NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Everyone in the NFL wears down as the season moves along.
That makes what is happening with Chig Okonkwo especially notable. An undersized tight end who absorbs weekly punishment, he is not slowing late in the year. He’s getting faster.
In pregame work before the Titans played the Jaguars on Dec. 7, Okonkwo ran a 10-yard sprint with 35 pounds of resistance at 14.55 miles per hour. A week later, before the Titans played the Jaguars again, he boosted that number to 14.66.
It is even more impressive when considering where he started the season, at roughly 13 miles per hour.
For the last two seasons, the Titans have placed a special focus on speed, stressing mechanics to help minimize running-related injuries and working to maintain and increase players’ pace as the season wears on.
