If you were to list the top NFL rookies, you would probably immediately think of Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren or maybe Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty. What about Tennessee Titans wide receiver Chimere Dike?
Who in the world is Chimere Dike? The fourth-round pick out of the University of Florida actually leads the entire NFL in all-purpose yards with 783, ahead of players like Christian McCaffrey and Puka Nacua. Now, virtually all of those yards have come on special teams, so don’t go running to your fantasy football waiver wire just yet. Still, Dike has been a star for the lowly Titans, and has a bright future as both a returner and offensive weapon.
Dike leads the league in kick return yards with 666 on 25 attempts, and has 82 yards on six punt returns. Who is this player that is having a Pro Bowl-like campaign in his very first NFL season? Let’s take a look at Dike, and what he’s accomplished through five games.
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The NFL draft and preseason
Dike ran the third-fastest 40-yard dash time (4.34) at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine behind Dont’e Thornton Jr. and Matthew Golden. When Tennessee selected him at No. 103 overall, Dike was touted as a deep-ball speedster that had more career drops than touchdowns. The Wisconsin transfer caught 42 passes for 783 yards and two touchdowns in his one season with the Gators, and returned 14 kicks for 187 yards.
In the preseason, Dike caught just two passes for seven yards, but was in the mix to win a job as a returner. He returned four kicks for 111 yards in the exhibition season. Many believed the veteran James Proche would make the Titans final roster as a returner, but he was surprisingly waived on roster cutdown day.
Afterwards, the Titans announced that Dike would serve as the punt returner and be back on kickoffs. Special teams coordinator John Fassel said that he always had trust in Dike, but wanted him to earn the job in training camp instead of just being handed it.
“In college he’s shown great decision making, I think he’s got fantastic ball skills. The baseball background helps with the tracking part,” Fassel said. We all as a staff have total trust in his ball security and then he’s a talented runner, so when you put all that together — and he’s a young guy, but he does have a lot of college experience doing both punt return and kick return. To be honest with you all along I felt great about him, I just wanted to make sure that he had to fight to earn the starting spot, not just be handed it to him because he’s a draft pick.”
No one knew it at the time, but this was a great decision.
Week 1 at the Denver Broncos
Dike’s first big play came in the first half of the season opener. After the Titans surrendered a 6-3 lead due to a series of coaching missteps, the Broncos were set to kick off with just 16 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
This is usually the time fans both at home and in the stadium leave their seats to grab a snack or beer, and if you did, you missed Dike breaking loose for 71 yards. This play set up a Joey Slye 42-yard field goal to trim the Broncos’ lead to one point right before the halftime break.
This was the first time fans saw Dike had big-play ability — but certainly not the last. Against the Broncos, Dike returned four kicks for 144 yards, and one punt for 12 yards.
Week 2 vs. the Los Angeles Rams
In Week 2 vs. the Rams, Dike made a splash play as a punt returner.
With just over three minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Rams punted from their own 10-yard line. Dike fielded the kick at the Titans’ 43-yard line and made a beeline for the right sideline, before turning it upfield and racing to the end zone for a 47-yard touchdown.
However, the score was nullified due to a blindside block penalty that wasn’t even necessary. This would go down as just a 16-yard return, even though it was really 47 yards.
In his second NFL game, Dike returned five kicks for 83 yards, and two punts for 37 yards.
“He has been excellent” Fassel told A to Z Sports following Week 2. “I’m trying to think of a way to say it… there’s still obviously a lot of things to learn from, but two games in, the decision-making, the ball handling, big kick returns, a big punt return that got called back. I was hopeful for good decision making, first downs on punt return, good drive starts on kick return, but he’s provided two big sparks in the return game. And I’m not surprised, but for a young guy to have that poise has been really good.”
Week 3 vs. the Indianapolis Colts
Dike received a season-high five touches on offense in the 41-20 loss to the rival Colts in Week 3, although he picked up just five yards from scrimmage. It looked like Dike had finally scored his first touchdown after having a trip to the end zone stolen from him last week, but this touchdown was overturned as well, with the officials ruling him short.
In Week 3, Dike returned six kicks for a whopping 162 yards with a long of 35. Half of his returns went for at least 30 yards. The return average this season in the NFL is 25.5 yards.
Week 5 at the Arizona Cardinals
The Titans won their first game of the season in dramatic fashion this past Sunday, scoring 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to down the Cardinals, 22-21. Dike was utilized as a receiver in this matchup, as he caught two passes for a season-high 17 yards on five targets.
Late in the second quarter, it appeared Dike beat his man deep for a potential touchdown. However, Cam Ward missed him.
Also in the second quarter came one of Dike’s best returns of the season — a 65-yard scamper that set up a field goal for the Titans.
What he’s accomplished so far
According to CBS Sports Research, Dike has recorded the most kickoff return yards (666) and all-purpose yards (783) through five career games since Danny Amendola in 2009. The former Ram had 705 kick return yards and 885 all-purpose yards that season. No Titans or Oilers player has led the league in kick return yards since Bobby Jancik in the AFL back in 1966, but Dike may have a chance.