Cody Barton Names Area of Improvement for Titans Defense

Tennessee Titans linebacker Cody Barton is in his second season with the franchise. 

It hasn't been an easy ride for him. The Titans went 3-14 in his first season, and the defense was very unreliable. 

Pass defense and generating sacks were two areas where the Titans really struggled last year. Tennessee allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game at 248.3. 

Jeffery Simmons was the only player who consistently got after the quarterback. He recorded 11 sacks last year, but his teammates didn't offer much help. 

That was the problem. The Titans had 42 sacks in 2025, ranking 14th in the NFL. 

One thing that has been the same is the run defense from 2025-2026. The Titans allowed the 18th-most rushing yards per game (114.59). This year, the Titans have given up the 16th-most rushing yards per game (114). 

There are still areas where the Titans' defense can improve. Barton noted that the run defense has been consistent throughout his time with the Titans. 

He believed that the defense needed to improve on third-and-long situations at Monday's press conference. 

"You know, I've liked our run defense overall," Barton said. "You know, I like that we're for the most part ourselves in a good situation. You know, there's a couple things I'd say. You know, we've had some long drives this year, a couple really long drives and just looking back on them, I think it comes down to just, you know, when you get a team in third and long, you know, or just on third down in general, you know, you just got to be able to get off the field in certain situations." 

These issues have definitely shown up for the Titans throughout their first five games. It was especially prevalent in the 24-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. 

The Titans had a clear defensive plan for the Eagles. They wanted to put pressure on Jalen Hurts and keep him in the pocket. They did that, and it led to an interception by Amani Hooker in the first quarter. 

The Titans offense capitalized by scoring a touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead. Throughout the game, the Titans put the Eagles in third-and-long situations. 

They still managed to convert time and time again on third-and-long. It cost the Titans on the final drive. 

Tennessee took a 20-17 lead late in the fourth quarter, but gave the Philadelphia offense 1:56 to score. The Eagles got to third down twice on that last drive. 

The Titans couldn't keep them from picking up a first down and moving the chains. The Eagles eventually got inside the Titans' 10-yard line, and Hurts found a wide-open Darius Cooper in the end zone for a touchdown. 

Tennessee has another chance to improve its third-down defense on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. Getting the Colts off the field on third down sounds like a recipe for success. 

We'll see if the Titans can finally improve on third downs this year. Kickoff is at noon CT on Fox.