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A year ago, armed with the No. 2 pick in the draft, the top priority for the Tennessee Titans was to find a potential franchise quarterback. They accomplished that by taking Marcus Mariota, and now this offseason upgrading the talent around him should be at the top of new general manager Jon Robinson‘s agenda. Offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil is a popular pick for the Titans with the first overall pick in April’s draft, but Robinson has put some focus on skill position talent at the start of the new league year.
The Titans have made a big move to acquire running back DeMarco Murray from the Philadelphia Eagles in a trade, and now they theoretically have a proven No. 1 running back. Now, according to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com, they’ve agreed to a three-year, $15 million deal with wide receiver Rishard Matthews. Titans head coach Mike Mularkey, not surprisingly, has said Matthews is in line for a prominent role as Tennessee’s “Z” receiver.
The Titans have agreed to terms with receiver Rishard Matthews on a three-year deal. https://t.co/bsa68waG6n
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) March 10, 2016
Matthews is coming off the best season of his career in 2015, with 43 receptions for 662 yards and four touchdowns over 11 games for the Miami Dolphins. His season was cut short by fractured ribs, but that does not appear to have been an issue that affected interest on the free agent market. It’s dangerous to project numbers based on a full slate of games, but for what it’s worth, Matthews was on pace for 62 receptions and 963 yards if he had played all 16 games last season. The numbers Matthews did put up last year would have been second on the Titans anyway, behind tight end Delanie Walker (94 catches for 1,088 yards).
Matthews is clearly not a No. 1 wide receiver, with contract numbers to back that up ($2.5 million guaranteed). But he can be a useful piece for a Tennessee offense that needs a talent boost, and that makes him a solid, if unspectacular, signing for the new regime.
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