Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Titans Can Be a Playoff Team Next Season

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Mar 23, 2026 7:09 AM ET

So much has happened in the still ongoing offseason for the Tennessee Titans that, in some ways, it's been easy to forget what all the momentum is geared toward. With player signings and trades for fresh talent paving the way to a fall kickoff, Tennessee is doing more than improving on paper.

Robert Saleh has made it clear from his introductory press conferences that he's in Nashville to win football games; more specifically, as outlandish as it may sound to a tortured Titans faitfhul, he's here to win a Super Bowl. That almost certainly won't happen in his first season, of course, but Tennessee fans have more than enough reasons to be excited regardless.

Not only should the Titans safely eclipse their three-win total from the last two seasons, but, given a few more pieces clicking into place, Saleh and Tennessee could very well appear in the playoffs in the head coach's inaugural campaign.

Returning to Postseason Play

The keenest of Titans fans will be well aware of the team's postseason drought, which extends five years back to their divisional round loss in 2021. A half-decade later, and the franchise's new leader has begun stringing the proper talent together to make a run once more.

On top of Cam Ward and Jeffery Simmons holding down either side of the ball as building blocks, with the former still very much coming into his own, the Titans have added a bevy of playmakers that will undoubtedly improve the roster around them.

Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

See Wan'Dale Robinson on offense, complimenting Ward, and John Franklin-Myers, Jermaine Johnson, and Cordale Flott, among others, on defense. Saleh brought in storied coordinators across the board and is set to make a serious splash in this year's draft, too.

Capitalizing on Potential

It's all coming together on the sideline for Tennessee, but the most important box remains unchecked. The Titans have to translate these positivities to the turf.

Not only that, but Tennessee could use (and can afford) another batch of weapons in order to really push the envelope in the 2026-27 stretch. Add another receiver next to Robinson, and another high-ceiling disruptor on the defensive line, and all the sudden the AFC South's usual bottom spot could flip in the complete opposite direction.

But the Titans, even now, have what it takes to make noise in a division without a bonafide, dominant competitor. A playoff appearance isn't necessarily expected in Saleh's first go, but it appears entirely possible from a half-year-out distance.

This article first appeared on Tennessee Titans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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