The official announcement of Mike Mularkey’s hiring as tight ends coach on Wednesday meant the Titans now have three coaches with plenty of experience coaching the position. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt and offensive coordinator Jason Michael are former tight ends coaches.
The three have a combined 14 years of coaching tight ends, with Whisenhunt and Mularkey adding a combined 17 years of NFL playing experience at the position.
Whisenhunt and his staff will be working extensively with tight end Delanie Walker, who produced 60 catches for 571 yards and six touchdowns in his first season with the Titans.
Whisenhunt even compared Walker to All-Pro Antonio Gates, whom Whisenhunt coached as Chargers offensive coordinator this season.
“I had a lot of respect for him there, so needless to say I’m excited that he’s on this team and I’ll have a chance to work with him,” Whisenhunt said. “Working with Antonio Gates got me excited about the position, and I think there’s a lot of elements to what Delanie does that are similar in that capacity.”
The comparison seems like a stretch, but Walker did finish as the #12 TE in 2013 and had a run from Week 10 to Week 15 where he was the #6 TE. Walker won't be posting Gates-in-his-prime numbers in 2014, but it's good to hear that his HC values his play. He'll be a sleeper heading into this summer's fantasy drafts.
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