Robert Saleh’s first eight games in Tennessee have put him in a familiar-looking spot on paper, but the feel around his start is different from the one Brian Callahan got off to a year ago.
Saleh is 1-7 through his first eight as the Titans’ head coach. Callahan was 2-6 after his first eight games in Tennessee, then got fired six games into his second season when the team sat at 1-5. He finished 4-19 overall before the Titans moved on.
That’s the comparison point now that the 2026 season has reached its midpoint: similar records, very different vibes.
The obvious part is that both starts have been rough. One win or two wins is a bad place to build from, no matter who’s on the headset. And Saleh’s group is still one loss away from the worst possible opening under him.
Still, the way this team has played is not the same as Callahan’s Titans. Six of Tennessee’s eight games this season have been decided by one score, including the Week 6 win over the Indianapolis Colts. The offense has hit 20 points or more four times and reached 30 once.
That’s a sharper contrast to 2024, when only four of Callahan’s first eight games were one-score decisions. Tennessee scored 20-plus just twice and topped 30 only once. Saleh’s team is living in tighter games, even if the win total hasn’t followed.
Even the blowouts tell a different story. Tennessee’s 26-3 loss to the Houston Texans this year doesn’t hit like Callahan’s 52-14 road loss to the Detroit Lions in 2024. Saleh has already made the point that the Titans have to finish better late in games, and that’s been the problem.
Callahan’s first season had its own ugly arc. After a Week 12 road win in Houston, the Titans were 3-8. Then came six straight losses to close the year and 11 defeats in his next 12 games.
The collapse kept rolling right into the next week, when Tennessee got blown out 42-19 by the Washington Commanders. Will Levis, who has since been released, struggled badly in that stretch, throwing three interceptions and going two games without a score at one point in December.
Mason Rudolph’s time as the fill-in quarterback didn’t help Callahan’s play-calling issues, either. Titans fans remember that he gave up those duties just weeks before he was fired, and that decision followed him into year two.
Saleh’s situation is different in one major way: he’s the one calling the defense, and that isn’t changing. Amani Hooker’s three interceptions last week didn’t erase the 43 points the defense allowed. Saleh has his own problems on that side of the ball.
Even so, this version of the Titans looks both a step behind and a step ahead of Callahan’s 2024 team. They’re short one win, but the games are closer and the ceiling has looked higher at times. Cam Ward’s performance last week also brought back the idea that he can be the long-term answer at quarterback.
That’s where the rest of the season gets interesting. Saleh still has to do what Callahan couldn’t: close games. Three wins feels like the floor now, and there’s a real argument that the bar should be higher than that.
The schedule gives him chances. Tennessee still has two games left against the Jacksonville Jaguars, plus one more each against the Texans and Colts. The final stretch also includes the Cowboys, Commanders, Lions, Raiders and Steelers.
Unlike Callahan’s first Titans team, Saleh’s has shown it can stay in the fight against almost anybody. The road shootout against the 5-2 Cincinnati Bengals last week backed that up, even with key playmakers missing. At their best, this roster has shown flashes on both sides of the ball.
What happens next will depend on Ward’s development, any moves Tennessee makes before the November 10 deadline, and how much rookies like Carnell Tate and Anthony Hill Jr. can contribute down the stretch.
The bottom line is simple: Saleh has already given Tennessee more close games than Callahan did, but that only matters if the Titans start turning them into wins. These next nine games will decide whether his start ends up in a different category entirely.
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