NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tyler Boyd wouldn’t bring the Titans great speed and explosion, qualities the team would definitively like to add to its receiver mix.
They got them with Calvin Ridley in free agency, but at this stage of the season if you’re adding a free agent, he’s got some sort of major limitation.
Boyd would bring a super-understanding of Brian Callahan’s offense and workflow, and he could be the primary guy working out of the slot. An offense with Ridley and Hopkins outside and Boyd inside with Chig Okonkwo as the primary tight end and either Tony Pollard or Tyjae Spears as running back would be a significant upgrade in pass-receiving weapons from last year.
Boyd visited the Chargers and Titans last year to get a feel for his options and to monitor how he’s valued.
Today, Zay Jones visited. He too has a Titans connection as he worked with new offensive coordinator Nick Holz in Jacksonville.
But it seems clear Jones would be an option B here.
His production has been inferior to Boyd’s.
Boyd has had at least 667 yards, 82 targets and 58 catches in the last six years. In the same span, Boys has hit that yardage mark once, the target mark twice and the catch mark once.
Jones was faster coming out of East Carolina in 2017 (4.42) than Boyd was coming out of Pitt in 2016 (4.58).
Last year Boyd played 672 snaps in the slot and 151 wide, while in just nine games in Jacksonville, Jones played 139 in the slot and 332 outside.
The Titans are exploring their option to add to the receiver group beyond Ridley and Hopkins who will put pressure on Treylon Burks, Kyle Philips, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Jha’Quan Jackson.
The addition of one of them doesn't push Burks off the roster, it gets him to where he should be. He needs to be gravy -- a bonus -- not someone they go into camp or the season counting on.
If Boyd is a Tita, playing primarily slot, it cuts into Burks' opportunities in a way many are not thinking of. Hopkins and Ridley were originally expected to move around a lot. But if Boyd excels inside, the other two will play more outside, affording Burks fewer opportunities there.
I’d take Jones’ visit primarily as a signal to Boyd: Hey, we’d really like to have you but we’re getting ready in case we have to go a different direction.
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