Former Arkansas offensive lineman Fernando Carmona has won the starting right guard job for the Tennessee Titans.
The fifth-round pick in last year’s NFL Draft made enough of an impression on new Titans head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to lock down the role heading into his rookie season. Saleh said Carmona earned the spot by staying steady once the competition heated up.
"I thought he's done an outstanding job," Saleh said. "We gave him the opportunity to step in there and show what he can do, and when he got in that spot he just wouldn't relent. He's going to see some of the best D-tackles in all of football, but I do think he's up for the challenge."
Carmona’s path to the job has been a steady climb. He started at San Jose State before transferring to Arkansas for the 2024-25 season, where he played tackle, started 13 games and picked up third-team All-SEC honors.
He then shifted to guard for the 2025-26 season, was named one of Arkansas’ team captains and started every game for the Razorbacks. Even in a rough 2-10 season, he still landed second-team All-SEC recognition.
The Titans are asking him to step in quickly, and the schedule won’t make things easy. Three of Tennessee’s first five games come against defensive fronts ranked among the NFL’s best by Pro Football Focus: the Eagles at No. 4, the Ravens at No. 7 and the Texans at No. 2.
That matters because Tennessee is trying to give quarterback Cam Ward more protection after he was sacked 55 times last season. Carmona’s preseason performance suggested he might be ready for that kind of responsibility. According to PFF, he was the second-highest graded rookie in the 2026 preseason and the top-graded rookie offensive lineman by a wide margin, posting a 90.5 grade while allowing just one pressure on 40 pass-blocking snaps.
"I knew I could play in this league, and I could be a starter," he said. "I've always had that belief in myself and that my work would lead me to that."
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