Hollister Refuses to Hear Doubters

The wide receiver has been chasing his NFL dream for five-plus years and is as confident as ever as the 2022 season starts.

NASHVILLE – Go ahead and tell Cody Hollister that it is time to move on. To try something new. To let go of his dream of being an NFL player.

You won’t be the first. And you probably won’t be the last.

“That’s every year,” he said. “Every year since I was out of high school, I’ve heard that. And I’ve heard. ‘Give it up.’ I’ve heard, ‘Get realistic.’

“… Every year that I hear somebody say that, it doesn’t affect me at all because I’ve heard it my entire life.”

What he never has heard is a voice inside his own head that agrees with what so many others have said. And now, he might actually be in position to say, “I told you so.”

The Tennessee Titans released the 28-year-old wide receiver at the end of the preseason but let him know he would be back almost immediately. True to their word, they re-signed Hollister a day later when they placed wide receiver Racey McMath on injured reserve (the timing allows them to activate McMath at some point).

Of course, days after that Josh Gordon was added to the practice squad. If franchise officials decide to add the 31-year-old who is nearly a decade removed from his lone Pro Bowl appearance to the active roster, Hollister could be removed, although it should be noted that two spots opened Friday when defensive back Elijah Molden and linebacker Chance Campbell were placed on injured reserve.

Either way, Hollister will be undeterred.

“Every year I feel more prepared,” he said. “This is my fourth year in the building and the coaches do a great job of preparing you. And when you’ve been in the system for three or four years, you know it. You know it well.

“… I feel more prepared. I feel ready. The confidence is definitely high. That just comes from preparation.”

Admittedly, Hollister does not have the résumé to silence the doubters. A professional for five years, he has appeared in just 10 regular-season games and none in the playoffs. The total of his official NFL experience consists of 184 plays on offense and 80 more snaps on special teams. He has caught seven passes for 88 yards. By comparison, A.J. Brown had that many or more receptions and yards in a game four times last season.

What Hollister has is faith. Faith in himself. Faith in the work that he has put in up to this point. Faith in a higher power.

And the definition of faith, of course, is complete trust or confidence in someone or something.

“Throughout my career, it has just been giving it my absolute best and trusting the Lord with the uncontrollables,” Hollister said. “All I can do is work my butt off and trust God with the result. I’m just going to do everything I can to prepare, study, work hard fight, [and] whatever role they want me to play, I’ll play.”

'The Guy is a Warrior'

Nicole Hester/Tennessean.com / USA Today Network

There is reason to take him at his word. After all, when he has gotten chances – limited though they may be – he typically has shown he was ready.

In the second game he played, he got two snaps on offense – and caught two passes for 13 yards. In each of three contests he played last season and the last one in 2020, he had at least one reception. General manager Jon Robinson said it was Hollister’s ability to step in at multiple spots that convinced franchise officials to make him McMath’s replacement.

“The guy is a warrior,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. “You look at what he's done in his career and in his time here, just the ups and the downs, the ins and the outs. He shows up every day. He's in this building. He works hard. You can count on him. He knows where he's going to be. He knows what he's going to be doing.

“It gives the guys around him a lot of trust in knowing that he may not get every rep, he may not constantly be the guy that's out there, but if he does get in there, he's going to know exactly what to do and give us a chance.”

Even the Titans were not sold on Hollister when they first connected with him, and they have not necessarily been convinced. He was two years removed from college (one on the practice squad and one on injured reserve with the New England Patriots), yet he was offered only an opportunity to take part in Tennessee’s 2019 rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. He showed franchise officials enough in that weekend of workouts and meetings that he was signed to a contract.

Since then, he has spent twice as much time on the practice squad than he has on the active roster. He also was released after he was injured during the 2021 training camp only to be re-signed in November.

Half of his game experience came three years ago.

Then again, as he noted, it never has been easy. After high school, he spent one redshirt season at the University of Nevada followed by a year at Arizona Western Community College. That led to the University of Arkansas, where he caught just 27 passes in 29 games.

“Everyone gets frustrated,” Hollister said. “It’s just the name of the game. I think there would be something wrong with you if you don’t get frustrated. Honestly, I just control what I can control and I come to work.”

And after all of this time, he still can’t imagine himself in any other job.

“So, people say, ‘Give it up. Get realistic about your life. Get realistic about your situation as a football player,’” Hollister said. “But I’m literally going to just keep getting better. I feel better physically than when I came into the league. I feel stronger. I feel faster. And I’m just going to keep getting better every year.”