Robert Saleh’s first months in Tennessee have been rough, and the Titans’ 0-3 start has only sharpened the scrutiny around his sideline decisions. But on one side of the ball, Saleh already has something real to point to: rookie linebacker Anthony Hill Jr.
Hill has wasted no time becoming the face of Tennessee’s defense. He leads the league with 34 tackles and was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for September, the first Titan to win that honor since 2019. One month into his pro career, he’s already locked into the starting lineup, jumping ahead of veterans Cody Barton and Cedric Gray, even with Gray’s previous concussion part of the picture.
That rapid rise has become the clearest sign that Saleh’s developmental approach can work. Hill’s growth is the one area where the coach has truly hit the mark, and it gives Tennessee a possible blueprint for getting more out of a roster that has otherwise looked out of sync.
The Titans’ identity right now is easy enough to spot. The defense has been good to great, while the offense has been stuck near the bottom of the league.
Outside of a so-so run defense, Saleh’s unit has performed at an upper-tier level against the pass and in overall defensive metrics. On the other side, Tennessee has been ineffective across the board.
That split has put the Titans in a dangerous spot, and it also points to a path forward. Saleh can’t fix everything on offense, but there is a model for how a defense can carry more weight. Up in Minnesota, Brian Flores has built exactly that kind of structure.
The Vikings have had their own offensive problems. They scored 39 points in Week 1, then managed only nine against the Bears in Week 2, and last Sunday’s 23 was just enough to get past a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that has fallen hard. Still, Minnesota is 3-0 because Flores’ defense has taken over, especially against the run, where it has allowed zero rushing scores this season.
Flores has also blitzed on 71% of snaps through three games, a number that dwarfs the league’s next-highest team, the Buccaneers at 46%. CBS Sports’ Douglas Clawson added that the Vikings are the first team to start 3-0 while finishing each game with under 250 total yards since the 1957 Cleveland Browns.
Tennessee does not need to copy that exact formula, but the comparison is hard to ignore. Hill’s emergence suggests the Titans could stand to be more aggressive than their current 22% blitz rate. Waiting around for Cam Ward to arrive in expected form is not a winning identity, and the 3-14 finish from last year showed where that road leads.
The better bet is to trust the playmakers already in place and take more chances on defense. If the offense keeps putting the defense right back on the field, Tennessee will need its best unit to do more than just get stops. With Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens ahead, the Titans are running out of time to start swinging.
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Titans Finally Have Two Rookie Signs Of Hope In Rough Start
After a rough opening to the season, the Titans had at least one encouraging development in their rookie class against the Giants. Carnell Tate delivered his most productive game yet, finishing with a team-high six catches for 58 yards, while Keldric Faulk made his presence felt by recording his first career sack.
For a team still searching for steadier footing, those are the kinds of small but meaningful signs that matter early on. Tennessee has seen both rookies run into plenty of growing pains, but Sunday offered a clearer glimpse of why the organization has been betting on their development. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Pressure Around Cam Ward Is Starting To Feel Different
The Titans are still trying to sort out their offense around Cam Ward, and for now the message from inside the building is patience. ESPN reported the team is giving the rookie quarterback more time to grow, even as questions continue to build about how quickly the offense can start looking like a unit that can carry its own weight.
For Tennessee, the bigger issue is not just Wards development but the pressure around him, which has to start feeling different if the season is going to turn. The Titans know there is time for improvement, but they also know how quickly that time can shrink if the offense keeps lagging behind the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Fans Should Worry About What Experts See In Cam Ward
Cam Wards rookie season has already put him under the microscope, and the latest breakdown from Matt Hasselbeck and five other NFL quarterback experts only sharpens the focus. The group dug into Wards footwork and came away with the same basic concern: the foundation is not yet consistent enough, and that can show up in the accuracy issues that have followed him around at times.
The encouraging part for Tennessee is that Ward believes his lower-body mechanics are better now than they were last year, which suggests he is aware of the problem and working through it. The less comforting detail is what the experts noticed over the course of games, when his footwork can start clean and then slip as things wear on, raising the question of whether it is bad habit, the effect of too many hits, or both. [Read more 🡒]