NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans are going to have to make it through the 2016 season without a top-caliber weapon at receiver.
But they are hopeful that Kendall Wright will join them Sunday and provide a jolt, largely out of the slot.
“Kendall is a playmaker,” tight end Delanie Walker said. “If he’s out there, that gives me the opportunity to get the one-on-one matchups because they’ve got to worry about Kendall Wright. Kendall goes out there and runs crisp routes. When he gets the ball in his hands, he’s trouble.”
Offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie said Wright should certainly be fresh.
“He a quicker guy for us and he’ll come in with some energy; he’s more of an energetic guy,” Robiskie said. “Hopefully he’ll come in and give us a boost, make a play and give us some life.”
Wright injured his left hamstring on the third day of training camp, then re-aggravated it early in the week before the team’s season opener.
Coach Mike Mularkey said he needed to see a full practice week from Wright for him to play for the first time this season. Wright is two-thirds of the way there and Friday is the lightest practice of the week.
Walker has also said the Titans' trick play repertoire increases with Wright available.
A first-round draft pick in 2012, Wright is making $7 million in an option year picked up by the Titans in the spring of 2015. Heading toward free agency, this season’s performance will have a lot to do with what happens next for him.
“I feel like I’m an explosive guy,” he said.
If Wright returns, it may mean the Titans have all six of their receivers active in Houston, although Marc Mariani's primary role is as the team’s returner.
A setback for Wright in the game could leave the Titans thin if they deactivated a player at the position. And Tajae Sharpe was limited Wednesday and Thursday with a slight hamstring injury of his own.
