Batson Battles to the End Again

NASHVILLE – Cameron Batson never has been the first guy who comes to mind when you think of the Tennessee Titans’ wide receivers.

When it comes to the NFL preseason, though, he knows how to use his last chance to make an impression.

That was apparent once again Saturday when he caught four passes for 45 yards and a touchdown in the Titans’ 27-24 loss to the Chicago Bears at Nissan Stadium. Batson was the only Titans’ player who was targeted at least three times to catch every ball that came his way, and he finished the preseason as the only Tennessee player with multiple touchdown receptions (two). With six catches for 66 yards in the three games, he finished second on the team to Mason Kinsey.

“The biggest thing is you can’t control anything besides your play and what you do on a day-to-day basis,” Batson said following the game. “So, every day you just have to take one foot in front of the other, keep going out there and pushing regardless of the circumstances.

“… It was on me to try and go out there and try to solidify my spot and try and make this roster.”

It worked one other time.

Undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2018 and undersized at 5-foot-8, 175 pounds, he was a surprise inclusion on the season-opening 53-man roster as a rookie. Early in that preseason he showed potential as a returner and then he caught a team-high four passes for 46 yards in the final contest before the regular season.

That has not made it any easier since.

Last year – when there were no preseason contests – he once again survived the final cuts, albeit barely. He lost his spot a day later when the Titans agreed to sign outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney but quickly was added the to the practice squad. By the end of the season, he had set career-highs for receptions (12), receiving yards (100) and touchdown catches (one).

In between, he missed all of 2019 due to an injury sustained on one of the first days of training camp.

“That’s the thing, like, I have a big heart,” Batson said. “You can measure my height, my weight, but I’m going to go out there and give it my all regardless of my size.”

The competition has been even more daunting this summer. Pro Bowlers Julio Jones and A.J. Brown now lead a Titans wide receiver group that includes veterans Josh Reynolds, Chester Rogers and Marcus Johnson, two 2021 draft picks (Dez Fitzpatrick and Racey McMath) and a few others.

Batson did not get as much playing time against the Bears as some of the others did. But none did more with the time they did get.

“I certainly have never written (Batson) off,” offensive coordinator Todd Downing said. “I think he's made of the right stuff. He's got that competitive spirit and that grit, that toughness.

“We have a talented receiver group and there's some depth there, and obviously powers above me have some tough decisions to make, but (Batson)'s going to give you everything he has every time he lines up and we appreciate that.”

The question is whether the Titans’ brain trust believes it can live without him – not worthy or not he has done all he could do.

“I feel like … I have been prepared for this since high school,” Batson said. “A lot of my friends, we competed every day in college. We had guys who went out there and competed, and it’s just part of the process, part of what you sign up with football. You know it’s going to be a competition each and every year, there is going to be a guy coming in and trying to take your spot. You just have to go out there and solidify yourself.”

And it does not hurt to end the preseason on a high note.