Titans TE Chig Okonkwo Named 'All-Breakout Team" by Pro Football Focus
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans have a ton of uncertainty on the offensive side of the ball this year and they will need a few of those uncertainties to go their way to make a major improvement on the offensive side of the ball. One of those things would be the development of second-year tight end Chig Okonkwo.
Okonkwo had a nice rookie season that saw him rack up 32 catches, 450 yards and three touchdowns. He was one of the most explosive tight ends in the league in his first year. If the Titans' offense takes a jump, odds are Okonkwo took a leap as well.
Jim Wyman of Pro Football Focus is projecting Okonkwo to take that next step and named him as the tight end on his 2023 "All-Breakout Team." This is what Wyman said about his selection of Okonkwo.
"Okonkwo was a relative unknown to the casual fan when he was selected with the 143rd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s a bit undersized for the tight end position at 6-foot-3 and 238 pounds, but he’s a crazy athlete, as he ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash and recorded a 35.5-inch vertical. As the season went along, he managed to take over the starting TE role for the Titans and made some big plays down the stretch, earning 75.0-plus receiving grades in five of the last six games of the Titans’ season. While Tennessee faltered down the stretch, Okonkwo did not, and he’s primed for a breakout 2023 with an added workload."
The Titans let tight ends Austin Hooper and Geoff Swaim go after the 2022. it is logical to think the performance of Okonkwo as a rookie had a lot to do with the decision to not pursue bringing back either veteran.
Okonkwo will certainly be given more opportunities this year and the Titans will need him to fulfill this selection and make that breakout happen if they want the offense to hold up its end of the bargain in 2023. Okonkwo will be a big target for fantasy players to watch this year too as they prep for their upcoming drafts.
His numbers could grow substantially this season because the Titans don't have a stellar wide receiver group. That's why their over/under line for wins is only 7.5 according to Fanduel.
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