The Tennessee Titans have assembled one of the more intriguing collections of pass catchers in the NFL this offseason, and I can’t stop thinking about how this math plays out. 

Between Wan’Dale Robinson’s free agency commitment, Carnell Tate’s fourth overall draft investment, Calvin Ridley’s veteran presence, and a pair of fourth-round developmental wideouts who look like breakout candidates, Cam Ward does not have enough passes to keep everyone happy. 

Add tight end Gunnar Helm, running back Tyjae Spears… then Tony Pollard, and Daniel Bellinger into the mix, and the Titans have a genuine distribution issue heading into the 2026 season.

That’s not the worst problem in the world. But it is a real one.

The top 3 are set, and that’s where it gets complicated

Robinson got paid to be a featured piece of this offense. The Titans handed him $38 million over two years, and they expect production for that investment. 

Tate was the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. You don’t draft a receiver that high to ease him in slowly. He needs volume, and he needs it now.

Then there’s Ridley. Marcus Whitman on That Franchise Guy made the point that Ridley fits better in 2026 because the pressure is off his shoulders. He signed in the spring of 2024 under the previous regime to be the No. 1 receiver and hasn’t produced in those high-leverage moments. Now, with Tate absorbing that top-outside-target responsibility, Ridley can slide into a complementary role that better suits his physical ability. Nobody on the Titans roster matches what Ridley can do athletically when the expectations are right-sized.

So the top three spots feel locked. That leaves everyone else fighting over whatever remains.

Elic Ayomanor and Chim Dike are the wild cards I can’t figure out

Here is where this gets genuinely tricky. 

The Titans drafted wide receivers Ayomanor and Dike in the fourth-round of the 2025 draft as long-term developmental projects. The problem? They played too much as rookies, but have significant strides this offseason.

Ayomanor looks like an absolute freak in OTAs with the work he put in the weight room and is flashing the kind of physical tools that demand snaps. Dike has shown real growth as a route runner this offseason, and that’s before you even factor in his All-Pro return ability as a rookie. These two look like they belong on the field right now.

If the Titans believe Ayomanor and Dike are going to be meaningful parts of this offense in 2027 and 2028 as depth pass catchers, then they need reps in 2026. They need targets. They need to build chemistry with Ward. 

But who loses touches? Even if you scale back Ridley’s role, that alone isn’t enough runway to continue developing both fourth-rounders at the rate they deserve, while also feeding your big investments. 

The numbers simply don’t work

Ward threw 540 passes as a rookie, which was already high. Tennessee needs to run the football more this season so Ward isn’t stuck in constant third-and-long situations where he’s about to get sacked and has to throw the ball as fast as possible. He’s not throwing 650 passes.

Helm projects to have a big year at tight end. Spears, if he can stay healthy, is a real factor in the passing game in Brian Daboll’s new offense. Pollard and Bellinger are capable receivers out of the backfield and at tight end, respectively.

That’s nine legitimate pass catchers competing for a share of a target pie that might actually shrink from last season. 

By the end of 2026, you could point to any of Robinson, Tate, Ayomanor, and/or Dike and say ‘the Titans should have thrown the ball more to that guy’. And you’d probably be right.

No easy answer, and that’s fine

I genuinely do not know what the Titans are going to do. 

Look, I’d take having too many mouths to feed rather than having too few, as we’ve gotten used to since the A.J. Brown trade. The Titans are building around Ward’s rookie contract window, and every target matters for the guys who are supposed to grow alongside him.

I can’t wait to see how this offense distributes the football once real games start. There is no clean answer here. We’ll find out together.