The Tennessee Titans will be better than they were in 2024 and 2025. That is the lowest of bars to be cleared, but it's an important first step for a franchise screaming for relevance as it waits to open a brand new stadium in 2027.
Cam Ward, hung up like wet laundry as a rookie, returns to hopes of proving his experience getting Washington State to a bowl game can translate to another large scale cleanup. Jeffery Simmons is surrounded by badly needed front-line help to revive a bottom-five defense. Robert Saleh arrived to relieve Brian Callahan, 4-19 before getting fired, as head coach.
Even if the Titans aren't good, they should still be watchable -- something we haven't really seen outside of the schadenfreude Will Levis produced two years
ago. So what has Tennessee done to get here?
Key addition: WRs Wan'Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate
We're hitting wideouts a bit hard in this breakdown, but that's because a) they're important and b) several of them were on the move this offseason. Tennessee, understanding the obvious, knew there was no chance Cam Ward could grow into a franchise quarterback when his wideouts were Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor and the ghost of Calvin Ridley. They also knew they had little to sell free agents on, so they overpaid for a young wideout with one year of production ($17.5 million annually for Robinson) and spent a top five draft pick on another.
Tate is everything you'd expect from the latest link in a chain of high profile Ohio State wide receivers. He isn't a burner, but he has outstanding body control that makes him a menace on the sideline. His ability to create separation will be an asset for Ward, as his the ball tracking that dramatically increases his catch radius. Robinson broke through for 1,000-plus yards last season a bit by necessity, as Malik Nabers' injury forced him to expand his role. He responded and proved he can be an intermediate and deep threat, giving the Titans an intriguing wideout room this fall.
Key departure: OLs Lloyd Cushenberry and Kevin Zeitler
Cam Ward's 37.2 percent pressure rate was a bottom 10 figure among starters, though it was exacerbated by his tendency to hold the ball (and a lack of receivers who could consistently get open). That led to a league-high 55 sacks last fall. Tennessee's 2.5 yards before contact per carry was roughly league average. Cushenberry's play fell from his previous highs, but he's a high-level pass blocker at his best. Zeitler remained one of the most reliable guards in the NFL.
But Tennessee let Cushenberry leave for an inexpensive deal with the Buffalo Bills and Zeitler is staring down retirement. That leaves new additions Austin Schlottman and rookie Day 3 draft pick Fernando Carmona (who is better than his draft position suggests) as replacements. Early returns have been positive, but we'll have to see if they can team with Peter Skoronski to be absolute road graders up front.
Potential 2026 breakout player: QB Cam Ward
Tennessee largely left the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out to dry as a rookie, leaving him throwing most of his passes to Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor behind an offensive line that allowed him to be sacked a league-high 55 times.
The Titans addressed those issues, bringing new starters to the middle of the line and spending significant capital to put Wan'Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate atop his receiving depth chart. That could allow a diminished Calvin Ridley the space to thrive and help push Tennessee back toward respectability behind a quarterback whose college career was defined by his ability to win anywhere.
Position ranks
- QB rank (expected points added per dropback, via RBSDM.com): 30
- WR corps rank: 14
- RB corps rank: 29
- TE corps rank: 28
Will they improve in 2026?
Yes. Cam Ward finally has talent who can lift him up. The pass rush should be better. It may not be a playoff season, but it will be an optimistic return after recent failures.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Titans 2026 season preview: The journey to competence is nearly complete
