After a dismal 2025 campaign, Mike Borgonzi’s aggressive roster overhaul and the arrival of offensive guru Brian Daboll have positioned Tennessee to shock the league next season.
The Tennessee Titans were a train wreck in 2025.
Let's start with the offensive line.
Lloyd Cushenberry, J.C. Latham and Dan Moore Jr. didn't even come close to being ranked in the top 15 for each of their respective positions.
The running game wasn't effective outside of Tony Pollard. He had another 1,000-yard season, but when he wasn't on the field, the team suffered.
The Titans had the third-fewest rushing yards per game last season (93.5). The passing game wasn't productive either, even though Cam Ward did have his moments in the second half of the year.
Tennessee still had the fourth-fewest passing yards per game (190.6).
The defense had its fair share of issues, too. The pass rush was inconsistent outside of Jeffery Simmons, with the Titans recording the 14th-most sacks in the NFL.
The pass defense allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game (248.3). The Titans struggled to manufacture takeaways, finishing with 14, which was the seventh-fewest.
The only thing that was somewhat decent was the run defense. The Titans ranked 15th in fewest rushing yards allowed per game (114.6).
General Manager Mike Borgonzi assessed the state of the roster and made wholesale changes.
The defensive line will have three new starters. Whether it's John Franklin-Myers, Jermaine Johnson, Jacob Martin, Femi Oladejo or Keldric Faulk, Simmons is finally getting help.
The receiver room now features Calvin Ridley, Wan'Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate as the starters.
Alontae Taylor and Cor'Dale Flott are coming in to hopefully revitalize the secondary.
The Titans have quietly landed on Rich Eisen's radar after all the moves they've made, and not just on the roster. Eisen named the Titans as a sleeper team on a recent episode of "The Rich Eisen Show" due to the upgrades they've made to the roster and coaching staff.
Eisen released a top five list, and the Titans were third behind the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints.
"Number three," Eisen said. "They are bald, and they are beautiful, and they are the Tennessee Titans. What if Cam Ward gets this coaching from [Brian] Daboll? Yeah. And [Calvin] Ridley. You know, [Tony] Pollard. There's some home run hitters, folks. And the defense, [Robert] Saleh is gonna coach them up. Big time. It's gonna be better. And again, the sailing? Already, it's smooth."
Eisen primarily loved the situation of offensive coordinator Brian Daboll coaching up Ward.
Daboll's track record speaks for itself. He has gotten results out of young quarterbacks in the past, and Ward is his latest protege.
Are the Titans magically going to be a better team overnight? Absolutely not.
Just looking at this roster and coaching staff has to give you hope for the franchise's future.
