The Tennessee Titans rebuilt its secondary, specifically at cornerback in the offseason.
Those new cornerbacks have set lofty expectations.
Alontae Taylor, who starred locally at Coffee County High School in Manchester, set those expectations himself on July 26 in a post on X, saying he and new teammate Cor'Dale Flott would finish the season as the NFL's best cornerback duo.
To do so, the corner duo will be tested.
Tennessee is scheduled to face three of the NFL's top five wide receiver duos in 2026, giving the pairing plenty of opportunities to measure that prediction against some of the league's toughest passing attacks.
Can Alontae Taylor and Cor'Dale Flott become the league's best CB duo?
It would take a significant jump for Taylor and Flott to enter the conversation with the league's best, but Titans coach Robert
Saleh and general manager Mike Borgonzi built its secondary with that possibility in mind.
One Eight & Two Four . Best CB Duo in 2026 ! I’ll be back at the end of season and we can all discuss how we made it happen! ✌🏽👎🏽👎🏽 #TitanUp
— Alontae Taylor (@taeetaylor) July 27, 2026
The Titans rebuilt their cornerback roster this offseason, signing Taylor to a three-year, $60 million contract and Flott to a three-year, $45 million deal after releasing L'Jarius Sneed in March following an injury-plagued two seasons in Nashville.
Flott said their contrasting play styles mesh well and should give them a good chance of slowing down those top duos.
"Alontae's real physical with his press game, every day I learn from him," Flott said. "I like to play off, be technical and know certain concepts, so he picks my brain I pick his and we go off of that."
Taylor and Flott both enter their fifth NFL seasons after most recently playing for the Saints and Giants, respectively. Flott had a career-high eight pass breakups in 2025 and held opposing quarterbacks to a 72.8 passer rating when targeted.
Taylor was not as potent in pass coverage, allowing eight touchdowns last season and a 107.5 passer rating when targeted, but showed his versatility through stopping the run, ranking second among 114 qualified cornerbacks in solo tackles, second in sacks and first in stops.
Throughout training camp, Flott said matching up against Titans rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate, former Giant Wandale Robinson and the should-be improved wide receiver room has challenged their intensity.
“They’re physical, and they’re explosive,” Flott said. “They’re getting us better on the back end too. They know what they’re doing. Cam got a good camaraderie with them… It’s making all of us compete.”
Flott also expects Tennessee's pash rush, led by Jeffery Simmons, John Franklin-Myers and Jermaine Johnson II, as well as young edge rushers Keldric Faulk and Femi Oledejo, to make things easier for the secondary.
He said the pressure up front should force quicker decisions from opposing quarterbacks and create more opportunities for the Titans defensive backs to make plays on the ball.
"I know the offensive lineman (is) gonna have a hard time with those guys so we have to our job on the back end to make plays," Flott said.
The wide receiver tests awaiting Titans cornerbacks
The Titans cornerback duo will have a chance to prove Taylor's claim true against some of the league's best receivers during their 17-game campaign.
Flott will face his former team in Week 3 and most likely matchup with Giants star receiver Malik Nabers.
They'll also travel to Cincinnati to face the trio of Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins in Week 8, two 1,000-yard receivers in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens and the Cowboys in Week 11 followed with Jameson Williams and Amon Ra St. Brown in Week 14 when the Titans play at Detroit.
“It’s just gonna take hard work every day,” he said. “That’s our mindset. That’s our goal. Come out here and get better each and every day.”
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Alontae Taylor said he and Cor'Dale Flott can be the NFL's best CB duo. Let's examine
