Delanie Walker suffered a horrific ankle injury in Sunday’s 27-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins. In case you missed it, good. Don’t look it up. It was gruesome, and it made me a sad panda. Since then, he’s been placed on injured reserve. It’s unclear as to whether or not he’ll be able to return this season, but regardless, he’s going to miss a significant chunk of time.
Obviously, that’s a huge blow to an offense that’s still trying to find its footing. Walker has been the favorite target of Marcus Mariota for the entirety of the young quarterback’s career. When all else failed, #82 was the guy.
But, this is the NFL, it’s the first week of the 2018 season, and the Titans suddenly have to find a way to adjust and move forward. Someone is going to have to step up in Walker’s absence.
The obvious choice is Jonnu Smith. He’s not really Walker’s backup, as he lined up for 40 of the team’s 69 offensive snaps. So, he sees the field plenty, but he’s clearly still developing. Nonetheless, Smith was a guy who was called a “mini-Delanie Walker” throughout the draft process. He’s certainly athletic, and has a ton of potential. But, to this point, he hasn’t proven ready for a feature role in the offense. He had one catch on three targets for 12 yards against Miami.
Rishard Matthews probably has the best rapport with Mariota of all the potential targets remaining. But, after missing the bulk of the preseason, doesn’t look to be the factor he once was. Though he played 36 snaps on offense, Matthews didn’t show up on the stat sheet at all.
Then, there’s Corey Davis. The 2017 fifth overall pick was poised for a breakout season, and judging by Sunday’s game, it sure looks like they were trying to force feed him. Davis was targeted a team high 13 teams, though he only reeled in six of those for 62 yards. I still think he’s perfectly capable of that breakout season, but there’s no way that you can consider him as safe and reliable a target as Walker at this point.
An interesting option could be Dion Lewis. He had 75 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but it’s his five catches for 35 yards that show his potential as the same sort of safety valve for Mariota that Walker was. I think he’ll be plenty busy with work of his own out of the backfield, though.
The reality is that it’s probably going to be a committee effort to try and replicate Walker’s immense production. “It takes a village…” and all that. We’ll find out just how ready some of the younger Titans are and just how well Matt LaFleur can scheme during this stretch. That much is certain.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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