The Titans overhauled their receiving corps this offseason with Rishard Matthews, Andre Johnson and rookie Tajae Sharpe coming to the team while Dorial Green-Beckham and Justin Hunter were dispatched.
The immediate results for the passing game haven’t been great. The Titans rank 27th in passing yards, 21st in net yards per attempt and Marcus Mariota has the fourth-lowest passer rating among quarterbacks who have started every game this season.
Coach Mike Mularkey says the receivers “haven’t been efficient on the outside” and that they need to be more in tune with Mariota for the production to pick up. It’s something that the coach says will come with time.
“They haven’t been together for years,” Mularkey said, via the Tennessean. “That was [Mariota’s] 16th start. That’s four with some of these guys, four regular-season games. You’re hoping you see [improvement], and I think it will based on what we’re going to do ... I think it will improve. I’m almost ensuring that it will.”
Growing pains are to be expected when you bring in so many new receivers, especially when holdover Kendall Wright missed the first three games of the season. Those struggles will have to start bearing fruit at some point, though, or the Titans may find themselves back at the drawing board offensively.