The Titans managed to acquire

The Titans managed to acquire a receiver whose specialty is picking up yards in space."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Tennessee Titans PodcastAdam Humphries Finished Inside The Top 25 for Yards After The Catch In 2018New Womens Ryan Succop Jersey ,24commentsThe Titans managed to acquire a receiver whose specialty is picking up yards in space.CDTShareTweetShareShareAdam Humphries Finished Inside The Top 25 for Yards After The Catch In 2018Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsThe Titans needed an upgrade at the WR position badly and they did that on Monday by signing former Buccaneers receiver Adam Humphries to a four-year $36M contract. Humphries had a career year in 2018, catching 76 passes for 816 yards and five touchdowns. Advanced statistics also speak favorably of him, as Humphries finished 28th in Football Outsiders’ DVOA statistic out of 84 qualifying receivers. Despite being behind guys like Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson and Chris Godwin on the wide receiver depth chart, Humphries received the second most receiving snaps behind Evans, with 781 snaps in 2018 compared to Evans’ 940. 646 of Humphries’ snaps came in the slot while he received 92 snaps as a wideout (the rest came on plays focused on the tight end and running backs).Giving a slot receiver like him $9M per season may not be the cheapest deal in the NFL, but considering the Titans missed out on new Jets receiver Jamison Crowder, I give Tennessee props for going out and getting the next best thing.Impressively, the Titans now have two skill players who finished inside the top 25 for yards after the catch in the 2018 season, with Dion Lewis being the other guy. For more let’s take a look at this chart I created highlighting that specific stat, with data applied according to Fox Sports.@BrickwallblitzFirst, note that yards after the catch includes yards before the line of scrimmage (on plays such as bubble screens), so that’s why several guys have more yards after the catch than actual yards. Second, let’s just admire how George Kittle had more yards after the catch than Humphries had receiving yards. That’s special.Anyway, Humphries’ ability to create yards after the catch (YAC) fits in with the identity the Titans had last year. Corey Davis certainly has ability as a vertical threat but is also a guy that approaches the ball nicely in regards to yards after the catch. Dion Lewis as mentioned is on this list at #17, and even guys like Jonnu Smith and Taywan Taylor created ample YAC when given the opportunity.Via Rotowire, Humphries’ average of 5.8 yards after the catch was significantly above average in comparison to the rest of the league. In terms of where he was at his most productive, he was at his best in the left slot, where he caught 41 passes for 458 yards. So Humphries’ game is definitely as a slot receiver. As a wideout in 2018, he only caught 12 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns (72 of those were YAC). So I don’t think the Titans should be satisfied with Humphries as a true #2 receiver and should go after a guy in the draft to fill that role. But Humphries is a quality slot receiver who’s defied the odds as an undrafted player, and Tennessee is getting an upgrade at the slot position. And that’s not to say he doesn’t deserve snaps outside, but he’s definitely comfortable inside.For more, let’s look at a couple plays where Humphries is shown getting YAC.gamepass.nfl.comHumphries isn’t the most athletic receiver in the league, but he’s an explosive target underneath, typically these kinds of routes include all sorts of YAC. As aforementioned, he was at his best in 2018 when aligned in the left slot, as that’s where most of his season’s production came from.This is a simple bubble screen from Jameis Winston to Humphries, but his technical ability is displayed here. The safety is trailing in on him, but Humphries stops on a dime, and this creates a massive gap in the open field for him to run through. He collects the first down and a couple more yards.gamepass.nfl.comHumphries’ ability as a route runner is also apparent, and as you may have already guessed, helps him create YAC. He has a clear understanding on how to run routes against zone coverage as shown on this play. His patience allows for a crease to break open and create a window for the quarterback to throw to. Humphries’ approach at the catch point allows him to quickly turn his hips so that he’s in great position for yards after the catch, helping him pick up a first down and a lot more.In his last two seasons Adam Humphries has been a very consistent and reliable target for the Buccaneers, and his YAC ability is a big reason for that. He constantly moves the chains when given the ball and has been a reliable target on third downs. The latter is big for a Titans team that was already tied for 11th in 3rd down conversions according to ESPN (82). Like I said Womens Steve McNair Jersey , I’d go after a #2 receiver in the draft and allow Humphries to play in the slot, a role which he has shown to be really good in. His average depth of target was 6.1 yards, well below the average for DOT. And in an offense where the only consistent vertical receiver is Corey Davis, the Titans’ issues at WR aren’t finished quite yet.For the moment, however, Adam Humphries’ ability to separate, consistently catch and create yards after the catch gives the Titans a clear upgrade in their receiving corps, one they desperately needed. ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dak Prescott has a new No. 1 receiver and there’s a fresh leading voice for the Dallas quarterback’s blockers after the Cowboys traded for Amari Cooper and fired offensive line coach Paul Alexander during an open week that was much busier than normal.And there’s little question about the message owner and general manager Jerry Jones is sending as the Cowboys try to keep a perfect home season intact to offset their winless road mark in a Monday night visit from the Tennessee Titans, who share the same record (3-4) and sense of urgency because of a three-game losing streak.“We’re more urgent because we’ve dug a hole here,” Jones said on his radio show. “In order to really be where we want to be, which that (is) in the playoffs, then we’ve got to be pretty strong in our success here. We don’t have time here. We don’t have the room to wiggle here.”The Cowboys gave Oakland their upcoming first-round draft pick for Cooper because the receivers simply haven’t made the big plays the coaching staff and front office hoped would still be there despite the offseason release of Dez Bryant in a cost-cutting move.Dallas dumped Alexander in the middle of his first season and promoted former Cowboys lineman Marc Colombo because a front that has been among the NFL’s best for several years simply hasn’t been as good, with or without Travis Frederick. The four-time Pro Bowl center hasn’t played and remains out indefinitely with a nerve disorder.Now it’s time to see how some midseason upheaval, which included bringing retired former offensive line coach Hudson Houck out of retirement to help Colombo, translates to the field.“I don’t think it’ll be that much of a change,” right tackle La’el Collins said. “It’s more so just us being able to do a lot of different things that we’ve done in the past, just kind of getting back to us playing at a high level and being more effective.”The Titans are also coming off the bye week , preceded by a solid bounce-back game for Marcus Mariota after he was sacked 11 times — one shy of the NFL record — in a shutout loss to Baltimore.Mariota had a season-best 75 percent completion percentage (24 of 32) for 237 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 20-19 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers — the second one-point loss on the current skid.Still, the Titans have the 30th-ranked offense and passing game in the NFL. And the Cowboys aren’t much better at 28th and 29th.“I think everybody across the offense has a sense of urgency,” said Mariota, who turned 25 this week. “If we can carry that throughout the entirety of a game, I think we can be efficient. We can do well on third downs. We can score touchdowns.”Some other things to know with the Titans and Cowboys set for a Monday night showdown:STILL IN THE HUNTBoth teams have been fortunate not to lose touch with the top of their divisions.The Titans have been overtaken by Houston’s five-game winning streak in the AFC South, but are just one loss behind the Texans (5-3) in the loss column. The Cowboys have the same number of losses as Super Bowl champion Philadelphia (4-4) and can pull back even with the idle Eagles in the NFC East. Washington has a shot at a two-game cushion in a visit to Atlanta.THE RUNDOWNThe Titans are 19th in the NFL running the ball even with Derrick Henry, the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner, and Dion Lewis in the backfield.The Titans signed fullback Jalston Fowler to the roster after returning from their bye, and coach Mike Vrabel made it clear they want to run the ball better. Dallas star Ezekiel Elliott is coming off the second-worst game of his career, a 33-yard showing in a 20-17 loss to the Redskins.DEFENSIVE SHOWDOWNDallas is giving up just 17.6 points per game, second in the NFL and one spot ahead of Tennessee at 18.1. The Titans are the NFL’s best inside an opponent’s 20, while the Cowboys are second.“It’s going to be the battle of the red zone,” Titans linebacker Wesley Woodyard said. “Bend, but don’t break. That’s been our mentality on defense.”INCORPORATING COOPERCooper spent several days with Cowboys receivers coach Sanjay Lal in California. They went to a park in Oakland to work on routes, and Cooper had some video phone calls with Prescott to try to speed the process of learning one another.NO MORE GLOVEMariota said he is no longer wearing a partial glove that he was using to help with lingering numbness and tingling after injuring his elbow in the season opener.