Tennessee Titans 2026 NFL Season Preview

Offense

The Titans’ offense figures to go as Ward goes, and the hope is that Daboll can mold the young offense into a cohesive unit around him. Ward got off to a slow start as a rookie but showed improvement late last season. He completed only 59.8% of his passes, but he threw for 3,169 yards and 15 touchdowns to only seven interceptions. Ward needs to begin to show that he can elevate not only his play, but also the players around him.

Tony Pollard figures to be the Titans’ lead back once again. He isn’t as explosive as he once was, but he still posted his fourth straight 1,000-yard season, rushing for a career-high 1,082 yards. His caddy, Tyjae Spears, figures to get a challenge from rookie Nicholas Singleton for playing time. Spears’ injury history and Singleton’s size-speed combination could open the door for the rookie.

One area that needs improvement is the receiver room, and the Titans turned some heads by taking Ohio State’s Tate with the fourth overall pick — the highest pick that the franchise has spent on a receiver since 1965. The team is counting on Tate to deliver playmaking ability as a downfield threat with strong hands.

The Titans signed slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency, and Calvin Ridley returns from injury. Second-year player Chimere Dike is electric as a returner, but he needs to unlock some of that on offense. Elic Ayomanor’s reps might decrease with Tate and Robinson now in the fold. Second-year tight end Gunnar Helm replaces the departed Chig Okonkwo as the best option at that position.

The offensive line has been a trouble spot for the Titans for at least the past four years. Entering 2026, the unit still has question marks, even with former first-round picks Peter Skoronski and JC Latham. Center and right guard will be camp position battles among veteran free agents, holdovers and rookies. Left tackle Dan Moore Jr. struggles against top pass-rushers, and Latham needs more consistency at right tackle.

Defense

At the end of the 2025 season, the Titans’ defense seemed basically to be Jeffery Simmons and a bunch of no-names. Simmons had the best year of his career with 11 sacks, as the Titans resisted all overtures to trade him at the deadline, but it was beyond obvious that he needed help if this unit was going to improve in 2026.

Enter Saleh, a defensive-minded head coach who persuaded Borgonzi to bring in a host of players who have played for him previously. The migration to Tennessee began at the NFL Scouting Combine with the acquisition of Jermaine Johnson II from the New York Jets in a trade for T’Vondre Sweat and continued with the arrival of Saleh expatriates John Franklin-Myers, Solomon Thomas, Jordan Elliott, Jacob Martin and Tony Adams. Franklin-Myers and Johnson can have an impact, while the rest figure to be role players in a deep rotation in Saleh’s new 4-3. Throw in rookies Keldric Faulk (end) and Anthony Hill (linebacker), and the Titans have hopes that their defense can carry the load at the outset of the Saleh era.

In the secondary, the Titans added three cornerbacks in Alontae Taylor, Cor’Dale Flott and Joshua Williams to a group that was severely lacking a year ago. A change in attitude was probably as necessary as a change in personnel among that group.

The Titans have returnees Amani Hooker and Kevin Winston Jr. at safety and Cedric Gray and Cody Barton at linebacker. The roles for Gray and Barton will differ this year in the move to a 4-3 after the Titans ran a 3-4 look for the past decade.

Specialists

After years of being a laughingstock, the Titans’ special teams made an amazing turnaround last year under Fassel. Dike developed into an All-Pro and a dangerous weapon on both punt and kickoff returns. The Titans even blocked a punt for the first time in 14 seasons when James Williams Sr. accomplished the feat against the Cleveland Browns.

Long-snapper Morgan Cox is as steady as they come, and placekicker Joey Slye, while not the accuracy king that Nick Folk was, has a strong leg and is a threat from 60 yards and beyond with his range. The Titans weren’t satisfied with Johnny Hekker’s punting, so they replaced him with former Texans punter Tommy Townsend, who should be an upgrade.

Final analysis

The Titans need a lot of things to go right in a short amount of time to make the jump from the bottom of the league to playoff contention in 2026.

In terms of where the organization is in its rebuild, baby steps in the right direction this year would be a welcome development in Nashville. Among the things the Titans are hoping for — the development of Ward into a franchise quarterback and the corresponding development of first-round pick Tate into an elite receiver.

Figuring out the offensive line — not just for this season, but beyond — would also help the club both in terms of competitiveness and wins. Last year, the Titans had nine double-digit losses, showing just how non-competitive the team was.