Nobody reading this site on a regular basis needs to be told that the Tennessee Titans’ two straight 3-14 seasons are not good enough. That falls into the “Well, DUH” category for any NFL team.
So, instead of reliving the mistakes of years past, let’s focus on how the Titans can rise out of the muck and become competitive again.
One reason for optimism is the development that rookie quarterback Cam Ward showed as the 2025 season went along. From Weeks 1-9, Ward completed 170 of 295 passes for 1,760
yards, five touchdowns, six interceptions, and a passer rating of 72.1. But starting in Week 10 through Week 18, Ward turned it around, completing 153 of 245 passes for 1,409 yards, 10 touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 90.0.
That was entirely legit. And new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is excited about helping Ward take the next steps.
“He is a young professional,” Daboll said of Ward in early May. “He wants to be great. He is instinctive. When we are just watching the tape, he is able to communicate the things that he sees, and why he did certain things, when we watch the tape from last year. When we are installing the new system to him, concepts and things like that, he is able to pick things up very quickly. It has been awesome to work with him.”
New head coach Robert Saleh, one of the NFL’s best defensive minds, does carry a 20-36 record as a head coach as baggage. But as that happened over four seasons with the New York Jets from 2021-2024, we’ll give him a pass. We are not sure who could succeed with the Jets at this point.
And this Titans team is loaded with talent. Ward is ascending. First-round receiver Carnell Tate has the skills to be an alpha X-iso receiver, no matter what some may say.
There could be at least five new starters on defense, if not more, and Saleh has to be excited about that — as we will detail, Saleh and general manager Mike Borgonzi have done a nice job of acquiring players who fit the new head coach’s schematic preferences.
Can the 2026 Titans be like the 2025 New England Patriots, and jump from obscurity to the Super Bowl? That’s a tall order, but stranger things have happened in the National Football League. For that to happen, of course, everybody on the roster will have to step up to unimaginable heights. The stars, yes, but also the guys whose names don’t make a dent in a national sense.
To that end, I’ve identified three Hidden Gems for the 2026 Titans — one underrated veteran, one underrated free-agent signing, and one underrated draft pick.
Underrated veteran: RB Tony Pollard
When it comes to running backs, explosive plays are great, but consistency is just as crucial to ultimate success. The back who can upend defenses year after year without blips in performance will find himself respected as a franchise pillar.
So, let’s note here that two NFL running backs have at least 1,000 rushing yards in each of the last four seasons: Derrick Henry and Tony Pollard.
Henry won’t surprise you; El Tractorcito is on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But Pollard? The 2019 fourth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys who signed a three-year, $21.75 million contract with the Titans in 2024, and doesn’t make much noise on the national radar?
Well, yes. Consistency may be important, but it often avoids headlines. Especially on teams with stacked 3-14 records.
Regardless of how the nation views him (or doesn’t), everybody in Tennessee should be pretty happy about Pollard. Last season, he ran the ball 242 times for 1,082 yards, five touchdowns, 39 forced missed tackles, and 10 runs of 15 or more yards.
The Titans’ new head coach didn’t take long to realize the value there.
“He’s an unbelievable pro,” Saleh said of Pollard over the summer. “Does everything the right way, brings a lot of juice and energy, he’s a positive individual. I feel like he’s in here all the time, working on his body, doing the things he needs to do to get himself ready, and then his practice habits are second to none and how deliberate he is. And I’m not just talking about live reps, but if you guys get a chance to watch a walkthrough today, I mean every single step he takes is deliberate in terms of the pad level, the hand placement, the eyes to make sure that he’s executing at a high level and those are the reasons why he’s so successful.”
The Titans also have veteran Tyjae Spears and rookie Nicholas Singleton on the depth chart, but there should be no doubt as to who’s the leader in Brian Daboll’s backfield.
Underrated free agent: DL John Franklin-Myers
One reason the Titans traded DI T’Vondre Sweat to the New York Jets for edge-rusher Jermaine Johnson II was Saleh’s particular requirements for defensive linemen. Generally speaking, Saleh runs four-on-the-floor fronts without too much blitzing or stunting; it’s on the guys on the line to get home. And it helps when Saleh has familiarity with the guys he’s coaching as he does with Johnson, who was drafted by the Jets in 2022 when Saleh was head coach.
This is also why the Titans also signed defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers to a three-year, $63 million contract with $42 million guaranteed this offseason. Franklin-Myers also overlapped with Saleh, as he was part of the Jets’ defense from 2020-2023, so Saleh knew exactly how good this particular Hidden Gem can be.
Last season with the Denver Broncos, Franklin-Myers collected eight sacks, 43 pressures, 11 solo tackles, 18 stops, and six tackles for loss. He was a stalwart presence on one of the NFL’s best defensive lines, and he contributed as much as he benefited. Which is why I tagged him as one of the NFL’s Secret Superstars of free agency.
“Our relationship, we have one of the best relationships in football, I would say,” Franklin-Myers said of Saleh after the contract was official. “We kept in contact. When I’m down, he is going to shoot me a text, and he is going to pick me up. Relationships in football, they’re so important. And I appreciate coach Saleh because I can always count on him. Whenever free agency started, it was like: ‘If the opportunity ever came about and he was willing, and we set the financials straight, I would be more than willing.’
“And I am so happy to be back in this defense with him, for real.”
Given Franklin-Myers’ ability to disrupt anywhere on the line, and what that can do for those around him (including Jeffery “Hi, I’m the best defensive tackle in football” Simmons), the Titans should be just as happy.
Underrated draft pick: OL Fernando Carmona Jr.
So, the defensive line is pretty set. The offensive line, however…
The Titans raised a lot of eyebrows when they signed former Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Dan Moore Jr. to a four-year, $82 million contract with $50 million guaranteed after Moore allowed 12 sacks in 2024. I guess you could say that the eight sacks Moore allowed in 2025 technically constitutes “improvement,” but still. Right tackle JC Latham, who also allowed eight sacks last season, is still figuring things out as he comes into his third NFL season. Outside of left guard Peter Skoronski, there are no sure things on this line, and that includes center Austin Schlottmann and right guard Cordell Volson.
Based on 2025 performance, one guy who could provide clarity is Arkansas guard Fernando Carmona Jr, selected with the 142nd overall pick in the fifth round. Carmona moved inside from left tackle last season, which was a good thing, because his 2024 tackle tape was pretty iffy. But as the Razorbacks’ left guard last season, the 6’5”, 316-pound Carmona allowed one sack, three quarterback hits, and 12 quarterback hurries in 469 pass-blocking reps, and his run-blocking was often above reproach.
“It was something [where Arkansas head coach] Sam Pittman came up to me, and [Arkansas offensive line coach Eric Mateos], and they’re like, ‘A lot of teams see you as an inside guy going into the league,’ so I just trusted their word,” Carmona said of the move inside after he was drafted. “They’ve produced a lot of linemen, especially Coach Pittman, so he had that vision for me and I trusted his vision. I learned it’s a place that I like to be. I like being in that phone booth, and just getting after it, and just hitting people in the mouth, and being in those tight quarters. I feel like I really thrive in that area, and so moving inside this year was a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to continuing to grow.”
Carmona has said that he’s either played or trained at all five offensive line spots, and the left guard position is obviously taken, so maybe he can push Volson for the right guard spot. The Titans also selected Indiana center Pat Coogan in the sixth round, so it’s clear that the new administration understands the level of uncertainty regarding four members of this front five.
Based on the tape, I like Carmona’s chances to mix things up.
