Music City Miracles
Xavier Restrepo is battling to make the Tennessee Titans’ roster
There was a lot of fanfare when the Tennessee Titans signed wide receiver Xavier Restrepo in undrafted free agency. Understandably so. Restrepo was a draftable talent who slid to UDFA status after a poor athletic performance at his pro day. More notably, he was the go-to target last season at Miami for Titans’ No. 1 overall quarterback Cam Ward, producing 69 receptions for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns.
We’re a handful of practices into Titans training camp and the Restrepo buzz hasn’t been quite as loud as once predicted. Ward was outstanding at Saturday’s “Back Together” session at Nissan Stadium, his best practice yet. You didn’t hear Restrepo’s name. He’s been running almost exclusively with the reserve offense.
Restrepo made his most notable play of training camp at Tuesday’s practice. The former Hurricanes standout caught a would-be touchdown on a deep post route. No. 3 quarterback Tim Boyle threw the ball, per Parker Kelley. It said something about Restrepo’s current standing on the roster.
It’s also worth noting Titans head coach Brian Callahan praised Restrepo before Wednesday’s practice, the second in pads. “There’s something about him as a football player that you can’t necessarily measure,” Callahan said. “He just has a knack for finding space and getting open. The ball tends to find him. He had a big one [catch] yesterday. He’s just a good football player.”
The preseason is fast approaching. It’s imperative that Restrepo be productive throughout the exhibition. His style of receiver, a shifty slot pass catcher, tends to feast in the preseason. Doing so would increase his 53-man roster chances.
The Titans probably have six locks at wide receiver. Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett, Elic Ayomanor, and Chimere Dike are unquestioned locks. Van Jefferson is a near-lock, and Bryce Oliver is an outstanding special teams player. Restrepo is probably battling for that seventh spot, and there’s no guarantee the Titans keep seven.
Restrepo is fighting to make the Titans’ roster.
