Forget the win-loss column. For a rebuilding franchise, true victory hinges on transforming narrow defeats into a foundation of competitive competence and promise for the future.
After all the moves the Tennessee Titans have made this offseason, it's hard to say what a successful season would consist of for the team.
After going 3-14 for the last two seasons, the bar is pretty low for the franchise. Some people would define success as making a playoff run, similar to what the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots did in their rapid rebuilds.
The Commanders won four games in 2023 before making the 2024 NFC Championship Game the following season. The Patriots did the same in 2024 but made the Super Bowl last season.
The Titans could also simply improve upon a three-win season and play more competitive football. There's no shame in being included in those "In the Hunt" graphics we see towards the end of the regular season every year.
It really depends on who you ask for what success can look like for the Titans this year. ESPN's Turron Davenport was asked that question on a recent episode of "NFL Spotlight with Ari Meirov."
For Davenport, success wasn't defined by how the Titans' record looks at the end of the year, but by being a more competitive team this year.
He predicted one-score losses for the Titans and thinks the goal should be to enter the 2027 season with promise, realizing the team is on the brink of turning things around.
"I think success is, record-wise, you don't necessarily have to be .500," Davenport said. "I would define success as being a competitive team. You know, they're probably gonna lose a lot of one-score games, right? And that's something you can flip and win next year. So, I think it's just being competitive. Showing some competence on both sides of the football. Special teams made a huge jump last year. Defense was solid, but they've gotta get better offensively. Success is rolling into the following year with some promise. Like, they've gotta move from rebuilding to, like, okay, we're on the cusp. That's really the main thing."
There's good reason to believe that this Titans team will be more competitive in 2026. Even before all of the offseason additions, the Titans still had one-score losses.
The Titans had one-score losses to the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints. Out of those teams, four of them were in the playoffs last season.
People can talk about what record the Titans need to have all they want. Playing more competitive football is really what the franchise should focus on in 2026, and the rest will come together eventually.
