Despite record-breaking production and a No. 1 overall pick, Tennessee remains overlooked. Jeffery Simmons’ baffling rank further fuels the fire for a roster desperate to command national respect.
The Tennessee Titans haven't been taken seriously this offseason.
The Titans have had consecutive 3-14 seasons, but they still have many exciting players on the roster.
On offense, there's the exciting core of Cam Ward, Gunnar Helm, Chimere Dike, Carnell Tate, Wan'Dale Robinson and Elic Ayomanor.
Defensively, there's Jeffery Simmons, John Franklin-Myers, Jermaine Johnson II, Keldric Faulk, Alontae Taylor, Cor'Dale Flott, Cedric Gray and Amani Hooker, to name a few.
Still, Ward has yet to play in a prime-time game for the Titans. It has been almost 40 years since the last No. 1 overall pick was iced out of a prime-time game.
Even the Cleveland Browns, who haven't had a winning season since 2023, have a prime-time game. They take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football in Week 4 of the 2026 season.
The Browns even got more coverage than the Titans did in the 2025 NFL Draft for selecting Shedeur Sanders, while Ward was literally the No. 1 overall pick.
The league explained why the Titans don't have any prime-time games, stating that you can't draft your way into those TV slots. This only infuriated Titans fans more.
On Thursday, the NFL's lack of respect for the Titans reached a new level.
Jeffery Simmons, who is widely regarded as the best defensive tackle in the NFL, earned a spot on the NFL Top 100 list.
One would think that Simmons would be a highly ranked player on the list, since he is the best at his position. That wasn't the case.
Simmons was ranked No. 83 in the rankings, which is just absurd.
This is the player who just put together the best season of his NFL career while he wasn't even playing at 100%. Simmons racked up 67 total tackles, 11 sacks and 17 TFLs while playing with an injured elbow.
Simmons explained in the offseason that he has been wearing an elbow brace lately because he couldn't fully extend his elbow. He had surgery in February to repair the damage, so imagine the numbers he could put up in this Robert Saleh system this year.
Listen, I understand that the Titans are in a small market and don't get much attention outside Nashville. However, the NFL should still recognize that almost no players are doing what Simmons is doing as a defensive tackle.
He led all defensive tackles in sacks and TFLs last season. The only defensive tackles with more total tackles than Simmons last year were Jonathan Allen (68), Jordan Davis (72), Derrick Brown (73) and Cameron Heyward (78).
I'm not saying Simmons needs to be the No. 1 player on this list, but his ranking that low further proves the NFL doesn't take the Titans seriously. Simmons was a Pro Bowler and a First-Team All-Pro last season, for crying out loud.
Luckily for the Titans, they have a chance to prove themselves this season under a first-year head coach in Saleh. Tennessee was a big spender in free agency, bringing in Robinson, Franklin-Myers, Taylor and Flott.
The impact that Simmons has on the football field is one of a kind. It's about time the Titans proved the NFL wrong for all the disrespect they've faced over the last couple of years.
