Titans adding receivers to give Mariota prime targets

While Marcus Mariota was sitting on a beach here — or was it a table at Zippy’s? Both are regular homecoming stops for the Tennessee Titans quarterback — he and his team still managed to get a little bit better this week.

Never mind that it is the break between last week’s end of minicamp and late July’s start of training camp with no passes thrown or caught, the free-agent acquisition Sunday of veteran wide receiver Eric Decker was just what the doctor ordered.

Or, in this case, the general manager, the head coach, the offensive coordinator … well, pretty much everybody concerned with the Titans.

When a rested and recovered Mariota reports to Saint Thomas Sports Park in Nashville next month, the presence of Decker, a seven-year NFL veteran, is bound to make a difference for the Titans’ offense.

At 6 feet, 3 inches and 214 pounds, a healthy Decker, 30, who is coming off hip and rotator cuff surgeries, would be a significant piece of the puzzle for the Titans, who are trying to end an eight-year playoff drought.

Experienced, productive receivers were a commodity the Titans didn’t have much of in last season’s 9-7 finish. It is one reason they tailored the offense to a ground-hugging running game, ranking fourth in rushes, 28th in passing attempts and 25th in passing offense.

“As they continue to improve that roster, I suspect he (Mariota) will continue to improve,” ESPN analyst Jon Gruden has told a media teleconference. “I think he can be a great front-line Pro Bowl quarterback in the league. I don’t have any doubts about that.”

Last year, after the pummeling their first-round draft pick took as a rookie in 2015, the Titans bolstered their offensive line and running game to give Mariota some protection. So far, 2017 has been about getting Mariota some targets to advance the passing game.

The Titans return their top pass receivers, Rishard Matthews and Delanie Walker, who each had 65 receptions in 2016. And, in the April NFL Draft the Titans invested three of their first four picks on pass catchers, including the fifth overall selection of the draft, wide receiver Corey Davis.

Davis and Taywan Taylor were rated the most effective wide receivers in college last season out of the slot per route, according to Pro Football Focus. And tight end Jonnu Smith is a potential successor to Walker at tight end.

But what the Titans needed was an immediate, veteran presence, especially in the red zone. That’s where Decker could — and should — come in. His 43 touchdown receptions since 2012 are second in the NFL despite his missing 13 games last season.

Decker, who reached a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos, is, also, apparently sold on the future. “And I am excited about Marcus Mariota and the young talent he is,” Decker said in an interview on the Titans’ website. “He’s a big guy, and he throws a great ball. He is very accurate, and he uses his feet and gets out of the pocket and throws. He’s a talent, but I also like the way he carries himself. He is very stoic, and he seems very humble. I hear he’s a real football junkie who wants to be great, and that’s so important.”

Piece by piece the Titans’ front office has painstakingly set about trying to give Mariota the elements necessary to do that and deliver the team to the playoffs. The addition of the latest one ought to make the current respite here even more enjoyable.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.