With the legal tampering window opening Monday, Mike Borgonzi and the Tennessee Titans have several major roster holes to address in free agency.
After back-to-back 3–14 seasons, it’s going to take a village for the Tennessee Titans to turn things around in 2026.
But when the perfect storm arrives in the National Football League, stranger things have happened. The New England Patriots are a recent example of just how quickly fortunes can change. After finishing 4–13 in two consecutive seasons, the Patriots paired a new head coach with a promising young quarterback and the financial firepower to dominate the offseason. They took advantage of a last-place schedule and finished 14–3, eventually advancing all the way to Super Bowl LX.
Things can shift that quickly when you’ve got the right ammunition on your side. And Titans GM Mike Borgonzi is heading into battle this week with plenty of it.
At 11 a.m. Central Time on Monday, March 9, the NFL’s legal tampering window opens. That period will run until 3 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday, March 11, when the new league year begins and contracts can officially be signed. But make no mistake about it—we’re on the doorstep of free agency, and in just a matter of hours, the floodgates will open.
Over the next few days, the field of impending free agents will be pillaged as many of the league’s top names find new homes and the NFL landscape shifts dramatically. Yes, the Titans have plenty of needs to address—back-to-back 3–14 seasons made that painfully clear. But a few priorities should stand out above the rest.
When the dust settles from the first wave of free agency, here’s what the Titans need to have accomplished.
Raise the Floor at Corner
There may not be a bigger need on the Titans’ roster than cornerback.
It’s hard to imagine L’Jarius Sneed remaining on the roster much longer. On the fifth day of the league year, $7.5 million of Sneed’s 2026 salary becomes fully guaranteed. The expectation is that the Titans will release him before that date and save over $11 million in cap space in the process.
If that happens, Marcus Harris would be the only cornerback currently under contract—and he’s a sixth-round rookie who finished last season on injured reserve with a knee injury.
The Titans don’t necessarily need to chase a high-end corner in free agency. It’s one of the most volatile positions in the sport. But the priority for Mike Borgonzi and the Titans’ front office should be competence at the position.
Tennessee’s defense should improve under head coach Robert Saleh, but relying too heavily on rookies or inexperienced players at cornerback is a dangerous game. The Titans need to raise the floor of the roster, and that starts by signing at least two serviceable veteran corners who can handle regular snaps.
Find a Backup Quarterback
If we assume the Titans intend to move on from Will Levis this offseason—which may ultimately be the best outcome for both sides—then Tennessee will need to find a reliable backup quarterback behind Cam Ward in 2026.
They need something sturdier than what Brandon Allen provided last season. Ideally, the Titans would add a veteran who can both mentor Ward as he develops and help the team stay afloat if the young quarterback is forced to miss time.
The Titans have already been linked to Mitchell Trubisky, who has spent three of the last five seasons in Buffalo backing up Josh Allen. That includes the 2021 season when Brian Daboll was the Bills’ offensive coordinator.
Reuniting Trubisky with Daboll in Tennessee would be one of the more natural fits on the market.
Get Cam Ward a Weapon
From an offensive standpoint, Tennessee’s mission should be simple: make life easier for Cam Ward.
Right now, it’s hard to argue there’s a worse group of pass catchers in the NFL than the one currently assembled in Tennessee.
The 2026 NFL Draft offers another opportunity to add weapons, but given the Titans’ considerable cap space, landing at least one starting-caliber wide receiver in free agency feels essential.
The Titans are already familiar with Alec Pierce, who broke out for a 1,000-yard season with the Indianapolis Colts in 2025. Tennessee got an up-close look at Pierce twice last season in AFC South matchups.
Jauan Jennings is another name to watch. The Tennessee native played his college football at the University of Tennessee and overlapped with Robert Saleh in San Francisco last season.
And it’s easy to connect the dots between the Titans and Wan’Dale Robinson. Like Pierce, Robinson recorded his first 1,000-yard season in 2025 during a contract year. He developed strong chemistry with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart and has spent all four seasons of his career with Brian Daboll as his head coach.
Replace Lloyd Cushenberry
Injury concerns led the Titans to release center Lloyd Cushenberry ahead of the new league year.
At the moment, Tennessee does not have a clear starting center or right guard. Bringing back veteran Kevin Zeitler remains a viable option at guard, but center should be the bigger priority.
Again, the theme here is helping Cam Ward as much as possible in year two. A veteran center who can make calls at the line of scrimmage and help establish the run game would go a long way toward stabilizing the offense.
Tyler Linderbaum would be the home-run signing, but there are several serviceable options available on the free-agent market, including Cade Mays and Ethan Pocic.
You can’t properly judge an offseason until all the puzzle pieces are in place. And just because a wave of free agents will come off the board in the next few days doesn’t mean we’ll immediately know whether Mike Borgonzi and the Titans had a successful offseason.
Are there other needs for this team that didn’t make this list? Absolutely. Edge rusher is the most obvious one, and it stands to reason that Robert Saleh will want a premier linebacker to anchor his defensive scheme.
But I’d prefer to see Tennessee address both of those needs in the draft before pigeonholing itself into spending big in free agency (especially in regards to a pass rusher). With the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and four selections inside the top 101, the Titans will have plenty of opportunities to add impact talent.
Free agency should be about stabilizing the roster and raising the floor. The draft is where Tennessee can chase its next stars.
And if the Titans accomplish the four priorities listed above over the next few days, they’ll put themselves in a much better position to do exactly that.
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