It’s now or never for Titans fan favorite Xavier Restrepo following late game losses to the Texans

I am once again here to talk about Xavier Restrepo.

Following the Tennessee Titans’ 16-13 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 11, it’s impossible not to talk about him again. The most-discussed practice squad UDFA in NFL history is a topic once again because this feels like a “now or never” spot for him on this team. What the Titans’ front office decides to do with him in the lead-up to Week 12 will be very telling.

Xavier Restrepo’s best shot to play with Cam Ward is now

I’m not sure there will be a clearer path to playing time for Restrepo in his entire NFL career than Week 12, 2025, on the Tennessee Titans.

It’s fair to point out that he’s already the beneficiary of being on one of the worst rosters in the league. Could he hang on to other practice squads around the NFL right now? Probably some of them. I don’t think it was “Titans or nothing” when he went undrafted last spring, not at all. But he came to Tennessee for two big reasons: to be with his college QB and good friend Cam Ward, and to have the strongest shot at playing in one of the weakest WR rooms in the league.

Following the unfortunate events of Week 11, I don’t think the depth in that room will ever set up better for him again.

Tennessee came into its latest game with five healthy receivers on the active roster, one typically active receiver on IR, and three on the practice squad. Restrepo’s path started clearing many days ago, when slot WR Tyler Lockett was granted his release to sign with the Raiders.

That was one obstacle down. Then, WR Bryce Oliver was placed on IR after struggling to return from a Week 2 knee injury, knocking him out for at least the next month. That’s two down.

On Sunday, the Titans entered the game with three healthy starters and exited with zero. WR1 Calvin Ridley fought his way back to health from a Week 6 hamstring injury, and on the first series of the game, he suffered a broken leg that knocked him out for the year. You can read more about that here.

WR2 and WR3, a pair of rookies, Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor, both suffered in-game injuries as well. Dike got plastered on a muffed punt return attempt and entered the concussion protocol. He cleared that protocol, but remained out for the game with a chest contusion.

His injury timeline remains unclear as of Monday morning. Ayomanor left the game for a stretch with a hamstring injury, and while he eventually pushed through it to finish the game, his status is equally unclear. He seems set to be hobbled at best, out at worst, for the time being.

All of this meant that for a good chunk of the second half in Week 11, Ward had just Van Jefferson and Mason Kinsey at his disposal as healthy receiver options. That’s not exactly a recipe for success!

So to recap, as of Monday morning, the Titans are not counting on the services of Tyler Lockett, Bryce Oliver, Calvin Ridley, or Chimere Dike, and Ayomanor’s status is up in the air.

This leaves Jefferson, Kinsey, James Proche, Hal Presley, and Restrepo as the only healthy receivers on the payroll in some capacity. If you’re now wondering “who is Hal Presley,” I can’t blame you.

He was signed to the Titans’ practice squad on Oct. 28. So it’s hard to imagine he’d be ahead of Restrepo in the pecking order, but even if he is, that makes Restrepo the theoretical WR5 as it stands today.

That’s why we’re talking about him again. Because what happens next will be telling. This front office has already made it crystal clear that they see Restrepo as the last guy on the depth chart among those who have been here since the summer. Proche and Kinsey have seen multiple gamedays already; Restrepo has not.

But now that they’re officially scraping the bottom of the depth chart barrel, Mike Borgonzi is being forced to really show his hand. Will Presley get the nod over Restrepo? Will they look to sign others to be spot-starter options over him? Will they do everything in their power to keep him on the practice squad, despite their desperate need at the position right now?

This is why I say it’s now or never. You signed Restrepo as a lottery ticket. He was always an awkward fit as a prospect for any modern NFL team. His build, athleticism, and versatility are all limiting factors on paper. However, he consistently overcame those challenges in college, which is why he is and still is talked about so much. Most fans just want to see with their own eyes what he might be capable of, and this week is the ideal circumstance to make that happen.

If they don’t take this opportunity to give him a shot, I’m not sure why he’s even on the roster.