The Tennessee Titans are committing major money to the secondary, signing Alontae Taylor and Cor’Dale Flott to stabilize the cornerback position.
There was no bigger need for the Tennessee Titans entering free agency than cornerback.
If we assume the team will release L'Jarius Sneed in the coming days, Tennessee entered the NFL’s legal tampering window with just one cornerback under contract for the 2026 season: Marcus Harris, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft who finished his rookie year on injured reserve with a knee injury.
That’s far from an ideal situation—and it’s precisely why I identified cornerback as the Titans’ most pressing need heading into free agency.
Cornerback isn’t considered to be a premium position in the same tier as quarterback or edge rusher. Those positions have a unique ability to completely take over a game. But the overall strength of your secondary has a massive impact on the floor of a defense.
If you can’t cover, you can’t bring pressure. And if you can’t generate pressure, you’re going to have a very difficult time stopping offenses in today’s NFL.
So while my expectations were somewhat tempered regarding what Tennessee would actually do at cornerback—and I didn’t necessarily expect the Titans to dive headfirst into the very top of the free-agent market—it was obvious the team needed to acquire at least two starting-caliber corners.
That’s exactly what they did.
Within minutes of one another, the Titans landed two of the top cornerbacks available. Tennessee agreed to terms with former New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor on a three-year, $60 million contract. Shortly thereafter, the Titans finalized a deal with former New York Giants cornerback Cor’Dale Flott on a three-year, $45 million contract.
According to SNY’s Connor Hughes, Flott was expected to return to the Giants before Tennessee made a late push to bring him to Nashville. The Titans reportedly laid out a detailed vision for how head coach Robert Saleh plans to deploy Flott within the defense, and the 24-year-old LSU product ultimately bought into that plan.
Now, I’ll admit I’m still deciding how I feel about Tennessee going this aggressively to address the position.
Cornerback is arguably the most volatile position in football, which means handing out lucrative contracts to top-of-the-market free agents can be extremely risky. Production at the position can fluctuate quickly from year to year, and even the most talented players can experience dramatic swings in performance.
I’m usually a bigger advocate for signing a solid B-tier starter rather than chasing the hottest name on the market. But one thing is undeniable: the Titans dramatically raised their defensive floor with these moves.
And that matters if Robert Saleh’s scheme is going to operate the way it’s designed to.
Between the addition of John Franklin-Myers to the defensive front, the possibility of additional free-agent signings, and the influx of talent that will arrive through the NFL Draft, Tennessee’s defense suddenly has a chance to look significantly more competitive. Adding cornerbacks who can hold their own in coverage allows that front-seven talent to truly shine.
Over his last three seasons with the Giants, Flott appeared in 42 games, recording three interceptions, 23 passes defended, 127 combined tackles, five tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.
Taylor brings a similarly intriguing skill set. The former Saints defensive back has played in 64 career games with 53 starts, totaling four interceptions, three forced fumbles, and 293 tackles. Perhaps most interestingly, Taylor has also recorded six sacks over the past two seasons, showcasing his development as a downhill defender and blitzer.
That versatility makes him an especially intriguing fit in Saleh’s system. A slot corner who can blitz effectively is a valuable chess piece for any defensive play caller, and Taylor’s ability to impact the game near the line of scrimmage should add another dimension to Tennessee’s defensive package.
In just 150 minutes after the legal tampering window opened, the Titans committed $270 million in total contracts, including $168 million guaranteed, to five different players—and that doesn’t even include Mitchell Trubisky, whose contract details have yet to be fully reported.
It’s an aggressive approach. In fact, it feels more like an all-out offensive by the Titans’ front office to reshape the roster and raise the competitive ceiling heading into 2026.
And if this first wave of activity is any indication, there’s a very good chance more moves are still on the way.