Robert Saleh’s "no vacation" mentality challenges players to maximize the critical 40-day gap before training camp, prioritizing physical preparation over leisure to prevent early-season injuries.
The Tennessee Titans have one more stepping stone before the start of the 2026 season.
The team has now gotten through rookie minicamp, OTAs, and, most recently, mandatory minicamp. Training camp and the preseason are the last two things that the Titans have to do before the first game of Robert Saleh's tenure as head coach officially begins.
The Titans ended mandatory minicamp on Wednesday, and now there are roughly 40 days until they meet up again for training camp in late July.
Most players will use this time to be with their families before the real work begins. However, head coach Robert Saleh emphasized the importance of players not losing sight of the season during that period, which is exactly the kind of mentality the Titans need.
"These next 40 days are critical," Saleh said. "And I feel like so many players lose their season before it ever starts because of the way they handle these next 40 (days). It's not a vacation. They've got to get ready to play ball. We kind of trick it by pretending the four-day acclimation period will help them kind of give them a runway to get into the season – there is no runaway. When you get here, we've got to go and if you're not prepared to play, you're going to get hurt and that's league-wide. We can put bubble wrap on these guys and delay the inevitable which leads to injury week 1 through 5 during the season. But the important thing is that our players attack the heck out of the next 40 days, get here ready to play and have an amazing training camp."
Saleh may spend time with his family, as many of his players will during the period between minicamp and training camp, but he must keep his mind on football.
This is the kind of mindset that can trickle down from the head coach to the players. Training camp seems far away, but it's important to continue preparing.
The Titans can make all the offseason moves they want. John Franklin-Myers, Wan'Dale Robinson, Alontae Taylor and Cor'Dale Flott can only do so much if they lose sight of the season in these next 40 days.
The NFL is a big commitment.
The offseason might seem like a small stepping stone to some, but the work you put in is just as important as what happens during the regular season. Saleh understands that and is committed to speeding up this rebuild.
To have this quick of a turnaround, there can never truly be any days off.
