Tennessee Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger is tackled by Mychal Kendricks (95) and Brandon Graham (55) during Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia.

-- Ap Photo/Michael Perez

It is the time of year that we pause to give thanks for all that we have in our lives.

But what do the Tennessee Titans have to be thankful for as they stand 2-9 and are mired in a five-game losing streak?

Well, the cynical or sarcastic side would say that the Titans have only five weeks of misery left before this dreadful campaign finally comes to an end.

There is also the fact that the worse the Titans play this season, the higher they will pick in the draft.

And while the 2015 draft is one of the few things Titans fans have to look forward to, there doesn’t appear to be a guaranteed, game-changing player that stands out at the top of this year’s draft.

You never know until they play, but right now, no quarterback looks to be the next Andrew Luck, and no upcoming defender looks to be able to make a J.J. Watt-like impact, no matter where they are picked.

But even as bad as things are, and as many holes as the Titans have to fill, there are a few morsels the Titans can give thanks for from this season.

At the top of the list is tight end Delanie Walker.

On Sunday, Walker returned from missing a game with a concussion and showed why he is one of the few players on the Titans roster that other teams might actually covet.

Walker caught five passes for a career-high 155 yards, including a 68-yard reception in the first half that set up the Titans second touchdown and momentarily put them back into what would ultimately become a lopsided loss to the Eagles.

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And while Walker’s big day probably made a lot of fantasy football players happy, it did nothing to satisfy him.

“When you lose games, nobody cares what I did and how Zach (Mettenberger) did. That’s the tough part of this business,” Walker said after the game. “We’ve got to get wins and have wins for people to talk about.”

The way Walker plays all out, you’d never guess the Titans are a 2-9 team.

Ever since Walker signed with Tennessee last year, he has been a breath of fresh air in a stale Titans environment.

Last year, he called out teammates after losing to an 0-8 Jaguars team. In the off-season, he signaled for a culture change by saying there were “cancers” in the locker room last year.

And even now, as things have gotten progressively worse – at least record-wise, Walker stands tall as an example of what the Titans need to be.

Another bright spot for the Titans has been the play of the 2014 rookie class, which has shown more promise than any Tennessee draft class in years. Mettenberger, tackle Taylor Lewan and linebacker Avery Williamson look as though they could be building blocks for a return to respectability.

And those young players should be thankful they have someone like Walker as a model for their approach.

Watching the way a guy like Walker continues to perform and approach the game in a professional manner in a losing environment is one of the best lessons for those young players as they try to change the Titans back into a winning franchise.

Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com and is a blogger for 247 Sports NFL Insider.