After losing wide receiver A.J. Brown in the first quarter to a hamstring injury, the Tennessee Titans received a significant contribution from an unlikely source in wideout Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
The former undrafted free agent out of Indiana, who signed with the team following the 2020 NFL Draft, shined to the tune of four receptions for 53 yards and his first-career touchdown against Indianapolis.
Before Sunday, he had a combined five catches for 49 yards in 16 NFL games.
“It’s huge, and it’s what we preach all the time – it’s the ‘next-man-up mentality,” the 24-year-old said following the Titans’ 25-16 win. “You know, coaches say in the locker room, ‘You might not wake up thinking that you’re gonna have that opportunity, but when it comes, you just got to take it and make the most of it,’ and I feel like we did that as a receiver group today.”
He was one of three former undrafted free agent wide receivers who accounted for a combined 108 offensive snaps, with the other two being Chester Rogers and Cameron Batson.
Westbrook-Ikhine logged a career-high 53 snaps and scored the Titans’ second touchdown of the day on an 18-yard pass over the middle from quarterback Ryan Tannehill — and he even threw in a Funky Chicken touchdown celebration for good measure.
Legendary Oilers celebration 🕺🏾@budlight | #BudLightCelly pic.twitter.com/qZKng3Am3E
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) September 26, 2021
Undrafted free agents have been the unsung heroes for the Titans through the first three weeks of the 2021 season.
On the defensive side of the ball, outside linebacker Olasunkanmi Adeniyi has been the biggest surprise, tallying 2.5 sacks, including 1.5 on Sunday against Indianapolis.
“I mean, it’s huge,” Westbrook-Ikhine said of guys stepping up. “There’s guys that – I don’t think really any of us were draft picks, and [it] doesn’t really matter where you come from. Coach Vrabel always talks about that it doesn’t matter where you come from, but it matters what you do once you’re here, and we stepped up to the plate. And I’m so happy for them to make those plays, and obviously, I’m ecstatic to have my first [touchdown].”
Westbrook-Ikhine’s only blemish was a drive-ending fumble in the second quarter inside the Indianapolis 10-yard line. But Adeniyi and fellow outside linebacker Harold Landry picked up the offense with a critical sack on third-and-10 that gave the ball back to the Titans.
Depending on the health status of Brown heading into the Week 4 matchup with the Jets (he’s considered week-to-week), Westbrook-Ikhine and others could continue to see more reps in his absence.
