Now that the dust has settled from the initial wave of NFL free agency—and with more than a dozen new Tennessee Titans players added to the depth chart—it’s time to shift focus to the next phase of the offseason.FL free agency

The Titans hold the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. They will also select at No. 35, No. 66, and No. 101, giving the organization multiple opportunities to add impact talent at positions of need. And make no mistake: there are still holes on this roster that must be addressed.

From a talented group of edge rushers to Heisman finalist running back Jeremiyah Love, and even an off-ball linebacker, theories have been circulating widely about what Tennessee might do with the fourth overall pick.

When Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com recently surveyed mock drafts around the league, analysts had nine different players projected to Tennessee at No. 4.

So as we look ahead to that selection—and the 2026 draft as a whole—what can we infer about the Titans’ process based on their free-agent class? What are the most pressing needs that remain, and how might the front office plan to address them?

Let’s start with Jeremiyah Love.

There seems to be a sizable contingent of people who believe the Titans’ significant investments along the defensive line in free agency signal that the team intends to draft offense in the first round.

Even with wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson now in the fold, Tennessee could still use additional playmakers. And few prospects in this class are more explosive than the Notre Dame running back, who totaled 3,014 yards from scrimmage and 40 touchdowns over the last two seasons.

However, I don’t subscribe to this philosophy.

Not only do I believe it would be an unwise allocation of resources, but I also don’t believe it aligns with the approach that general manager Mike Borgonzi is likely to take.

There is no debate that Love has the potential to become a special player at the NFL level. But the Titans are not currently in a position to spend a top-five pick on a non-premium position.

Selecting a running back in the first round—let alone inside the top five—is a luxury move typically reserved for teams that are already contenders and are simply looking to put themselves over the top. The Titans are not at that stage. They are still in the process of establishing a sustainable foundation and building a cost-controlled core around their young quarterback.

“But Sam, you have to put playmakers around Cam Ward to help him reach his full potential.”

That sentiment has some merit. But if the difference between Cam Ward reaching his potential and failing to reach it comes down to the difference between Tony Pollard—a running back who has eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in four consecutive seasons—and Jeremiyah Love, then that reflects far more on the quarterback than it does the supporting cast.

At that point, it raises a much bigger question about whether the right quarterback was drafted in the first place.

The Titans certainly need to surround Ward with competence. That’s essential to establishing a baseline level of offensive functionality. But once that threshold is met, the quarterback’s own playmaking ability should elevate the offense.

You can acquire skill-position talent in almost any offseason. But the opportunity to add elite talent at a premium position on a rookie contract is rare—and there is no better time to do it than with a top-five draft pick.

Consider the Titans’ financial outlook. In 2026, Tennessee will pay Jeffery Simmons, Dan Moore, and Calvin Ridley nearly $80 million combined. And Simmons is the only one of those players currently performing at the level of his contract.

Add in Wan’Dale Robinson at roughly $20 million per year, and the fact that this is the final year before Peter Skoronski becomes eligible for a new deal, and it becomes clear that the Titans must begin injecting premium talent on rookie contracts into their roster structure.

You simply can’t keep kicking that financial can down the road.

So let’s talk about the premium positions—specifically edge rusher.

There are three pass rushers in this draft class who would make sense for Tennessee at No. 4 overall: Arvell Reese of Ohio State, David Bailey of Texas Tech, and Rueben Bain of Miami.

While the Titans added several defensive linemen in free agency and now possess solid rotational depth along the front, they still lack a true premier edge defender.

In Robert Saleh’s defensive system, that matters.

Saleh’s wide-nine defensive front is built around speed off the edge and relentless pressure generated by four-man rushes. For that system to function at its highest level, you need at least one edge rusher who can consistently threaten opposing quarterbacks.

That piece is still missing.

Elite pass rushers rarely reach free agency without significant red flags. And when they do, the bidding war often drives the price beyond what rebuilding teams can reasonably afford.

Drafting one is the most sustainable path forward.

If the Titans swing on Reese, Bailey, or Bain and hit, they could suddenly possess one of the most formidable defensive fronts in football—anchored by Jeffery Simmons and supported by a young, cost-controlled pass rusher.

That is exactly the kind of foundation that successful organizations are built upon.

The only complication is the possibility that Reese and Bailey could both be off the board by the time Tennessee picks at No. 4. If that scenario unfolds, it raises an interesting question about how the Titans view Rueben Bain as a schematic fit. He’s not quite as explosive or twitchy as Reese or Bailey, both of whom would feel like straightforward selections at that spot.

There is one other player who deserves legitimate consideration: Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.

I don’t necessarily believe the Titans telegraphed their draft plans through their free-agent signings. But I do believe they structured their offseason in a way that gives them maximum flexibility heading into the draft.

And it isn’t difficult to envision where Styles would fit within Saleh’s defensive structure.

Now, I’ve already discussed the risks of selecting a non-premium position with the fourth overall pick, and that principle still holds. It’s one of the reasons I suspect Borgonzi ultimately leans elsewhere.

But there is a more compelling case for Sonny Styles than there is for Jeremiyah Love.

For starters, there is a clear positional need.

Styles is a 6-foot-5, 244-pound athletic anomaly, running a 4.46-second 40-yard dash with a 43.5-inch vertical. At the NFL Combine, he scored above 90 in production, athleticism, and overall composite metrics from Next Gen Stats—ranking first among linebackers in this class.

Over the past two seasons at Ohio State, Styles compiled 182 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and seven sacks, showcasing the kind of disruptive versatility that modern defenses covet.

From my evaluation, there are very few weaknesses in his game. He’s an excellent tackler who rarely misses in space. He’s comfortable in coverage, versatile enough to disguise defensive looks, and powerful enough to hold up in run fits. His sideline-to-sideline range also allows him to be effective in man coverage against athletic tight ends and running backs.

The most obvious NFL comparison is Fred Warner, who has been a cornerstone of Saleh’s defenses in San Francisco.

In Saleh’s scheme, elite linebacker play is essential. The system relies heavily on athletic, versatile second-level defenders who can both diagnose plays quickly and cover significant ground in space.

Warner embodies that role. Styles has the physical profile and skill set to potentially do the same.

And frankly, the Titans need an upgrade next to Cedric Gray. They cannot continue relying on Cody Barton as a long-term solution at linebacker.

So what did the Titans’ free-agent class ultimately tell us about their plans for the 2026 NFL Draft?

More than anything, it tells us that they’ve positioned themselves to have options.

However, there are still clues worth noting.

The Titans did not sign a premier inside linebacker. They also did not aggressively pursue a top-tier edge rusher such as Trey Hendrickson.

Those decisions strongly suggest that Tennessee intends to make a major defensive addition with the fourth overall pick.

Meanwhile, the decision to retain Tony Pollard—rather than releasing him for cap relief—further reinforces the idea that drafting Jeremiyah Love is far less likely than selecting one of the edge rushers, and perhaps even less likely than taking Sonny Styles.

Free agency didn’t reveal the Titans’ exact draft strategy. But it did make one thing clear.

If the fourth overall pick becomes the centerpiece of this offseason, the smart money says it will be used to fortify Robert Saleh’s defense—not to draft a running back.