Titans TE Josh Whyle on Catching First Career TD from Derrick Henry: 'It's Pretty Cool'

The Tennessee Titans' rookie tight end Josh Whyle had a tough start to his NFL career with a mistake-filled preseason and limited snaps the first three weeks, but Whyle finally showed some flashes in the Titans' Week 4 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Tennessee Titans added rookie tight end Josh Whyle in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft and while expectations were low, Whyle had a disappointing start to his career. The preseason saw Whyle at the center of some turnovers and the first few weeks of the seasons didn't see Whyle much at all.

However, the rookie finally showed some positive flashes against the Cincinnati Bengals, catching two passes for 26 yards. Coincidentally, Whyle was drafted out of the University of Cincinnati this past April. When the Titans selected him, they hoped to get a long, athletic tight end that could get down the seam and help in the red zone.

That is exactly what they got in Week 4. On the Titans' first scoring drive, Whyle caught a two-yard pass down the seam off of play action. Later in the game, Whyle caught his first career touchdown on a Derrick Henry throw. Whyle talked about whether he imagined his first score would come from Henry.

"I didn't think so until earlier this week," Whyle admitted. "We put the play in and yeah, it's pretty cool. It's pretty cool. That was a new play this week. We got a couple reps at it. Worked on it a couple times. Derrick threw a good ball today, so that's all that matters. "

Whyle got into a little bit more detail on how the play was meant to unfold and what went right as well.

"Right when I got off the line of scrimmage I was (open), which I think is a testament to upfront. We talked earlier this week, that's where the sell was coming from. The guys upfront selling, that's why I gave (the ball) to the first big man I saw, let them spike it."

Whyle also did a fine job blocking for the Titans on Sunday and was a part of the reason the Titans were able to rush for 173 yards. Whyle got 18 snaps in the game, close to his total for the entire season through the first three weeks, 22.

While the rookie is certainly happy about his contribution to the win, he realize what is most important about that equation, the victory.

"Obviously, it feels good." Whyle said with a smile. "First catch, first touchdown, but getting a win today and just how we did it, that's what feels best for sure." 

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