Critics slammed Tennessee’s massive investment in a free agent, but a strategic position switch could silence the doubters.
The Tennessee Titans have made wholesale changes to the roster this offseason.
After having a middle-of-the-road pass rush last season, the Titans have brought in Jermaine Johnson II, John Franklin-Myers, Keldric Faulk, and many other depth pieces on the defensive line to help out Jeffery Simmons.
Simmons had arguably one of the best seasons of his Titans career in 2025, but the team as a whole still struggled to sack opposing quarterbacks, finishing 14th in the NFL with 42 sacks.
To add to that, Simmons wasn't even playing fully healthy. He shared earlier this offseason that he had a procedure done in February to repair elbow damage, which explains why he's worn a brace there for the last couple of seasons.
The Titans also padded the receiver room with the additions of Wan'Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate, giving Cam Ward more weapons.
Another area the team improved in free agency was the secondary.
Tennessee had a revolving door in the secondary last season, partly due to L'Jarius Sneed's injury issues and the trade-deadline deals that sent Roger McCreary to the Los Angeles Rams and Jarvis Brownlee Jr. to the New York Jets.
General Manager Mike Borgonzi brought in Alontae Taylor from the New Orleans Saints and Cor'Dale Flott from the New York Giants, giving the Titans two starters on the outside.
Not everyone liked the move the Titans made for Taylor, including ESPN's Seth Walder. He went through and gave every NFL team a grade for the offseason.
The Titans got a B-, but Walder wasn't a fan of the move for Taylor.
Taylor matched his career-high in interceptions (2) and recorded 83 total tackles, two sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season with the Saints last year.
Walder's main complaint with Taylor was that he gave up 1.6 yards per coverage snap, which was more than the league average.
"As for the Titans' cornerback signings?" Walder said. "Not as good. Tennessee gave Taylor a three-year, $58 million deal with $42 million fully guaranteed, per OverTheCap.com. He was coming off a legitimately good season with the Saints but allowed 1.6 yards per coverage snap -- far higher than average -- in each of the previous two seasons. Given the year-to-year variance, I'd be very hesitant to pay this kind of money without a longer track record."
That criticism would be warranted if not for the fact that Taylor will be playing a different position than he's used to with the Titans.
Taylor made a name for himself as a slot corner with the Saints but is expected to be on the outside with Flott this season. He won't be full-time on the outside at first, according to Robert Saleh.
Saleh said that Taylor is going from a full-time nickel and part-time corner to a full-time corner and part-time nickel. Marcus Harris is expected to take over starting nickel duties, but it seems that Taylor is going to rotate in as he gets more comfortable with the position.
So, even if Walder wasn't impressed by Taylor's coverage stats, he'll be going to a different position anyway.
While he played nickel in the NFL, Taylor also spent time on the outside in college with the Tennessee Volunteers. What's to say Taylor can't have an even better year in a corner position he's played before?
Sure, the yards he allowed in coverage weren't ideal, but Saleh has a good pedigree with corners in this league like Sauce Gardner. If there's anyone who can help improve his coverage stats, it's him, along with going back to a position he spent time at in college.
