Robert Saleh’s pursuit of elite defensive speed puts Cody Barton’s starting job in jeopardy as explosive rookie Anthony Hill Jr. prepares to challenge the veteran linebacker.
The Tennessee Titans have a lot of exciting rookies from the 2026 NFL Draft.
There's Carnell Tate, who is in a position to compete for a No. 1 receiver role as a rookie. Keldric Faulk has a lot of upside as an edge rusher who can be used at multiple positions on the defensive line.
Anthony Hill Jr. brings a skill set that could benefit this Titans defense. He ran a 4.51 40-yard dash with a 37-inch vertical and 10-foot-5 broad jump. Hill has the traits to be the fast, physical middle linebacker that Robert Saleh has featured on many of his defenses.
The Titans took Fernando Carmona, Nicholas Singleton, Jackie Marshall, Pat Coogan and Jaren Kanak on Day 3 of the draft. Carmona and Coogan were predicted to compete for starting jobs, according to General Manager Mike Borgonzi.
Singleton fell to the fifth round after suffering a broken foot at the Senior Bowl. If he's anything like the player he was in college, once he's at 100%, the Titans may have found a late-round steal.
Kanak and Marshall bring experience across multiple positions to the NFL. Marshall played linebacker and edge rusher before moving to defensive tackle at Baylor. Kanak played linebacker for three years at Oklahoma before moving to tight end and finishing with 533 receiving yards, which was the third highest on the team last season.
With Hill, the Titans are in an interesting spot.
If Saleh wants to use him as a middle linebacker, Hill would have to win the job from Cody Barton. ESPN's Ben Solak believes Barton could lose his starting job this upcoming season.
"[Cody] Barton played 1,061 snaps last season for the Titans -- every single possible snap available to him," Solak said. "And now, he might be out of a job. He wasn't terrible for Tennessee last season. His coverage metrics were actually quite good: 53.0 passer rating allowed and only 4.8 yards against per target. But Barton has always been more wily and assignment-sound than he is athletically talented, and the lack of speed impacted his ability to beat blockers to the point of attack and get involved in plays at the sideline. For new coach Robert Saleh, who needs his linebackers to flow fast, Barton's current legs might be disqualifying."
At the end of the day, Hill could very well end up being a better fit for what Saleh wants to do on defense than Barton.
Barton was tied for the second-most total tackles (81) on the team last season with safety Amani Hooker. Barton also had four TFLs, one sack and three interceptions.
Definitely not a bad season by any stretch of the imagination.
However, it all comes down to a scheme fit, and Barton isn't the kind of player Saleh wants.
Barton could still be used as a reserve player, but his time as a starter may be coming to an end now that Saleh has found his guy in Hill.