Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward Jeff Dean/GettyImages

Titans vs. Browns Holds Major Draft Implications

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Dec 5, 2025 3:00 PM ET

At this stage in any NFL season, most every team has a decent idea as to where they're trending, both for the rest of their current campaign and the one that will come after. For the 2025-26 Tennessee Titans - holding a league-worst 1-11 record and suffering multiple crucial injuries - it certainly seems like a "wrap it up" sort of scenario as the season comes to a close.

Wanting to Win Regardless

Especially with the team searching for a permanent option at head coach and trying, by all means, to protect the rookie talent that appears to be shaping the franchise moving forward, to overextend in any capacity would be foolish.

Then again, nobody wants to lose regardless of the circumstances. Tennessee's next game, in Cleveland against the Browns, should serve as a telling litmus test for both what the Titans are trying to do and how the 2026 NFL Draft will shape those plans.

Draft implications for Browns-Titans, per ESPN Analytics:

A Browns loss increases their chances of getting the No. 1 pick from 7.5% to 14%; a win drops it to less than 1%

A Titans loss increases their chances of getting the No. 1 pick from 47.6% to 66%; a win drops it to… https://t.co/NjDlk34Ohv
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) December 5, 2025

According to ESPN Analytics, as pointed out by Cleveland Browns reporter Daniel Oyefusi on X (Twitter), a Browns loss in the battle balloons their chances for procuring the top pick in the 2026 draft from 7.5% to 14%; that's nearly double. A loss, inversely, drops their odds to less than 1%.

The Stakes on Either Side

For the Titans, on the other hand, a win takes their already high 47.6% chance to get the selection all the way up to 66%. In the case that Tennessee loses, it drops to 29%.

In the Browns' case, the game may mean ultimately little, at least in comparison to the Titans. Having already notched three wins on the year - and perhaps having found their "QB1" in Sanders, too - the team is already far further along in their rebuild than Tennessee.

Regarding the latter bunch, even if they do win and their odds drop, 29% would likely still lead the charge among eligible teams, especially given their proclivity to lose once more likely taking place in the weeks to come. It's an odd, potentially impactful clash for both teams in numerous ways.

Beyond the headlining Cam Ward vs. Shedeur Sanders duel under center, whatever ends up happening in next year's draft will likely, to some extent, be owed to this game. But as the Titans' interim head coach Mike McCoy has made repeatedly clear, he isn't coaching to lose on purpose.

For better or, perhaps, much worse, McCoy wants to win, and the Titans will try to do just that on the road this weekend.

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

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