Titans May Lose Breakout WR to NFC Team

The Tennessee Titans may lose one of their top wide receivers to an NFC team in NFL free agency.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (15) slips past New England Patriots safety Marte Mapu (15) for a first down during the third quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Not a lot has gone right for the Tennessee Titans this season, but one of their lone bright spots has been the emergence of wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.

Now in his fifth NFL season, Westbrook-Ikhine has established himself as a critical part of the Titans' offense during the second half of the year and has logged 28 catches for 447 yards and nine touchdowns on the 2024 campaign overall.

The problem is that Westbrook-Ikhine is slated to hit free agency this coming offseason, and Tennessee may not be able to retain him. As a matter of fact, Bleacher Report's Matt Holder has already connected the 27-year-old to the New York Giants.

"Westbrook-Ikhine could be a good complement to [Malik] Nabers as a big-bodied red-zone target who excels in contested targets," Holder wrote. "The 6'2" and 211-pound wideout entered the weekend tied for fifth with nine touchdowns this season, and he has experience working with a young quarterback, which is an added bonus."

Westbrook-Ikhine, who played his collegiate football at Indiana, went undrafted in 2020 but ended up landing with the Titans. He barely made an impact during his rookie year, but began to carve out a niche in his sophomore campaign, catching 38 passes for 476 yards and four scores.

However, Westbrook-Ikhine was unable to break out beyond that in 2022 or 2023, finishing with under 400 receiving yards in both seasons.

He also wasn't a part of Tennessee's offense during the early stages of 2024, but began to become more of a target after the trade of DeAndre Hopkins.

The Titans can absolutely afford to keep Westbrook-Ikhine, as he probably won't land a very lucrative deal in free agency. However, Tennessee has so many other needs—including another star wide out to put alongside of Calvin Ridley—that it may ultimately neglect the Lake Mary, Fl. native.

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