It’s no secret that the Tennessee Titans could use another quality wide receiver.

I was among the folks who thought the Titans’ wide receiver depth was fine heading into week five against the Buffalo Bills. But after watching Nick Williams, who shouldn’t even be on the field, drop a touchdown that was literally in his hands, I think it’s time to acknowledge that Tennessee’s wide receiver depth isn’t where it should be.

(Williams was released on Tuesday after his terrible game against the Bills.)

So what options do the Titans have?

Well, they can either sign a free agent — which isn’t ideal five weeks into the season. Or they can make a trade with a team, which also isn’t ideal.

Basically, there are no quick or obvious solutions for the Titans. A lot of fans are still clamoring for the team to sign Dez Bryant, but that’s unlikely to happen for a lot of reasons. Among those reasons is the fact that Dez would probably walk in the door with certain demands pertaining to his playing time. I don’t think the Titans are in a position to make any promises to him (nor should they).

One trade scenario that I think could work for the Titans would be to trade for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Josh Malone.

I’ve always thought Malone was underrated as a wide receiver. He had a solid junior season with the Tennessee Vols, but he still flew under the radar while playing for Butch Jones. The Bengals took him in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, after they had already selected wide receiver John Ross in the first round.

With Tyler Boyd and AJ Green already on the roster, it meant playing time was going to obsolete for Malone.

Malone has played in five games this season, catching only one pass for four yards.

Josh Malone is so smooth pic.twitter.com/HXMF1MOUIo — Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) August 31, 2018

I think Malone deserves a chance. And I don’t think the Bengals would want a ton in return for a wide receiver that has only seven career catches since the start of the 2017 season.

Would Malone be an instant star for the Titans?

Of course not.

But he’d provide the Titans with another player that can stretch the field, as well as a guy who can move the chains.

Malone is also, without a doubt, a better option than Nick Williams.

Trading for Malone might not be the sexiest way the Titans could improve their wide receiver core, but I think it would make them a better team in the long run.

Featured image via Williamson Herald