The Titans are walking into 2026 with a new voice on the sideline and a low bar from the outside world.
Robert Saleh is taking over as Tennessee’s head coach, making him the franchise’s third head coach in three years. The roster has also picked up a few new faces on both sides of the ball, and the expectation is that some of them will be asked to play major roles right away.
But the bigger picture is hard to ignore. Since that postseason loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2021 season, Tennessee has been sliding the wrong way. The Titans have dropped four straight seasons, and that stretch includes back-to-back three-win campaigns.
So while improvement feels likely, the national view still has Tennessee stuck in the “not yet” bucket. CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell made his picks for the last-place team in each NFL division, and he landed on the Titans in the AFC South. His read is that Tennessee is moving in the right direction and still needs one more draft to really finish the job.
That doesn’t mean the path is clean. The AFC South may not be loaded top to bottom, but the Titans are still chasing the rest of the group. Houston is being viewed as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, Jacksonville is expected to build on its strong 2025 season, and Indianapolis could be back in the mix if Daniel Jones is healthy.
Tennessee should be more competitive than it was a year ago, and that could open the door to a few surprise wins. Even so, the Titans still have to prove it before the league starts treating them like more than a team on the rise.
The upside is real enough to expect a better season in 2026, and one that more than doubles last year’s win total. Still, finishing last in the AFC South again wouldn’t be a shock with Houston, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis all offering difficult matchups.
In Other News...
Titans Offense Just Got A National Verdict Fans Will Hate
USA TODAYs preseason offense rankings did not offer much comfort for a Titans group trying to turn the page. Tennessee landed 31st, a blunt reminder of how far the unit still has to climb, even after a busy offseason aimed at making the attack more functional around quarterback Cam Ward. The front office has tried to address the obvious pain points, bringing in receivers Wan'Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate while also giving the offensive line a boost with rookie Fernando Carmona and a new extension for Peter Skoronski.
There is at least a case to be made that the Titans are not starting from the same place they were a year ago. Ward remains the starter, and the pieces around him look better on paper than they did last season, which is exactly why the ranking stings a little more. It is one thing to be underestimated in the preseason and another to have a national outlet look at the roster and still place the offense near the bottom, leaving Tennessee with a long way to go before the actual production matches the offseason optimism. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Ward Now Has Everything Needed To Silence Titans Doubters
Cam Wards first season in Tennessee came with plenty of hard lessons, from taking too many sacks to trying to steer a team that simply did not win enough around him. So when FanSided slotted him 23rd among active quarterbacks, it fit the uneasy middle ground he now occupies, a young passer with enough traits to intrigue but not yet enough proof to quiet the noise. The Titans have spent the offseason trying to change that conversation by reshaping the environment around him and making it easier for his next step to show up on the field.
Brian Daboll is now in place as offensive coordinator, and Tennessee has also worked to improve the receiving group around Ward with Wan'Dale Robinson and first-round pick Carnell Tate among the additions. It is the kind of support system that can make a real difference for a quarterback still trying to turn flashes into consistency, and it is why the 2026 season feels like such an important one for Ward. The doubt is still there, but for the first time since his arrival, so is a clearer path to answering it. [Read more 🡒]
Calvin Ridley Faces A Different Titans Reality This Season
The Titans head into this season with one of the youngest rosters in the league, and that reality is shaping the wide receiver room in a noticeable way. Calvin Ridley, now on a reworked deal that lowered his cap hit, is no longer being slotted in as the clear centerpiece. Instead, he is expected to work behind younger options like Wan'Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate, while rookie Elic Ayomanor has also pushed himself into the conversation as a possible primary target.
For Ridley, it is a different kind of role than the one he has carried in previous stops, especially after injuries cost him significant time last season. Even so, the Titans still have reasons to value what he brings beyond the stat sheet. His experience gives a young offense some needed steadiness, and his presence should matter in a room built more around development than certainty. [Read more 🡒]