One of the biggest storylines coming out of the Tennessee Titans’ Preseason Week 1 contest against the Atlanta Falcons was the absence of 2021 fourth-round pick and wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick in the first half.
The Titans dressed a total of nine receivers, eight of which saw the field in the first two quarters; however, Fitzpatrick was not one of them.
The rookie did eventually take the field in the second half, playing a total of 24 snaps in his preseason debut, but he did not record a stat and was not targeted.
On Saturday, head coach Mike Vrabel revealed that Fitzpatrick needs to do “a lot” more in practice if he wants to see more preseason snaps. It doesn’t sound like Vrabel is too happy with his progress thus far.
Vrabel clearly not pleased with progress of WR Dez Fitzpatrick. Says fourth-round rookie needs to show “a lot” more in practice to get more snaps in preseason games. #Titans
— Ben Arthur (@benyarthur) August 14, 2021
The Titans are seeing a competitive battle for the few remaining spots on the wide receiver depth chart. If not for his status as a recent fourth-round pick, we’d say Fitzpatrick is in danger of missing the cut.
Thankfully, the Louisville product has plenty of practices and two preseason games left to right the ship ahead of Week 1. It’ll be interesting to see if the rookie can answer the bell in the weeks ahead.
Vrabel touched on a number of other topics during his day-after presser. Here’s a look at what he had to say.
