Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo offered insight into the growth, mindset, and on-field identity that he wants to define his young NFL career. Tennessee needs Okonkwo to have his most impactful season yet for the sake of rookie quarterback Cam Ward.
Okonkwo accepts the challenge.
Titans passing game needs an X Factor
NFL coaches will tell you that the mental acuity required to thrive as a tight end rivals that of only quarterbacks or centers.
Okonkwo embraces that challenge heading into the final year of his rookie contract.
"The tight end position, it's the hardest position past quarterback," said Okonkwo. "You've got to know everything in the run game. You've got to know everything in the pass game. You're a special teams body. You have to know all the calls, all the checks."
Okonkwo's best attribute as a pro thus far has been durability. He has appeared in every possible game (51) with 30 starts since being selected by Tennessee as a 2022 fourth-round pick. Statistically, Okonkwo has the sixth-most receiving yards among tight ends in the "Titans Era" (1,457).
The actual impact of those yards is fair to question versus the amount of stats accumulated while Tennessee trails in games.
Drafting Ward with the No. 1 overall pick two months ago could shift in that direction. The Titans passing game ranked last in FTNFantasy's DVOA. Okonkwo's overall efficiency in 2024 also disappointed with a total EPA of -11.94 and an EPA/target of -0.17.
Credited with only two drops last season due to receiver fault, there is reason to believe that legitimate quarterback play could unlock the best version of Okonkwo yet.
"We don't want to be niche players," said tight ends coach Luke Stocker of his group. "We all have our skill set, we all have our strengths and that's what we want to identify and focus in on, and that's what we're going to put in the game. But there's gonna be times when we ask Chig to block one-on-one the other team's best pass rusher. That's just the way the play ends up. So, we've got to make sure, at this point in time, that everyone can do everything and do it confidently."
