NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans don't need to change their offensive identity to be successful. A run-heavy attack can be successful in the NFL, and the Titans' exotic smashmouth scheme is here to stay as long as Mike Mularkey is the head coach.

But there are tweaks within the scheme that can be made to improve the Titans' offense, and specifically their 26th-ranked passing attack, from frustratingly inconsistent to diverse and hard to defend. It starts with the return of rookie receiver Corey Davis and more creativity.

"I don’t think we’ve even scratched the surface yet. Offensively, we’re not getting it done," receiver Rishard Matthews said. "There’s a lot out there we can do and I think we’re going to do that."

The Titans' bye week was a chance for realistic evaluation. The general conclusion was that the Titans are a good team with the potential to be much better. That's a good spot to be and there's renewed optimism they can have the offense many thought they could have at the start of the season.

A lot of the reasoning comes from the return of Davis, who the Titans believe can be their No. 1 receiver immediately now that he's recovered from his hamstring injury.

That's a lot of pressure on a relatively unproven rookie, but Davis is confident and eager to get his "fresh legs" on the field to make an impact.

"I feel pressure from myself. As far as outside pressure, it doesn’t really matter to me," said Davis, who had six catches for 69 yards against the Raiders in his lone full NFL game. "I’m going to apply pressure to myself that no one else can amount to."

The Titans believe Davis' mindset, work ethic and humble beginnings will allow him to make an impact from the moment he touches the field.

"I hope it will affect some coverages with him out there. Maybe it helps Delanie [Walker], as well. It should help," Mularkey said. "He’s got to produce out there and show that he is that threat we think he can be.

Matthews added: “He’s a guy that can make plays when he gets the ball in his hands and he can also stretch the field. So, I hope when he comes back, we’re able to get a little bit more creative with the passing game.”

Matthews' 'more creative' mention is a shared feeling among a few players in the Titans locker room. The request is less about Titans offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie's run-pass playcalling balance and more about the type of routes, formations and player combinations that are on the field at the same time.

During the Titans' last six games, Matthews and Eric Decker have dominated receiver reps as Davis sat with his hamstring injury. The problem is the two are both possession receivers who depend on route running and football intelligence rather than separation to get open. They became redundant weapons in a Titans offense in desperate need of diverse weapons.

The route combinations didn't change much. The result was one of them running screens and deep routes that they weren't best suited for and took too long to develop. Marcus Mariota missed a few explosive plays that did come open and receivers failed to make 50-50 plays on a few other opportunities.

Defenses have loaded up to stop the run and put extra attention on covering Walker in ways they've never done before. Defenses believe if they limit the Titans' run game and stop Walker, they can shut down the Titans offense.

That's where an insertion of more play-action and up-tempo offense can help change that belief. It's yet to be seen if that will be one of Tennessee's adjustments.

The Titans' hope is the more diverse combination of Davis, Matthews and Walker, with Taywan Taylor or Decker coming in three-wide sets, will keep defenses off-guard and open up the box more for DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry. The latter will be particularly important as they face Baltimore's 30th-ranked run defense Sunday.