Following a heavy free-agency haul, Tennessee looks to mirror recent NFL turnarounds. Analysts weigh in on whether revamped rosters and rookie talent can defy longshot division odds.
The Tennessee Titans have now finished 3-14 for the last two seasons.
General Manager Mike Borgonzi is trying to follow the blueprint of the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots. He gave the Titans an infusion of free agents and rookies in hopes of turning them from one of the worst teams in the NFL into a playoff contender.
The Commanders were in this situation not too long ago after a four-win season in 2023. Washington went on a spending spree and drafted LSU quarterback and Heisman winner Jayden Daniels in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Then, they reached the NFC Championship Game that season.
The Patriots had a similar approach, except that they already had their franchise quarterback on the roster in Drake Maye in 2024. After adding a surplus of new talent in free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, New England made it all the way to the Super Bowl last season.
The Titans aren't highly favored just yet, which makes sense. This team has yet to prove it can get over the hump. Even with how promising Cam Ward looked as a rookie, it wasn't enough to finish with more than three wins.
Tennessee came in at No. 27 in the first NFL FPI Rankings of the year.
ESPN's FPI ranked the last-place teams from a year ago by their odds of winning their respective divisions in 2026. The teams that finished last place in their divisions last year were the Las Vegas Raiders, Detroit Lions, Titans, New York Giants, and New Orleans Saints.
As before, the FPI doesn't have much faith in the Titans. It gave them a 5.6% chance of winning the division and a 12.4% chance of reaching the playoffs.
While the odds are stacked against the Titans, it wasn't too long ago that another team in the division was able to do something similar. The Jacksonville Jaguars finished third in the AFC South in 2024 and went 13-4 in 2025, winning the division.
The Jaguars hired former Los Angeles Rams assistant Liam Coen as their head coach and James Gladstone as the GM.
They added Jourdan Lewis, Eric Murray, Patrick Mekari, and Robert Hainsey, among others, in free agency.
The Titans' most significant moves in free agency were Wan'Dale Robinson, John Franklin-Myers, Alontae Taylor and Cor'Dale Flott. All of them are expected to start in their respective positions.
The road won't be easy for the Titans, who have to face the AFC North and NFC East this season, in addition to their regular divisional opponents.
However, this wouldn't be the first time that a team has had a rapid improvement after just one year. So, why can't the Titans be the next team to pull it off?
