Despite a massive roster overhaul and the arrival of Cam Ward, Tennessee faces an uphill battle as ESPN’s projections overlook Robert Saleh’s newly revamped, defensive-heavy squad.
It's been a long offseason for the Tennessee Titans, and we got our first look at how the ESPN FPI Rankings view the team after all roster turnover.
Getting Cam Ward help, as well as bringing in players who align with Robert Saleh's philosophy on defense, was definitely the goal for General Manager Mike Borgonzi.
Ward has two new receivers to throw to in Wan'Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate. Robinson played slot receiver for Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll at the New York Giants and is coming off a career-best 1,014 receiving yards in 2025.
Tate comes to the Titans by way of the 2026 NFL Draft. He had 875 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in his final season with Ohio State.
The Titans also brought in veterans Austin Schlottmann and Cordell Volson on the offensive line following the departures of Lloyd Cushenberry and Kevin Zeitler. Rookies Pat Coogan and Fernando Carmona are expected to be in the offseason competitions for center and right guard as well.
On defense, John Franklin-Myers, Cor'Dale Flott and Alontae Taylor were added in free agency. The Titans traded T'Vondre Sweat to the New York Jets for edge rusher Jermaine Johnson to fill one of the starting spots on the outside of the defensive line.
Even though the Titans are a much-improved team, ESPN's FPI doesn't value them highly. The Titans came in at No. 27 in the first rankings of the 2026 season.
They were ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Jets and Miami Dolphins. It seems there was a clear pattern based on how all these teams finished in 2025. The Raiders, Jets and Cardinals were above the Titans in the draft order back in April.
Despite the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots doing better than the Los Angeles Rams did, they weren't the No. 1 team in the rankings. The Rams held the top spot, followed by the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, then the Seahawks at No. 4.
The Titans will get a chance to prove themselves against four teams in the top 15 of the rankings in the first half of the season. The Titans take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2, then the Ravens in Week 4, the Houston Texans in Week 5, and the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8.
The road isn't going to be easy for the Titans in their first season under head coach Robert Saleh.
However, there is hope in the air.
