Titans’ Carnell Tate is Already in Elite WR Company — And He’s the Key to a Week 4 Win

The Tennessee Titans’ offense may be one of the worst in the league as a unit, but their performance as a group is no reflection of Carnell Tate. An 0-3 start plagued by overarching worries hasn’t cast any doubt on the conclusion of growing confidence that Tate was a major hit in this past draft.

Tennessee’s fourth overall pick came on slow in the preseason before quietly emerging as the Titans’ best receiver. You heard that right – Tate has a serious case as the best pass-catcher in this offense already.

A recent chart measuring how well WRs seperate themselves in single coverage, as well as their yards per route run (YPPR), sees Tate in some unexpectedly elite company. Just three games into his professional career, Tate finds himself in the same quadrant as Jaxon Smith-Njigba, CeeDee Lamb, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Justin Jefferson.

Most of the receivers in the top right box below are either franchise-level playmakers, reliable veterans, or players trending in one of those directions. It’s still early, but Tate’s ability to get open has him set apart like few other WRs in the NFL.

Heading into another must-have contest against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4, all it may take to ignite the Titans’ offense is to fully rely on Tate for the first time this season.

Tate is the key to unlocking Titans’ offense

That may sound obvious, but Cam Ward either missing Tate on open looks, or not paying him any attention at all, has cost the receiver a few catches and a score at least. Of course, Ward’s progression (or lack thereof) is another issue entirely.

Tate is coming off his best game yet as a Titan, with six catches and 58 yards against the Giants, and has more than proven he’s capable of first-read looks. It’s time that some designated deep balls find their way to the first-year receiver.

However, that discussion leads us to Brian Daboll’s questionable play-calling. The offense’s problems are multi-layered, and clearly throwing the ball to Tate a few more times per contest won’t fix them all. But it could’ve won Tennessee the game last Sunday.

If a few other things go right, it could win them the game this coming Sunday. If nothing else, it would encourage Titans fans to see Ward find Tate on a few more of those wide-open misses. We’ll see if Tennessee is finally able to capitalize on their rising rookie’s momentum this weekend.

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