps.
Cover image: George Walker IV/The Tennessean via pool
