Titans release WR Rishard Matthews

The Tennessee Titans have released wide receiver Rishard Matthews. General Manager Jon Robinson confirmed the move this morning during a press conference.

Matthews had made a minimal impact so far in 2018 after missing all of training camp with an injury. Tajae Sharpe and Taywan Taylor seemed to pass Matthews on the depth chart, prompting Rishard to want out.

Robinson said that Matthews asked for his release on Monday. The team explored a trade, ultimately deciding to move on today. As for how we got to this point, Robinson pointed towards Rishard’s diminished role in the offense.

“I think it was his role, his use in the offense,” Robinson said of Matthews. “I think he spoke to that last week when you guys asked him. He reached out to me Monday and asked to be released or traded. We explored the trade market with several teams, but I would say that market never really manifested itself to get a deal there.

He missed a lot of time with injuries in training camp. I thought he was coming back. He was working hard at practice and I was looking forward to him getting back into kind of what we had seen from him in the last couple years on the field. He just felt like that wasn’t happening.”

The 28 year old Matthews posted his two best seasons as a pro with the Titans. He put up over 1,700 yards and 13 touchdowns in those two years, providing some stability to a receiver room that really needed it at the time.

Now the Titans will be extremely reliant on the development of Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor, who were already playing ahead of Matthews to start the season. The biggest concern for the team right now is depth, which is something that could be addressed soon.

“I think that’s something we’re going through now, just going through and looking at all of the players that are available, that are going to fit our football team,” Robinson said. “We’re looking at all players.”