Chig Okonkwo

Four straight seasons of 450+ receiving yards — quietly the Titans' most reliable pass-catcher.

Every season has landed in a tight band — 450 to 560 yards, 32 to 56 catches. Through three different head coaches and four different QBs, Okonkwo has delivered a near-identical line: a target every 6th dropback, a TD every 60 catches, and a YPC north of 9.5. The 2025 number (560) is a quiet career high.

Why it matters. Four straight seasons inside a 110-yard band is unusual for a TE — most see big swings as QB/scheme changes hit. Okonkwo has played through three head coaches and four primary QBs and still delivered 32 to 56 catches and 450 to 560 yards every year. That consistency is the case for him being Tennessee's most underrated offensive constant.

His 2025 YAC total (342) is more yards-after-catch than his air-yards (218).

Most tight ends get their yards from where the ball is caught, not from what they do after. Okonkwo's 2025 is the inverse — 61% of his receiving yards came after the catch. The Titans are using him as a hybrid Y/H: short crossers, flat routes, leak routes from play-action. 342 YAC yards would rank in the top tier among TEs leaguewide.

Why it matters. Most receiving yards for a TE come from where the ball is caught, not what happens after. Okonkwo flipped that in 2025 — 342 of 560 yards (61.1%) arrived as YAC, fourth-highest YAC% among TEs with 40+ catches. Tennessee is deploying him as a hybrid Y/H on short crossers, flats, and play-action leaks rather than as a downfield seam threat.

Third in his 2022 draft class for TE receiving yards — behind only McBride and Otton.

McBride has run away with the class (3,475 yards). Otton is second at 2,262, with Okonkwo a clear third at 2,017 — a 245-yard gap. The note on TDs: Likely (17) matches McBride for the class lead in receiving scores despite the smallest snap share of the top four. Okonkwo's 8 TDs are the lowest of the top four, which is the through-line for his profile: steady volume, short aDOT, light scoring.

Why it matters. Draft-class context separates 'still on a roster' from 'still producing.' Three of the seven 2022 TEs are essentially out of rotation (Dulcich, Ruckert, Woods). Okonkwo is firmly in the productive tier with McBride and Otton, and he has more receiving yards than Likely despite Likely getting more national attention.

His career game (9/81) didn't include a TD — but he caught a 70-yarder vs Houston two weeks later.

The 70-yard catch vs Houston in 2024 is the most efficient line of his career: 1 target, 1 catch, 70 yards, 1 TD — a play-action seam that broke open against a one-high coverage. He's never had a 100-yard game, which is partly why he's flown under the radar despite the steady volume.

Why it matters. Okonkwo has been a contributor for four seasons without a single 100-yard game — his career best is 81. That's part of why he's overlooked: the highlight-reel ceiling is muted even though the floor (the 70-yard catch vs Houston, the 11-target IND game) shows real big-play upside when the route tree opens up.

70.9% catch rate in 2025 — higher than Kelce and Andrews, despite a much shorter aDOT.

On 79 targets in 2025, Okonkwo has caught 56 — a 70.9% rate. That sits ahead of two of the position's biggest names (Kelce at 70.4%, Andrews at 68.6%), though high-volume catch-leaders like McBride (74.6%), Pitts (74.6%), and Bowers (74.4%) are still higher. The context: Tennessee's QBs lean on him as a safety-valve and intermediate option. His aDOT (4.63 yards) is the fourth-shortest among TEs with 50+ targets — he gets the layups, and he catches them.

Why it matters. Catch rate matters most when you adjust for depth of target. Okonkwo runs the fourth-shortest aDOT in the position (4.63 yards), which inflates catchability — but converting more than 70% of layups is still the floor that separates reliable chain-movers from drop-prone replacements. It's why he's a Sunday starter despite never having a 100-yard game.

His 2023 was the most-targeted, but 2025 has been the most efficient.

In 2023 he saw 77 targets with rookie Will Levis throwing the bulk of them — and produced only 528 yards on 54 catches (9.78 YPC, 1 TD).

In 2025 with comparable target volume (79), he has 56 catches for 560 yards and a 10.0 YPC — and is on pace to crack his career high in receiving yards while also leading the team in YAC.

The per-target efficiency jump (7.09 yds/target in 2025 vs 6.86 in 2023) is small in raw terms, but it represents a real change in how Tennessee deploys him: slot/flex looks rather than the inline alignments Levis preferred.

Why it matters. Same target volume (77 vs 79), very different production. The 2025 version of Okonkwo turns one more target into 32 more yards and a higher YPC, which is exactly the efficiency lift you'd hope to see when an offense moves a TE from inline blocking into slot/flex deployments. The 0.23 yds/target gap is small in absolute terms but compounds over a full season.