Titans Rookie Adding Plenty of Confidence With Play

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson is playing with a lot of confidence in his rookie year.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson (19) hauls in a pass in warmups before their first preseason game of the 2024-25 season against the San Francisco 49ers at Nissan Stadium Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson is on the 53-man roster bubble, but he isn't playing like it.

The Titans are incredibly deep at the receiver spot, making it difficult to come down to six or seven guys for the final 53, and Jackson, a sixth-round pick out of Tulane, is making a strong case for the roster despite there being little space.

"The whole team has a lot of confidence," Jackson said. "I don’t know what it is. I think the biggest thing about this year, we've been doing a lot of team bonding where we go together, we do everything together. ... Coach (Brian) Callahan’s motto is ‘Hunt Together.’ And with that confidence of just relying on each other, we are going to be successful. Even if something happens bad, 'Come on, bro. It’s the next play. You’ve got to put that behind you.’"

It's rare for a group to come together quick and bond, but it's clear that it is a paramount message for the Titans. The team has a brand new group of guys with lower expectations than most teams. They know they are capable of winning, but they have to do it with a sense of togetherness and brotherhood. From there, that's allowing other players to be confident and play true team football.

Jackson is feeding into the motto, and it should certainly help his chances of making the team. The Titans will likely carry six receivers, and five of those spots have already been filled by DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, Treylon Burks and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, so there may only be room for one more.

Kearis Jackson looked strong as a kick returner in the first two preseason games, but a knee injury he suffered against the Seattle Seahawks could give Jha'Quan an opening. Kyle Philips is also a candidate for the last spot, but he's dealing with a hamstring injury.

Ultimately, the Titans need a sixth receiver to emerge this week, and Jha'Quan Jackson could be in the driver's seat.

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