Titans cutting rookie

The Titans are cutting rookie WR Dez Fitzpatrick, according to longtime Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky. That's a surprising move after the team traded up in Round 4 to draft him out of Louisville. Tennessee might still be hoping to stash him on the practice squad, but the team is clearly willing to lose him. That dims the dynasty outlook for Fitzpatrick.

Ben Arthur of The Tennessean writes that Dez Fitzpatrick might be a “factor” in the WR room moving forward. Tennessee will surely add WR help this offseason. Beyond A.J. Brown (who enters a contract year) and Julio Jones, the Titans have Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Marcus Johnson, Chester Rogers and Cam Batson slated for free agency next month. Fitzpatrick, a 4th round rookie, struggled in training camp but wasn’t exactly a full-season disappointment, per GM Jon Robinson. “He was at a very low, low, low point in training camp,” Robinson said. “He had zero confidence. It was not good. He kept fighting. Working to get better. Improved his craft as a route runner. Gained some good weight it looked (like) to me. Didn’t look as thin, especially in his upper body. We’re counting on Dez to carve out a role. Whether it’s a fourth receiver, third receiver, starting receiver, I don’t know. It will be up to him how he comes in.” Fitzpatrick checks boxes for size and speed, but we’d be surprised if he slots any higher than 3rd on the Titans WR depth chart. He’s just a late-round flier in early best balls.

The Titans have taken WR Dez Fitzpatrick in Round 4 of the 2021 NFL Draft. Fitzpatrick turned in an impressive 2017 redshirt freshman season, leading the Cardinals with 9 receiving scores and ranking 2nd with 45 catches and 699 yards. He never really progressed from there, although it’s worth noting that his 833 yards last year were a career high and beat Tutu Atwell's total by more than 200. Fitzpatrick also checks the size and athleticism boxes at 6’2, 208 pounds with 4.49 speed and a 35-inch vertical. He lands in a spot with opportunity. Tennessee let Corey Davis walk in free agency, dumped WR Adam Humphries and added only WR Josh Reynolds on a 1-year contract.