Titans still don't know what to expect from this key offensive target

The Tennessee Titans will enter the 2025 season with No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward at quarterback. The Titans are transitioning, with most of the players on the roster acquired by GM's no longer with the team. While some of them will make-up the core moving forward, you can bet many of them will not be around for the long haul.

Players on expiring contracts will have to prove to Mike Borgonzi and Chad Brinker that they deserve to be retained going forward. One of those guys in limbo is tight end Chig Okonkwo. The 25-year old playmaker was drafted all the way back when Jon Robinson was the GM, and is slated to enter a contract year in 2025.

Okonkwo is clearly talented, and many were wondering in his rookie year how he fell to the fourth round. Those questions have quieted since then, with Okonkwo struggling with consistency since then. While his overall stats have been respectable in all three years, the former Maryland standout has not put together a full year of high-level play, and if he wants to receive a new contract in Tennessee, he will have to find a way to achieve that.

Chig Okonkwo has been a slow starter each year with Tennessee Titans

Okonkwo understandably started his rookie year slowly. It's rare for rookie tight ends to make an immediate impact, especially a mid-round one. Okonkwo ended up finishing with 450 yards and three touchdowns in 2022. With experience under his belt heading into Year Two, there was rightfully plenty of optimism for a breakout campaign.

It sadly didn't go as planned. Okonkwo started slowly again in 2023. He struggled with an infuriating number of drops. For whatever reason, Okonkwo's hands were failing him, and it was just one of those slumps that was difficult to explain.

Luckily, Okonkwo recaptured his form, finishing his sophomore season with 528 yards and one touchdown, out-performing his rookie year. With those struggles behind him, Year Three finally looked like the season where Okonkwo could put it all together, especially in a new offensive system that emphasized the passing game.

It was a similar story as the seasons before. Okonkwo was extremely quiet for the first few games throughout 2025, then got his mojo back late and ended up with 479 yards and two touchdowns. Terrible quarterbacking from Will Levis and Mason Rudolph was a fair excuse for his struggles, but he ultimately failed to shed the slow starter narrative.

Now entering a contract year, it's difficult to predict what Okonkwo's future has in store. There is definitely a case to be made that the athletic tight end deserves a bigger role in 2025. Okonkwo will have to earn passing-game targets.

The drafting of Gunnar Helm puts Okonkwo's role in real question, especially since many around the league have such high hopes for Helm. Josh Whyle is another young tight end on the roster, and while he is not expected to be as much of a threat, his presence is yet another reason why Okonkwo will have to earn every rep.

If Okonkwo's performances remain in-line with his previous showings, you can be near certain he won't be back in 2026. Okonkwo is talented, but he has not proven to be a consistent game changer. He was also drafted two regimes ago.

Perhaps the Titans will even consider trading him at this year's trade deadline if things aren't going according to plan. Okonkwo's future in Nashville is uncertain. The bottom line is this -- Okonkwo possesses the skills required to become more consistent in 2025.