NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Titans want to add a veteran wide receiver to the roster to bolster their biggest area of need. The biggest question is when they add someone before, during or after the NFL Draft.
General manager Mike Reinfeldt said Thursday during the team's pre-draft news conference that adding a receiver could be done during the draft or after by finding a player not needed by a team that picked a receiver high in the draft. Could a move come before the draft starts Saturday, like Atlanta's trade for veteran tight end Tony Gonzalez on Thursday?
"There's always that potential," Reinfeldt said. "I wouldn't rule it out."
Tennessee has lots of ammunition with 10 pick to trade up from No. 30 overall to pursue rookies like Maryland's Darrius Heyward-Bey, Hakeem Nicks of North Carolina or Kenny Britt of Rutgers. Reinfeldt said a receiver wouldn't necessarily have to be able to contribute immediately to a team that went 13-3 last season.
The Titans' last big trade bringing in a veteran came in 2001 when they swapped the 29th pick overall to St. Louis for defensive end Kevin Carter to boost their pass rush.
Now they can use experienced receivers on a roster that features Justin Gage and free agent signee Nate Washington backed by a group of unproven players. They visited with Torry Holt before the veteran signed Monday with AFC South rival Jacksonville.
With veterans like Arizona's Anquan Boldin and Cleveland's Braylon Edwards reportedly on the trade block, the Titans could fill a big need with an experienced receiver via trade.
Reinfeldt said the Titans have had a number of discussions about different positions internally and have talked with some other teams. Asked if he had talked with Arizona about Boldin, Reinfeldt refused to go into specifics about any player or team.
"It's safe to say we're always trying to get the team better so we'll continue to monitor their situation," Reinfeldt said.
The Titans have not had a Pro Bowl receiver on the roster since Derrick Mason in 2003, and he is the only such receiver since the team relocated to Tennessee in 1997. This franchise has drafted a receiver in the first round only twice in its history and not since Kevin Dyson in 1998.
