With both Boyd and Williams, you could make the argument that they were able to be efficient because the other talented receivers on the team drew coverage away from them. That would lead to a bump in their metrics.
Corey Davis was not getting that help, and defenders knew the ball was going his way. And yet he still managed to measure up well compared to his teammates.
Given that the Tennessee Titans had countless injuries, you would expect that Davis' metrics would look a bit better than those of his teammates as less talented players rotated in to fill vacated roles. This was true, though, even when the other viable players were healthy.
| In 2018 | Targets | Target NEP | Target NEP per Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corey Davis | 112 | 32.86 | 0.29 |
| Taywan Taylor | 56 | 7.74 | 0.14 |
| Tajae Sharpe | 47 | 5.66 | 0.12 |
Again, Davis did this while seeing the opposing team's best coverage each week. That allows us to give his numbers even an additional little boost in our minds.
As you'll recall from looking at Boyd's and Williams' numbers, Davis' Target NEP per target is underwhelming, which could make us sprint away from the Titans' offense at full speed. Some of that, though, came when Blaine Gabbert was at quarterback. With Marcus Mariota throwing, Davis' Target NEP per target goes up to 0.34, and the rest of the team gets a big boost, too. Assuming health for Mariota, the team should take a step forward next year, and that's before we factor in that Mariota himself was dinged for most of 2018.
One would hope that -- at some point this offseason -- the Titans would bring in additional pass-catchers to try to help Mariota in the final year of his rookie contract. If they do so, it could hypothetically eat into the large market share Davis had in 2018. But with Davis still being the team's most efficient piece while getting that volume, it's possible bringing in another player would only help him.
Davis has talent, which ensures he'll get targets in the offense no matter who may be there. Meanwhile, another talented player being in the offense would increase the team's ability to generate touchdown drives. This was the major piece lacking from Davis' game this year as he scored just four times, and his 6'3" frame should help him get volume when the team is in close. Getting some help alongside Davis could very well be more of a positive than a negative.
As we discussed with Boyd, there are reasons to believe this offense could be much better in 2019 if they're able to keep Mariota and their tackles healthy. If that happens, Davis could be a heavily targeted, talented receiver in a mediocre offense. When you can get that at pick 73.60 in early best-ball drafts, you should be willing to take it.