State of the Team: 2026 Tennessee Titans

Top 51 Cap Space: 2026: $64 million | 2027: $54 million | 2028: $250 million

Draft Picks: 2027: 1-7 | 2028: 1-7

Football Decision Makers: GM Mike Borgonzi | Football Ops Chad Brinker | HC Robert Saleh | OC Brian Daboll | DC Gus Bradley | ST John Fassel

State of the Team

The Tennessee Titans kick off the Robert Saleh era - which is more or less a ground-up rebuild - with one decided advantage (QB Cam Ward) and one potential disadvantage (front office).

The front office bit is more difficult to parse, and GM Mike Borgonzi and Head of Football Operations Chad Brinker moved into more traditional roles this offseason, but as strange as it was to look outside the NFL for inspiration as they created last year’s structure, it’s as odd to abandon that setup one year in because it was “too complicated”, which seems like an entirely foreseeable conclusion.

In any case, that won’t ultimately prevent this group from building a good team, so we’ll note that paraphrased version of the story* and get into the positive side with Cam Ward.

*Update: Chad Brinker resigned from his role with the organization the day after this draft was written; the Borgonzi-Saleh partnership will lead the organization moving forward.

Putting together my in-season tape study with a more recent review of Ward’s final four completed games, I’m left on the positive side of building around Ward, even if I’m disappointed that it was in some ways a lost season.

Ward is clearly talented enough to play at a high level in the NFL - as a pocket passer with some extra mobility and easy arm strength to throw to all levels of the field with a flexible release, I think his ability gives him a minimum ceiling of a “plus” starter - but as the season wore on, it became increasingly frustrating that the offensive pieces around Ward did not allow him to execute plays with the proper timing and rhythm.

It isn’t that Ward doesn’t want to execute the concepts, but it felt like the norm for every receiving option to be covered unless there was some sort of broken coverage, which might be part of the reason the Titans threw so many varieties of screens to Chig Okonkwo in their Week 16 victory over the Chiefs. To their credit, that tactic was largely successful in that matchup, and helped them get the win, but like many snaps on Ward’s rookie film, the quarterback doesn’t have an opportunity to shine.

To that end, I can get behind the Titans drafting receiver Carnell Tate out of Ohio State with the fourth overall pick. It sets the tone for them to look different on both sides of the ball in their first year under Saleh.

Offense

Brian Daboll, who pairs with Saleh to give the Titans former head coaches of both New York organizations in oversight positions on both sides of the ball, will not have an overwhelming amount of talent at his disposal, but it should be a boosted group compared to 2025.

The 2026 NFL Draft did not feature overwhelmingly touted prospects at the top, but as far as profiles go, Tate, who will line up outside and is noted for his intermediate routes and ability to push the top with route savvy and stride length, should be a good complement to free-agent receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, who did more work outside last season but profiles more as a slot. Second-year tight end Gunnar Helm can add to the passing game, but he doesn’t appear likely to lead the NFL in receiving, so it wouldn’t hurt if Calvin Ridley has a more successful 2026 campaign; at his best, Ridley’s game could slot in well across from Tate in three-receiver sets. If Ridley’s ship has sailed, it’s always possible that second-year receivers Elic Ayonamoar or Chimere Dike take a step forward after logging plenty of snaps in their rookie season, but their games need to develop to stick as long-term starters. Running back Tony Pollard is coming off a strong finish to 2025 (as noted by Saleh, who praised what Pollard did against his 49ers defense during the draft process) and Tyjae Spears is a capable complement.

On the offensive line, the Titans appear to have found an anchor in left guard Peter Skoronski, who finished the season on an absolute tear. His play down the stretch against Kansas City after Chris Jones had a series of wins stacking Skoronski stuck out, and he turned in a great game wire-to-wire against New Orleans; if the Titans can consistently get that next season, and right tackle JC Latham can continue to refine his game and maximize his physical gifts, Tennessee could get by with a line that is likely to get average-at-best play from left tackle Dan Moore, and should expect about the same from two projected starters added in free agency, center Austin Schlottman and right guard Cordell Volson. The Titans added interior linemen in the fifth and sixth rounds, but barring a surprise, that leaves Tennessee starting two journeymen options (Schlottman and Volson) and a player who is probably in the NFL’s top 64, but had many folks lamenting the price tag (Moore).

So much of this hinges on Tate, but that’s the life of a 4th overall pick; if he were to flop, there would be some parallels to draw between this Titans group and the crew Daboll had in New York after Malik Nabers went down last year, and that was a tough situation to navigate.

It would feel better with one more “certain” veteran playmaker or lineman, but with the cap going up the way it has, there are so many options on the market; given the resources to hand, Tennessee seems to have done a solid job giving Ward and Daboll a chance to get this moving in the right direction in the quarterback’s second year.

Defense

After adding Tate with their first-round pick, the Titans traded into the back of the first round to draft Kendrick Faulk, a versatile defensive lineman who should fit well in Saleh’s defense and added linebacker Anthony Hill, a Texas product, in the second round.

Tennessee had already taken steps to build this defense according to Saleh’s vision by signing free-agent defensive lineman, a “plus” defender with the ability to line up anywhere on the line and add interior pass rush at 6’5, 290, and trading for edge Jermaine Johnson, who brings bend/speed off the edge. Not coincidentally, both players lined up for Saleh in New York, and slot into roles next to defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (who has a lot of similarities to former Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams); with linebacker Cedric Gray (whose flat-out speed and get-to-ball ability have something in common with former Jets linebacker Quincy Williams), and you can see this defense coming together, especially with Cody Barton as the veteran, fit-it-up off-ball linebacker next to Gray (in the best case scenario, think late career C.J. Mosley next to Quincy).

That leaves Hill - who draft analysts described more as a run-and-hit athlete than read-it-out-backer - out of the picture to start, but this defense shouldn’t have to rush him in. The back end added outside cornerbacks Alontae Taylor and Cor’Dale Flott in free agency, which is likely to be the bet that determines Tennessee’s defensive ceiling this season, because I don’t think you’ll hear many folks compare Taylor and Flott to the Sauce Gardner-D.J. Reed combo the Jets had at the peak of their dominance under Saleh. That said, if they do pay off, Amani Hooker provides one steady player at safety, and the second-year duo of safety Kevin Winston Jr. and nickel Marcus Harris could solidify themselves in Year Two; neither caught my eye as a surefire draft steal set to start for years, but they also didn’t disqualify themselves from finding a role in Year Two after playing significant snaps for a bad defense as rookies.

Final Takeaways

The Titans finished 2025 tied for the worst record in the NFL after picking 1st overall in the previous draft, which speaks to the need to build up the talent in this organization. The good thing is they have plenty of cap space moving forward and all of their draft picks in the next two seasons, so they have plenty of levers to add to the roster if players become available.

The tough thing is that the mechanics of the NFL don’t make it easy to add difference-makers right now; that said, there’s every reason to think, with potential blue-chippers like Skoronski emerging, and the possibility that Ward takes a step forward while Tate hits the ground running, that this Tennessee team could be a lot more fun to watch in 2026.

It seems like the Titans - who are in a suddenly competitive AFC South - might be a year away from competing for a playoff spot, but the quarterback sure looks like he’s going to stick, and when that piece is in place, anything is on the table; the NFL is a weird way that way. There’s clear downside for this team to end up in a very similar place to where they were last year, but that’s not what this time of year is for; if things go right, Tennessee should be a more competitive team week in and week out, and could push for a Wild Card spot if things go south for one or two division rivals while things break in Tennessee’s direction.