Since the Titans returned from their Week 10 bye, one name has quietly - but decisively - worked his way into the heart of the offense: rookie tight end Gunnar Helm. And it's not just a feel-good story about a late-round pick finding his footing. Helm is producing at a level that’s rewriting the franchise’s rookie record books and reshaping Tennessee’s tight end room in real time.
Let’s start with the numbers. Since Week 10, Helm leads the team in receptions with 21 and is second in receiving yards with 160 - trailing only fellow tight end Chig Okonkwo.
That production helped him break the Titans’ single-season rookie tight end reception record, previously held by Bo Scaife. That’s a significant milestone, and it speaks to just how quickly Helm has become a trusted target in this offense.
Zooming out to the full season, Helm is second on the team in total receptions and leads all Titans pass-catchers in success rate at 58%. That’s not just solid - that’s elite efficiency, especially for a rookie tight end.
For context, Okonkwo - who has been the team’s top receiving tight end the past two seasons - checks in at 52.5%. Helm is not only getting open, he’s consistently helping move the chains.
And the Titans are clearly taking notice. Helm’s snap count has jumped significantly since the bye, crossing the 55% threshold in three of the last five games after hitting that mark just once in the first nine weeks.
His target volume has nearly doubled - from 2.8 targets per game before the bye to five per game afterward. That’s a clear sign of growing trust from the coaching staff and from rookie quarterback Cam Ward, who’s shown a strong connection with Helm in recent weeks.
Now, some of that uptick in usage does point to a larger issue: the Titans’ wide receiver group simply hasn’t delivered in 2025. When your top two receiving options are tight ends, it’s a reflection of both the scheme and necessity.
But it also underscores just how impactful Helm has been. He’s not just filling a gap - he’s becoming a legitimate building block for the offense.
What’s made Helm so effective so quickly? A lot of it goes back to the traits he showed coming out of Texas.
He’s quarterback-friendly in the best way: big target, wide catch radius, and a natural feel for finding soft spots in zone coverage. He’s also leading the team in contested catch rate at 69.2%, which is a huge number for any pass-catcher, let alone a rookie.
And while he’s not going to bulldoze defenders like a Darnell Washington-type, Helm has proven to be a functional blocker - good enough to stay on the field in all situations. He’s shown flashes of strong technique and finish, including a key second-level block that helped spring Tony Pollard for a long touchdown run two weeks ago. That kind of play doesn’t always show up in the box score, but it matters - especially to coaches.
Pro Football Focus grades Helm as average in both run blocking (56.4) and pass blocking (57.5), which is perfectly respectable for a rookie tight end seeing this much action. And when you compare that to Okonkwo, who ranks dead last on the team in run block grade at 27.6, it’s easy to see why Helm is earning more snaps.
At 6-foot-5, Helm has the frame and the early signs of development to potentially become a true three-down, inline tight end - something the Titans haven’t really had since Delanie Walker’s prime. He’s not there yet, but the foundation is clearly in place.
As Helm’s role grows, Okonkwo’s has shrunk. He’s posted his two lowest snap percentages of the season in the past two weeks, and with free agency looming in March, his long-term future in Tennessee is suddenly a question mark.
That decision may ultimately come down to what the next head coach or offensive coordinator values at the tight end position. If the Titans are looking for a more traditional, inline presence, Helm fits that mold better than Okonkwo.
But if they want a move tight end or H-back type, there’s still a role for Okonkwo - or someone like him.
That brings us to David Martin-Robinson, a second-year undrafted free agent out of Temple, who’s quietly seen a spike in usage over the past two weeks. After averaging just 9.6% of snaps on the season, he’s played over 24% in back-to-back games. His skill set overlaps with Okonkwo’s - more of a space player, better suited to motion and misdirection - though Okonkwo still offers more juice after the catch.
So what does all this mean for the offseason? The Titans will have the cap space to bring Okonkwo back if they want to. But with Helm emerging as a true every-down option and Martin-Robinson showing some promise, Tennessee might look to complement that duo with a bigger, more physical tight end - someone like Cade Otton or Charlie Kolar - rather than re-signing Okonkwo.
Regardless of how it shakes out, one thing is clear: Gunnar Helm has arrived. He’s not just a rookie making noise - he’s a foundational piece for a Titans offense that’s looking to redefine itself heading into 2026.