Tight End Trio Takes Up the Slack

Geoff Swaim, MyCole Pruitt and Anthony Firkser have shown that replacing Jonnu Smith was not a one-man job.

George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA Today Network

NASHVILLE – The loss of one guy changed almost everything for the Tennessee Titans tight ends.

If the first 15 games of the 2021 season proved anything, it is that replacing Jonnu Smith was not as simple as writing a different name on the top line of the depth chart. Anthony Firkser, Geoff Swaim and MyCole Pruitt all have done their part to minimize the impact of Smith’s free-agent departure but effectively none assumed Smith’s responsibilities.

“I think initially we asked everyone to increase their role, whether that was in the run game or the pass protection, and everyone was going to be expected to take on more and produce at a higher level to make up for that loss,” tight ends coach Luke Steckel said. “Obviously, Jonnu was a great player for us and had a lot of production, and we knew it was going to be a group effort to try to replace him. That’s what we’ve tried to do.”

Individually, two of the three never have been better. Collectively, though, their performance has not measured up.

Swaim caught three passes in last Thursday’s victory against the San Francisco 49ers, which gave him a career-high 27 for the season, one more than his previous high set with Dallas in 2018. He also has two touchdown receptions, as many as he had in 53 career games prior to this season.

Similarly, MyCole Pruitt has set career-highs with 14 receptions, 145 yards and three touchdowns. He posted the best single-game numbers of his career when he caught three passes for 43 yards in Week 2 against Seattle.

“I feel like just building that trust more and more with [quarterback] Ryan [Tannehill] is one of the main things that had to happen this year,” Pruitt said. “And I feel like we’re continuing to build it every week.”

Firkser was the one who figured to pick up much of Smith’s workload, particularly in the passing game. However, a knee injury sidelined him for two games and slowed him early in the season. He has just 27 catches for 211 yards and no touchdowns, a decrease from his 2020 performance (39-387, 1 TD) and nowhere near what Smith did in 2020 (41-448, 8 TDs).

“Our tight ends, their number one job here will be to block,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “That is the first thing. Make sure we are doing that a little better and then catch the ones we throw you.”

Overall, Tennessee has gotten 71 receptions from tight ends (Tommy Hudson contributed the other three), which ranks 17th in the NFL, just ahead of division rivals Jacksonville and Houston. At that pace in this 17-game season, that group will finish with 80 catches.

The average of 8.25 yards per reception from the tight ends ranks last in the NFL and is a decrease of more than two yards from 2020. Only seven teams have fewer receiving yards from that position than the Titans’ 586.

A year ago, Tennessee ranked sixth among all NFL teams with 94 receptions by tight ends and ninth 967 receiving yards. Only two teams – the Green Bay Packers and Las Vegas Raiders – got more touchdown catches from that position group than the Titans’ 13.

Then again, the Titans ultimately did not even try to recreate Smith’s role in the offense.

“I think versatility is such a key factor at the tight end position, being able to do multiple jobs so that you’re not pigeon-holed by personnel groupings,” Steckel said. “Those guys have really embodied that this year.

“In the past couple years with Jonnu, he had kind of the things he was really good at and excelled at. So, you want to make sure he was in for those types of plays. … I think (the current tight ends) have taken advantage of some opportunities in the pass game. But still a lot of room for growth.”