By Justin Worsley
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that the opportunity for wide receiver Randy moss to be claimed off of waiver began with the St. Louis Rams and ended with the Tennessee Titans.
In the end, Tennessee wound up being the only team to claim Moss and were therefore rewarded the 6-foot-4, 210-pound wideout who was recently released by the Minnesota Vikings.
The claim comes just days after Tennessee lost their top receiver Kenny Britt for at least four weeks due to a hamstring injury suffered in the Titans loss to the San Diego Chargers. The speedy Moss, 33, is second in the NFL in career touchdown receptions and has five this year while playing for Minnesota and the New England Patriots.
The Titans had an opportunity to draft Moss in 1998 with the 16th overall pick. Tennessee, then known as the Oilers, decided to avoid the troubled Marshall wide receiver and instead took Kevin Dyson from Utah instead. Dyson last five season in Tennessee before playing for three other teams and being out of the league by 2005.
The Vikings jumped on Moss five picks later and he had an immediate impact on the team, setting the record for most touchdown receptions by a rookie in 1998 with 17. In 2007, his first season in New England, Moss also set the record for most touchdowns receptions in a season with 23.
Several Titans lobbied head coach Jeff Fisher to bring in Moss, including running back Chris Johnson. Tennessee is hoping the arrival of Moss will help keep defenses from focusing on Johnson as well as help quarterback Vince Young, who currently leads the league with a 103.1 passer rating. The Titans, however, are also not passing the ball frequently, only averaging 187.6 passing yards per game, 25th in the league.
Tennessee is also the closest franchise to Moss' hometown of Rand, West Virginia. The Titans will pay Moss the $3.34 million salary he is due for the final eight games of the season. Linebacker Jamie Winborn has been place on injured reserve to open a spot on the roster for Moss.
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