Inheriting a struggling roster and high betting odds, Robert Saleh aims to transform Nashville’s fortunes by snapping a losing culture and securing a definitive postseason return.
The Tennessee Titans are preparing for their first regular-season game with Robert Saleh as head coach.
They have decided which players will be on the 53-man roster, and he will soon face his former team, the New York Jets.
Saleh has his work cut out for him.
This Titans team has been tough to watch in the last two years. Even before that, the final years under Mike Vrabel were brutal.
The Titans had a colossal choke job in the second half of the 2022 season. After being 7-3 after 10 games, the Titans didn't win another game that entire season and finished 7-10.
Tennessee didn't get off to as good of a head start the following year and went 6-11.
Tennessee is hoping for a quick turnaround with Saleh and General Manager Mike Borgonzi running the show. The Titans have brought in high-value free agents and promising draft picks from April.
It won't be easy, but if Saleh can mimic what the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots did in their first year with a new head coach, he may come home with an NFL honor.
Saleh was one of the first-year head coaches with the highest odds of winning the award on DraftKings Sportsbook back in August. Saleh came in with +1000 odds, tied for second with Baltimore Ravens HC Jesse Minter.
The other top coaches were Ben Johnson (+1200), Kellen Moore (+1200) and John Harbaugh (+600).
On Friday, a social media post showed the betting favorites to win the award on Kalshi, a real-world event prediction market.
Minter was the betting favorite at 13%, followed by Harbaugh (12%), Brian Schottenheimer (9%) and Moore (6%). Aaron Glenn, Jim Harbaugh, and Klint Kubiak were all at 6%, with Johnson, Kevin O'Connell, and Saleh at 5%.
It may seem unlikely right now, but I don't think Saleh has to make the Super Bowl or even the conference championship game to win the award.
I'm obviously referencing how Vrabel went to the Super Bowl with the Patriots last year, and how Dan Quinn made the NFC Championship Game with the Commanders in 2024.
I don't think Saleh has to do either of those things to be in the conversation for NFL Coach of the Year. It would be fantastic if he were able to reach those heights in just one season. I don't think anyone in the city of Nashville would complain if Saleh made that kind of a run in the postseason.
It's a lot simpler than that.
In my opinion, if Saleh makes the playoffs or even has a winning record this year, he will be one of the coaches up for the award.
A winning record doesn't have to look like winning 13 games like the Jacksonville Jaguars did in 2025. It can be going 9-8, 10-7, or somewhere in that range.
To see why just achieving a winning record would be a massive improvement, let's look back at how bad things have truly been.
After that 2021 season, the Titans were coming off another playoff berth under Vrabel. It was brutal how they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, but the vibes were high in Music City. Losing on a game-winning field goal is never fun, especially when you are the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Then, former GM Jon Robinson traded A.J. Brown during the 2022 NFL Draft, and things haven't been the same since. There are other factors that have contributed to this organization's downfall, but it started then and there.
Fast forward to 2026, and the Titans haven't had a winning season since 2021 and are on the verge of making unfortunate NFL history.
If the Titans have another losing season, it would be the first time in franchise history that they have done so for the fifth straight season.
To go from that to a winning record would be amazing for this franchise's outlook. That alone could be enough to put Saleh in the conversation if he pulls that off in one year.
Saleh's chances of winning the award are slim, but he really doesn't have to do anything that drastic to get in the mix.
