Time to believe the Taylor Thompson hype?

While a lot of the offseason hype was directed toward Craig Stevens, it looks like the tight end having the best bounce-back year is Taylor Thompson.

The Tennessee Titans have made it a point every offseason since they drafted Thompson to bring up how big and athletic he is, but every year it seems like the hype trails off as Thompson fails to produce. However, this season seems to be different. In both games, Thompson has proven to be a reliable target over the middle in third down situations while also being a deep threat on other downs.

I have been banging the table on the Titans finding a way to use more two tight end sets this year, and this seems to be the perfect opportunity to implement that. Now with two tight ends that can block and be effective in the passing game (Delanie Walker and Taylor Thompson), it looks like that can become a serious option.

This two tight end formation would make it easier to sell play action plays, to go hurry up, to run the ball, and to exploit defenses with talented coverages, as shown in San Diego last year. It would also take the strain off of Justin Hunter, Kendall Wright and Nate Washington who will need to stay healthy and maintain a lower rep count if this offense is to thrive.

All in all, I have been impressed with the tight ends for the Titans, and Taylor Thompson finally looks like he can be a force.