When Nick Westbrook-Ikhine first made the Tennessee Titans roster as an undrafted rookie back in 2020, he knew his primary role would be on special teams and specifically as a gunner on punts.
And while Westbrook-Ikhine has had the occasional big game as a receiver during his first four seasons with the Titans, the team’s plan each offseason was always to add talent at the position and maneuver Westbrook-Ikhine back down the depth chart.
This year, when the Titans acquired Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, then drafted Jha’Quan Jackson to add to DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks, it literally left NWI fighting with Kyle Philips for his spot as a fifth receiver and needing once again to be a primary special teams contributor.
But, don’t ever write off Westbrook-Ikhine, who has re-signed with the Titans on a one-year deal in each of the past two offseasons.
Once again, thanks to injuries and roster moves, Westbrook-Ikhine is a starting wide receiver for the Titans and appears to be in a better groove than ever.
The trade of Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs two weeks ago, coinciding with a knee injury that landed Burks on injured reserve, has given Westbrook-Ikhine another opportunity to show his worth. And Sunday’s 20-17 overtime win against New England marked the fourth consecutive game in which he has scored a touchdown.
Westbrook-Ikhine has 10 catches for 108 yards and four touchdowns this season, all the more impressive when you consider he didn’t even have a single target through the first four weeks of the season.
Roll with the changes
Westbrook-Ikhine admits it surprised him a bit that he has had this sort of change in role over the last month.
“I’ll be very frank,” he says. “I wasn’t expecting that. I was just trying to carve out my role on special teams and be a guy that could help us win that way. That’s how the NFL works.
“I feel like every season I’ve been here I end up at some point having to start for this team and try to help us win. It’s nothing new. This is just a compounding of the work over the last five years coming to fruition.”
Westbrook-Ikhine’s play of late has certainly caught the eye of head coach Brian Callahan, so much so that he has gone from being an afterthought in the offense to being one of Tennessee’s primary weapons.
“We had a good group of guys with (Hopkins) and we thought we had a chance to see what we can use Treylon for,” Callahan says. “That’s how these things go during the season, and an opportunity came up for him to take a lot more reps.
“Nick does what it seems like he’s always done here. When he gets an opportunity, he seizes it. And that’s just what’s happened. He’s proved to be reliable. He’s where he’s supposed to be. The quarterbacks like throwing to him because of his consistency. All those things are really important.
“And then when the ball goes his way, he’s made plays. That’s the name of the game in the NFL. If you have an opportunity and you go in and make plays, that’s really where you gain a lot of trust and confidence.
“I trust Nick as much as anybody on our football team right now to go play football at the level required to win and I love him for it.”
Lessons from the departed
That last part of Callahan’s assessment is what Westbrook-Ikhine likes the most.
“That’s huge. I’d say that’s a huge compliment,” he says. “That’s what I try to be. That’s my goal, to be a guy you can count on and do my job.”
In short, it’s called being a pro, and it’s something NWI said he learned from watching his teammates and coaches during his early years on the roster.
“I feel like that was something I was taught by a lot of older guys in my first couple of years,” he adds. “Guys like (Ryan Tannehill), watching A.J. (Brown) play, all the guys that have come through here. Watching Derrick (Henry) and Vrabes (Mike Vrabel) and the coaches that I’ve had, I feel like it’s a testament to them, too.
“It’s not just me. I’ve got a lot of people showing me how to do it, too.”
Terry McCormick also covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com