With the injury to wide receiver Marcus Johnson, who was placed on IR for a second time, ending his season, the Tennessee Titans must look to a new player to return kicks the rest of the way.
Johnson had been performing fairly well in that area. Over nine returns, the wide receiver was averaging 19.9 yards per, placing him tied for No. 30 in the NFL.
On Wednesday, special teams coach Craig Aukerman indicated that running back Dontrell Hilliard and new wide receiver Golden Tate, who was signed to the practice squad on Tuesday, would both get looks at a spot in which they have experience.
Hilliard and Tate will get looks as kick returner, per Craig Aukerman. #Titans.
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) November 24, 2021
While Tate has plenty of experience in punt returns (111), he doesn’t have a ton with kickoffs specifically. In fact, the 33-year-old has just seven kickoff returns during his 11-year career and hasn’t fielded one since 2017.
Hilliard, who fielded three kick returns for 65 yards (21.67 yards per) in Week 11 against the Houston Texans, actually has more returns than Tate despite playing in seven less seasons. His career average is 23 yards per.
However, the Titans might be wise to keep Hilliard away from returns after he was Tennessee’s best back on Sunday, leading to his promotion to the active roster.
Tennessee’s returner issues don’t just stop at kickoffs, though. In Week 11, wide receiver and punt returner Chester Rogers made a massive blunder, allowing a punt to go off his foot that was recovered by the Texans at Tennessee’s six-yard line, leading to points for Houston.
For now it appears that Rogers, who is the only Titans player to return a punt this year, will keep his job, as Aukerman stated the team still has confidence in him in that role.
.@Titans ST coordinator Craig Aukerman: We have a lot of faith and trust in Chester Rogers. We just have to have better situational awareness.
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) November 24, 2021
The Titans will travel to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots this Sunday, with kickoff set for noon CT.
