Josh

Whyle

Okonkwo finally failed to catch some targets with his first two incompletions of the season. Josh Whyle also had a catch for five yards. Okonkwo handily outperformed Kyle Pitts this week, you can’t deny it.

Without buying too far into depth charts, it’s notable that Okonkwo is not listed as the starting tight end alone for Week 1 against Chicago. Okonkwo is coming off a down 2023 season in which he averaged a meager 1.6 yards per route run and Whyle has drawn praise from Titans coaches this summer. Look for Okonkwo and Whyle to split pass-catching duties to start the season.

No. 2 TE Josh Whyle (concussion protocol) was inactive but Okonkwo still failed to separate from his position group. Conversely, No. 3 TE Nick Vannett caught 2-of-2 targets for 30 yards playing alongside Okonkwo in the first-team offense.

Titans tight ends focused on their physiques this offseason; Wyatt reported in June that Chig Okonkwo likewise worked to improve his stability, in order to improve his cutting ability. A wise move, given Whyle’s incremental encroachment on Okonkwo’s 2023 role before a Week 13 knee injury landed Whyle on injured reserve. Okonkwo remains the team’s No. 1 tight end but Whyle did perform more efficiently last year, earning targets at a 25.9 percent rate while averaging 1.62 yards per route run. Okonkwo finished respective per-route averages of 18.4 percent and 1.31. Whyle will have to fully unseat Okonkwo to become re-draft relevant but should be safely stashed on dynasty benches in the meantime.

Primarily a blocker, Whyle had one catch for 16 yards before exiting. Chig Okonkwo may see a few more snaps with Whyle done for the day.

Whyle took a hard hit from Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton in the first quarter and immediately left the field to get checked out by the medical staff. He was ruled out shortly after. Whyle has three catches for 33 yards and a score this year.

The rookie tight end was on the receiving end of a trick play pass from Derrick Henry on his touchdown catch. It was a great play and a great moment for Whyle, since it was his first career touchdown grab, but the rookie is playing just 29 percent of snaps for the Titans. He may have some dynasty value because he was good in college at Cincinnati, but he’s not on the verge of stealing a starting job just yet.

If not for a deep rookie tight end class, Whyle (6’6/248) would have garnered a bit more attention during the pre-draft process. One of the more productive players at his position, his college resume is headline by a career receiving line of 88-1,060-15. A second-team AAC All-American in 2020, Whyle would earn first-team All-AAC honors in 2022 after he caught 32 balls for 326 yards and three touchdowns. Whyle thrived for two seasons (2020-2021) under quarterback Desmond Ridder, but spent his final season catching passes from transfer quarterback Ben Bryant. An above-average athlete with good hands and 4.69 speed, Whyle dropped just four passes on 105 targets in his final three seasons. With the Titans, he’ll compete with Chigoziem Okonkwo for playing time.

Whyle (6'6"/232) has been remarkably consistent in the last two years with the Bearcats, hauling in around 340 yards and exactly six touchdowns both years. He’ll be a nice security blanket/red zone target for whoever takes over Desmond Ridder next year.

Whyle (6'6/232) hauled in a 16-yard touchdown in the first quarter of this one to give Cincinnati a 7-0 lead, and later put the Bearcats up 21-12 in the third quarter when he and quarterback Desmond Ridder connected on a five yard touchdown. Whyle has now scored two touchdowns in each of his last two games, and has five on the season. Whyle and the Bearcats will look to move to 9-0 next week when they host Tulsa.