Titans' Kendall Wright hones technique after 2014 slump

As he prepared for the 2014 season, Titans wide receiver Kendall Wright had every reason to feel confident about the year ahead.

He was coming off his first 1,000-yard campaign, had recorded the fifth-highest reception total in franchise history (94) and had prompted his position coach — former NFL wideout Shawn Jefferson — to say Wright was revolutionizing the slot position.

A year later, however, Wright finds himself simply trying to work his way back to form.

Though Wright caught more touchdown passes (six) last year than ever before, his reception total fell by 37 from 2013, his total yardage by 364 yards, and his first-down catches by more than 47 percent.

"I was definitely very surprised by the numbers," Wright said Monday. "I thought they would be way better, way up from (2013). But the only thing that really went up last year was the touchdowns."

So Wright now must answer two questions: What happened last year, and how can he bounce back in 2015?

One of Wright's problems in 2014 was that the offense as a whole was abysmal. The Titans ranked 29th overall on that side of the ball, ranked 29th in time of possession, and ran more than 100 fewer plays than they did in 2013.

In other words, Wright's struggles weren't necessarily much different than that of his teammates.

"I'd say it was like that at most positions last year," Jefferson said. "It was just the way the season bounced. It was nothing (Wright) did wrong. I think it was indicative of our season."

It didn't help, either, that the Titans had little in the way of stability at quarterback, with Zach Mettenberger starting six games, Jake Locker five and Charlie Whitehurst five.

"It was pretty hard to get chemistry with just one, but we practice with all of the guys anyway, so there really shouldn't be any excuses," Wright said. "You just have to make the plays whenever you get the chance."

Still, one set of numbers seems especially hard to explain: Titans quarterbacks targeted Wright 140 times in 2013 — but just 93 times in 2014.

The far lower total last year would seem to suggest Wright was either less of a priority in 2014 or that he didn't get open nearly as often in head coach Ken Whisenhunt's system as he had in his first two seasons.

Whisenhunt said last week that he wants Wright to run more precise routes than he has in the past, but added a bit more detail to that on Monday.

"Talking about the routes is part of it," Whisenhunt said, "but some of it is technique of the routes — that's depth, how you break out of the route, those kinds of things. He's worked very hard this offseason on some of the little details. He's really a talented player that I'm excited to see grow."

Wright said that in his first two seasons, he'd done what he thought was best to get open on routes, even if it meant he wasn't getting from Point A to Point B exactly the way a play had been drawn up.

"I wouldn't say I was a freelancer, but I was more of a football player," Wright said. "I wasn't running (into coverage). That doesn't make much sense to me. When I saw an opening, I would stop. But now I'm doing it how the coach wants it, and how the quarterback thinks it should look."

Does that mean improving technique and details?

"That's the main priority," Wright said. "Just doing it right, getting in and out of my breaks faster, being precise about routes for the quarterback's sake, so the spacing and all that can be right."

Wright may have liked the old formula better, but as he looks to put up big numbers once again in 2015, he sounds like he's willing to keep changing.

"I think a lot of things, but thinking and doing what I have to do are totally different," Wright said. "So I just keep my thoughts to myself. I don't even speak them out loud. Whatever I have to do, I'll do."

Reach John Glennon at 615-259-8262 and on Twitter @glennonsports.