Tennessee Titans
Another AFC South player I previously detailed my breakout expectations for was Tennessee Titans’ third-year wide receiver, Corey Davis. If the buzz out of training camp is any indication, we are going to see exactly that in 2019:
Going to sound like a broken record, but Corey Davis is showing off. Ryan Tannehill tried to throw it away during goal line team period. Davis skied over Jayon Brown, Adoree Jackson, Malcolm Butler to snap it out of the air w/one hand and get BOTH feet in bounds. #TITANS
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 1, 2019
If the #Titans passing offense is even half decent, Corey Davis is going to have a monstrous season.
— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) July 29, 2019
.@TheCDavis84 with the catch of the day again at @Titans camp. Went up and made crazy one-handed grab in back of end zone. Came during period of practice when videos not allowed. More later in observations from Day 6️⃣
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 1, 2019
Here’s just a small sample of the type of camp Davis is having:
Corey Davis (@TheCDavis84) makes the catch of the day. 🙌🏾 #TitansCamp pic.twitter.com/hNqTfCFx2l
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) July 28, 2019
I assure you this is no isolated incident. There are literally highlights of this caliber coming out of Titans camp every single day with Davis seemingly topping himself in each subsequent practice. Titans starting quarterback Marcus Mariota zeroed in on a key aspect of Davis’ development:
“His body language in and out of his routes has been impressive,” Mariota said. “It makes it easy on us, he’s creating separation. Again, he’s had a countless number of plays — something that we’ve got to continue and hopefully build off of. Again, he’s put in the time and the work, and I’m just excited for him.”
It’s not just the big plays themselves but also how much easier he is making things on his quarterbacks. He is providing considerable space for easier ball placement and fostering trust. The trust that it doesn’t have to be a perfect throw every time. Head coach Mike Vrabel echoed this sentiment when discussing the highlight-reel catch above from Thursday’s practice:
“There’s a lot of times where we saw that, and there’s times where we need to continue to see that,” Vrabel said. “He’s trying to take that mindset that when it leaves a quarterback’s hand, it’s his ball and everybody thought he was throwing it way and Ryan (Tannehill) couldn’t get enough steam on it to throw it away so Corey went up and made a play.”
Tennessee Titans fans are understandably skeptical of preseason wide receiver hype and rightfully so. However, this time feels different. The Curse of Kendall Wright, the team’s last 1,000+ yard receiver (2013), seems destined to be broken in 2019 and that’s probably just the tip of the iceberg. Corey Davis is poised to become the AFC South’s next superstar wide receiver.