Smith Positioned to Become A Prime Target

The fourth-year tight end is the only Titans' pass catcher who has worked with quarterback Ryan Tannehill in recent weeks

NASHVILLE – Location is everything this offseason.

The fact that Jonnu Smith lives in South Florida, for example, could mean that the fourth-year tight end takes the place of quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s preferred target this fall. That’s because Tannehill also currently resides in the Miami area.

Due to travel restrictions and social distancing guidelines, those two have worked together over recent weeks in ways that other members of the Tennessee Titans could not.

“A couple days a week I’ll go throw,” Tannehill said last week. “I’m down here. Jonnu is down here. So, I go throw with Jonnu a couple days a week down here in South Florida.”

In a typical year, most starting quarterbacks gather as many of their potential pass catchers as possible for informal sessions prior to the start of the NFL’s offseason training program. Marcus Mariota, for example, often got together with Titans’ receivers in California to improve their comfort level with and understanding of each other before everyone convened in Nashville for structured work under the direction of coaches.

This year the offseason program has commenced but the vast majority of players remain separated. NFL team facilities are closed due to concerns related to COVID-19 and the only organized work at present is virtual meetings.

Smith, a third-round pick in 2017, already has a preferred place among Tannehill’s targets. Only wide receiver A.J. Brown had more receptions in the 10 games after Tannehill replaced Mariota as the starter last season.

A rundown of the Titans’ leading receivers in 2019 games that Ryan Tannehill was the starting quarterback:

Player, position	Receptions	Yards	TDs
A.J. Brown, WR	38	778	6
Jonnu Smith, TE	29	342	3
Corey Davis, WR	27	364	1
Tajaé Sharpe, WR	20	223	4
Adam Humphries, WR	16	185	2
Anthony Firkser, TE	13	179	1
Derrick Henry, RB	12	104	1
Dion Lewis, RB	11	103	1

In addition to Tannehill, the Titans return leading rusher Derrick Henry and their top four pass receivers from 2019. So there exists a familiarity throughout the offense that likely is absent with other teams.

“So yeah, I think it definitely helps us especially in this type of situation when we’re not able to get in the building and spend a lot of time around each other and the coaching staff,” Tannehill said. “Guys that were already familiar with it now are just able to go a little bit more in-depth.”

Only one of those guys, though, is able to go deep (or short, or intermediate) and catch passes from his quarterback right now. That could have a big impact in the fall.

“I’m a guy who can’t really sit still and not do anything,” Tannehill said. “I don’t really watch much TV or movies, or anything like that during the day. I’m a guy that has to do something, so it’s either working on some football, watching some tape, going over the playbook.”

Or he is getting on the same page – so to speak – with Smith while others do their work elsewhere.