Training camp can make a receiver room look richer than it really is, and the Titans have spent three decades proving how slippery that illusion can be.
Every August brings a fresh wave of optimism in Nashville. There’s usually a rookie drawing attention, a veteran looking like he’s found new life, and maybe an undrafted player forcing people to take notice.
Add them together, and it’s easy to talk yourself into depth that may not actually exist. Then September hits, and the picture changes fast.
That’s been the pattern around this franchise for years. Receiver has been a problem position for the Titans through nearly their entire Tennessee run.
Derrick Mason arrived as an Oiler and had an excellent career. Drew Bennett was a quality find.
Nate Washington was an excellent signing. AJ Brown was a shooting star.
But those wins have been outweighed by the misses: underachieving draft picks, big athletes who never mastered the details, and free-agent bets that didn’t pay off.
Right now, camp does offer reasons for interest. The Titans appear to have a strong top trio in rookie contested-catch specialist Carnell Tate, high-volume Wan’Dale Robinson and a healthy Calvin Ridley.
Behind them, Chim Dike and Elic Ayomanor have drawn attention as 2025 fourth-rounders. Ayomanor in particular has reportedly taken a noticeable step forward, with better playing posture and more forward lean, and he’s been reliable with multiple quality catches in camp.
He left Thursday’s practice with a shoulder injury that needs to be evaluated.
That’s the kind of depth the Titans would love to have: a fourth receiver good enough to pressure Ridley and create real strength at Nos. 4 and 5, the sort of group that can rise the depth chart in a year. But that kind of optimism has to survive real games, not just summer practices.
Because for all the camp buzz, Tennessee has learned the hard way that receiver depth is only real when it shows up in the biggest moments.
There are plenty of reminders. In the 2003 AFC Championship Game in Oakland, the Titans were still within a touchdown in the third quarter when the Raiders blew coverage on third-and-25 and Steve McNair hit Eddie Berlin in the numbers for what should have been a 76-yard touchdown. Berlin dropped it, and Tennessee lost by 17.
In Buffalo in 2018, Marcus Mariota escaped pressure on a third-and-4, found Nick Williams open in the end zone, and Williams dropped it with the Titans down 10-6.
Khalif Raymond, who had delivered in other key moments, slipped on a crucial play in the 2020 Wild Card game at Baltimore and gave Marcus Peters a game-sealing interception.
Mason Kinsey missed two plays that could have helped badly against the Texans in Week 11 last year.
The franchise has had some useful answers from deeper on the roster, too. Marcus Johnson changed a game against the Saints in 2021 with a 50-yard catch and run.
Justin Gage came through on a big free-play third-and-long for Kerry Collins in Pittsburgh in 2008. Lavelle Hawkins kept Vince Young’s 99-yard game-winning drive against the Cardinals alive in 2009 with a crucial fourth-down catch.
But those moments have been the exception, not the rule.
Over 30 years, the Titans have drafted or signed zero First Team All-Pro wide receivers. Through six head coaches and an interim, and through six general managers, the position has stayed unsettled. At times the team hasn’t pushed hard enough at the spot, leaning instead on Frank Wycheck or Delanie Walker to carry more of the passing game.
The franchise also made some telling choices along the way. Just before the move from Oilers to Titans, it took Kevin Dyson over Randy Moss in 1998, passing on the eventual Hall of Famer because of the concerns around him. The team has also shown a clear preference for avoiding diva types.
That caution hasn’t always worked out. The Titans spent years chasing high-end athletes like Justin Hunter and Dorial Green-Beckham, only to watch them fall short of the needed nuance.
They used premium picks on Corey Davis and Treylon Burks and never got franchise-changing returns. They traded up for Dez Fitzpatrick in 2021 and left Amon-Ra St.
Brown on the board.
There has also been a long fascination with the underdog receiver in Nashville, a trend that traces back to Drew Bennett’s rise from undrafted quarterback in 2001 to 1,000-yard receiver. But most of the preseason favorites haven’t turned into much: Biren Early, Michael Preston, Tre McBride, Chester Rodgers, Marcus Johnson, Mason Kinsey, Xavier Restrepo and others.
Khalif Raymond was a welcome exception. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine grew into something.
That’s why this year’s camp names - Bryce Oliver, Xavier Restrepo and KJ Osborn - still come with a warning label. There isn’t much room, and the winner of that battle will matter most on special teams. If the Titans are counting on one of them for real offensive impact, it probably means something has gone wrong with Tate, Robinson or Ridley.
The modern league pushes teams to think more deeply about receiver than ever before, and the Titans believe Tate can become the first wideout they’ve drafted since AJ Brown to shift the trajectory of the position.
Maybe Oliver becomes something. Maybe Restrepo sticks. Maybe Osborn has another useful season in him.
But after 30 years of watching this team, the lesson stays the same.
Summer can fool you.
The real test is whether the fourth receiver makes the catch when the season is on the line.
In Other News...
Anthony Hill Jr. Is Making Titans Reconsider Their Linebacker Timeline
Anthony Hill Jr. has been one of the more interesting developments in Titans training camp, where the young linebacker has started turning heads with steady work on the practice field. Tennessee has liked what it has seen from his growth overall, especially because his background at the college level was built more around stopping the run than carrying much of a reputation as a cover man.
The bigger takeaway is how quickly Hill is adjusting to the mental side of the job in the middle of the defense. His progress in pass coverage has given the Titans another layer to think about as they sort through the linebacker room, and his rise is making the position group feel a little more open than it did when camp began. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Camp Battle Could Shape Cam Wards Early Passing Attack
Training camp has given Cam Ward a useful problem to sort through, and it is the kind any young quarterback would welcome. Tennessees receiver room has shown real depth, with rookie Carnell Tate and free agent Wan'Dale Robinson both drawing notice while Ward gets a chance to work through more options than many first-year passers ever see.
The bigger intrigue has settled around Calvin Ridley and Elic Ayomanor, where a camp competition could end up shaping the early look of Wards passing game. Ridley is trying to bounce back after an injury-shortened season, while Ayomanor has emerged as a surprising standout, leaving the Titans with a decision that could influence both their receiver rotation and how quickly Ward finds his rhythm. [Read more 🡒]