The Tennessee Titans caught the injury bug in a big way during the 2018 season, and one of the team’s first major losses was veteran tight end Delanie Walker.
Walker is poised to make a big return after missing nearly all of last year with a Week 1 ankle injury.
Walker, 35, knows that some doubt his ability to spring back. But he’s imperative that he’s still got what it takes to make an impact, and the Titans will certainly need him as one of their only established targets on offense.
ESPN’s Turron Davenport pointed out just how essential Walker could be to Arthur Smith’s scheme, and how versatile overall as a player he can be.
“Employing dual crossing routes with Walker and another pass-catcher will set up natural picks and cause defenders to get lost in coverage, creating an easy throw to the second option because Walker will draw most of the defense’s attention,” he explained. “Smith can also use Walker on seam routes to create open windows for a deep in-breaking route by a secondary receiver underneath. There is an abundance of ways to benefit from the threat that Walker brings.”
Walker has been especially efficient in the middle of the field on crossing routes, with his 1,438 YAC ranking fifth among tight ends between 2013 and 2017.
Walker may have some rust to knock off as he completes his recovery and prepares for training camp, but fans can rest assured he’ll be a key player once more in the coming season.
