NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Interim coach Mike Mularkey plans on having four receivers active on Thursday night in Jacksonville against the Jaguars.
The Tennessee Titans have carried four most of the season, expanding only because of injuries.
If Kendall Wright, who is recovering from a knee injury, is out, Harry Douglas and Dorial Green-Beckham will rank as the top two guys, with Rico Richardson likely third.
The fourth will be one of two players signed Tuesday. Tre McBride, a seventh-round pick from their practice squad, or Andrew Turzilli, who was with them in camp and was signed from the 49ers' practice squad.
“I was with them throughout the entire rookie minicamp, through OTAs,” quarterback Marcus Mariota said. “So if their number is called, those guys will be ready. We’ll expect good things out of them.”
The collective inexperience won’t make for an imposing group. It isn’t one even when Wright and Justin Hunter, now on IR, are active.
Tennessee gets an average of 107.6 yards per game out of wide receivers, the second-lowest mark in the league, ahead of St. Louis (102.3). The Cardinals are No. 1, with 225.3.
The Titans offset that some with the second-most yards per game by their tight ends, 93.1.
Combine the short turnaround for a Thursday game and the youth at receiver when Douglas is the only non-rookie, and the pass plan will be a simple one.
“I think you have to do that,” offensive coordinator Jason Michael said. “You have to take some things that you’ve done more recently in game plans, some of the things that you may not have gotten to that go against what Jacksonville does, that are still good against their defense.
“You find that right mix of the core things that we do, continuing to mix that stuff in and find formations, find different ways to window dress and hide what we are doing to where we can still do the core things that we want to do.”
