The Tennessee Titans finally found their starting tight end for 2022 after reportedly agreeing to a one-year, $6 million deal with Austin Hooper.
After using a rotation of three one-dimensional tight ends in 2021, Hooper gives Tennessee the primary option it needed.
Not only is Hooper a good blocker, but he has proven he can make an impact in the passing game. He is an instant upgrade over MyCole Pruitt, Geoff Swaim, and Anthony Firkser.
With Hooper on the roster, it pushes Swaim back to where he belongs, which is a backup role. Also, now the Titans can draft a tight end and bring him along slowly if need be thanks to having two veterans at the position.
There’s no doubt that Hooper was a major disappointment with the Cleveland Browns, but there is a lot that goes into that. Sure, Hooper is partly to blame, but he also had to deal with shoddy quarterback play and a run-first offense.
Going back to his days with the Atlanta Falcons, Hooper, who was voted to two Pro Bowls, was one of the better pass-catching tight ends in the league, tallying three 500-yard seasons, including a career-high 787 yards and six touchdowns in 2019.
Granted, Hooper is once again going to a run-heavy offense, but even his down numbers in Cleveland were close to, or better than, what the Titans received from the position the past two years.
There were other options in free agency I liked more, but there’s no doubt Hooper is a solid signing, and he doesn’t come with a long-term financial risk, either.