Just hours before presumably picking Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans got their rookie quarterback a veteran wide receiver to throw to.
Tennessee agreed to terms on a one-year contract with former Seattle Seahawks wideout Tyler Lockett, bolstering a receiving corps that finished 25th in the NFL in receiving-yards per game.
The Titans all but announced their preference to select Ward, the University of Miami quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist, when general manager Mike Borgonzi announced at his pre-draft press conference they would stay put at No. 1.
“As we got to the end of the process, we decided that we are ultimately going to stay,” Borgonzi said, according to ESPN.com.
Lockett, who was released by the Seahawks on March 5, had 661 receptions and 61 touchdowns over 10 seasons in the Pacific Northwest. He played the slot in 2024 alongside D.K. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba and finished the season with 49 catches, 600 yards and two touchdowns — each of which was the lowest since 2017.
But Lockett will get a fresh start in Nashville, while playing opposite Calvin Ridley in his natural position on the outside. Ridley (64 receptions, 1,017 yards) was the only Tennessee receiver with more than 500 yards in 2024, a consequence both of its less-than-stellar receiver room and subpar quarterback play from both Will Levis and Mason Rudolph.
Plus, the Titans needed to add a pass catcher after Nick Westbrook-Ikhine — the team’s second-leading receiver with 32 catches and 497 yards and nine touchdowns — signed a two-year contract with the Miami Dolphins last month. Tyler Boyd, who had a dud of a season after coming over from the Bengals last season, also was not retained.
Fixing the Offense
Even in spite of Ridley’s breakout season in his first year in Nashville, the Titans finished 27th in points per game (18.3) and in ability to protect the ball. Tennessee was tied for the most giveaways in the NFL last season (34) with the Cleveland Browns.
Levis (33 turnovers since 2023) has been a turnover machine since Tennessee spent a second-round pick on him that year, and Ward (37 interceptions in five seasons at Incarnate Word, Washington State and Miami) projects as the franchise quarterback the Titans have not had since Steve McNair.
Even Ryan Tannehill, who went 39-24 in five seasons in Tennessee and quarterbacked the Titans to the No. 1 seed in 2021, didn’t have the potential upside of Ward, the all-time FBS leader in touchdown passes (158).
But aside from helping Ward’s development, adding a high-character veteran like Lockett should help the Titans receivers, especially since veterans like Boyd and DeAndre Hopkins both struggled there last season.
More Work to Do
After going 3-14 and landing the No. 1 pick, the Titans have a bunch of holes to plug. Their low-risk decision to sign Lockett, whose reported base salary ($4 million) could balloon to $6 million if he hits roster incentives, is unlikely to preclude the team from taking a wideout at the upcoming draft.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler projected Tennessee to take Luther Burden III from Missouri with its second-round selection, No. 35 overall, though it could also use a lower-stakes draft selection on a wideout after signing Lockett on Wednesday night.
Comments
Titans Sign Veteran Wide Receiver Before Draft