Are the Titans through shopping for receivers?

Now that the Titans have signed Nate Washington will they emphasize their focus on other positions or seek to add another player to the receiving corps?

 

Tennessee now has two proven veteran receivers in Washington and Justin Gage but nada after that. The Titans need to add at least one more experienced WR and not have to depend upon Lavelle Hawkins, Chris Davis, Paul Williams and a few draft picks. Hawkins, Davis and Williams should be considered as rookies too, for that matter, and not all of them will survive training camp in August..

 

So who else might the Titans be looking at in the free agent market?

There are two guys out there that I like more than the others, Devery Henderson, who we’ve been talking about for two months, and Lance Moore.

 

Moore is a restricted free agent who has received a tender from the Saints at the second-round level. The Titans would have to offer him a sizable contract, with enough numbers on it to make New Orleans decline to match it. More importantly, it would cost Tennessee a second-round draft pick.

 

Is Moore worth that much? He had 79 receptions and ten touchdowns in 2008, production the Titans have been sorely lacking in recent years. Moore’s 2008 stats are better than Tennessee’s top two receivers combined — Justin Gage and Brandon Jones had 75 catches with seven TDs.

 

Henderson is unrestricted and, like Washington, can stretch the field. He averaged over 20 yards per catch in each of the last three seasons, with an astounding 24.8 last year.

 

He may drop too many passes for some people’s liking but that’s part of the package. Actually, his stats suggest he doesn’t drop as many as his reputation would lead you to believe. Football Outsiders lists him with a 57% catch rate, which is just slightly below the average of the top players. (For purposes of comparison, Justin Gage had 46%, Nate Washington was at 51%, the great Terrell Owens caught 49% last year while Randy Moss snagged 55%.) NB: Football Outsiders states that “This is a reference to incomplete passes, not dropped passes.” (italics theirs)

 

What I like best about Henderson is he will keep defenses a little more honest. As a deep threat, he will often force teams to commit a safety to over-the-top coverage rather than putting eight men in the box to contain the run, which helps Chris Johnson and LenDale White.

 

Henderson is 26 years old and Moore is 25, so they are just entering what should be their prime years. What are your thoughts about these two guys? Or any other receivers who are still available?