One quarter into the 2026 NFL season, the Titans are staring at an 0-4 start that looks painfully familiar. Under Robert Saleh, the results have been brutal, and Tennessee has drifted right back into the same franchise-reset feel it was trying to leave behind.
But not everything has gone sideways. A few young players have started to flash real staying power, and that matters for a team that badly needs building blocks.
At the same time, some pieces have taken steps in the wrong direction. Through four games, the Titans’ first-quarter ledger has a clear mix of breakouts and setbacks.
Anthony Hill Jr. has been the loudest bright spot. The second-round rookie linebacker is third in the NFL with 42 total tackles, and he’s turned a shaky-looking linebacker room into one of Tennessee’s better defensive groups whenever he’s on the field.
Lately, that’s been most of the time. Hill has been sitting near the top of rookie power rankings all season, and before Week 4 he was actually the league’s leading tackler.
That’s a serious statement four games into a pro career.
Saleh deserves credit here. Whatever else is going wrong, he’s showing a real eye for defensive talent and development, and Hill is the clearest example of it. He’s been one of Tennessee’s biggest winners so far.
Another rookie has made his own case. Carnell Tate has come on fast in his first NFL season and just delivered the kind of performance that makes people start looking for the next step.
In Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens, Tate posted 145 yards on nine catches. For the season, he leads the Titans in receptions with 22, targets with 32, and receiving yards with 268.
PFF also has him tied for the second-most contested catches in the league at a 100% rate, going 6-for-6.
That production has arrived in an offense that still isn’t finished. Tate is already operating like a centerpiece, and if Cam Ward ever fully gets rolling, the rookie receiver could be pushed into superstar talk sooner than expected.
Ward, though, lands on the other side of the coin. The second-year quarterback hasn’t been disastrous, but the bar is much higher for him than for anyone else on this roster.
He has thrown three touchdowns and two interceptions, and his 63% completion rate looks a lot like last season’s version. Questions about his footwork and decision-making are still hanging over him.
The numbers from PFF are not flattering either. Ward sits in the league’s bottom 10 in overall grade, passing yards and passing scores.
His best game came against the Ravens last week, but even that ended in a loss with Tennessee chasing the game from the start. As the young talent around him starts to rise, the pressure on Ward to match that growth only gets heavier.
There’s also been one clear disappointment in the backfield. Tyjae Spears has found himself in the losers column after four games.
With Tony Pollard in the final year of his contract and Spears entering 2026 healthy, this looked like the season he could start pushing toward lead-back duties. Instead, he’s been in and out of the lineup and hasn’t been dependable even as a secondary option.
Spears has been questionable with an ankle injury for two straight weeks, and even while playing through it, his role has faded almost completely. He has only 15 carries for 65 yards and five catches for 40 yards. Pollard being used like a workhorse isn’t solving the Titans’ problem, but Spears hasn’t given them enough to trust him as the answer either.
Up front, though, Tennessee has found another major win. Third-year tackle JC Latham has taken a real leap and looks elite now after two uneven seasons.
The Alabama product’s numbers back it up, starting with a stunning 0% sack/QB hit rate this season. Before Week 4, Saleh called Latham’s play Pro-Bowl worthy, and he strengthened that case even more against Baltimore.
Through four games, Latham hasn’t allowed a sack and owns one of the NFL’s best island win rates in one-on-one situations. He’s been one of the Titans’ best protectors, maybe the best one they have right now. For a team trying to keep Ward upright and build something sustainable, Latham is exactly the kind of piece Tennessee has to keep around.
In Other News...
Titans Face A Tough Veteran Decision To Help Cam Ward
The Titans slow start has them looking hard at the roster, and that naturally pulls veteran names into the conversation as the NFL trade deadline approaches. One possibility being floated would send Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy to Tennessee in a deal centered on running back Tony Pollard, a kind of veteran-for-veteran move that would be aimed at shaking up a team still trying to find traction around rookie quarterback Cam Ward.
Clevelands 3-1 record gives the Browns a little more flexibility to weigh their own needs, while Tennessee is in a spot where almost any credible help on offense will get attention. Nothing has been finalized, and no trade has been announced, but the speculation alone says plenty about where the Titans are right now: searching for answers, open to changes, and trying to decide whether a move like this is the right one to support Wards development. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Suddenly Have A Tony Pollard Decision Fans Wont Ignore
The Seahawks running back room has been hit hard enough that a familiar name, Joe Mixon, briefly entered the conversation before his physical ended that possibility. Mixon last played for the Texans in 2024 and sat out the 2025 season with a foot and ankle injury, leaving Seattle still searching for help at a position where injuries and the physically unable to perform list have thinned the depth chart.
That kind of need naturally turns attention toward the trade market, and Tony Pollard becomes a name worth watching from Tennessees side of the ledger. He is in the final year of his contract, and with the Titans mired in a rough season, any player with value can at least spark speculation about whether the front office would listen if a contender came calling for backfield help. [Read more 🡒]
Titans 0-4 Start Puts One Amy Adams Strunk Decision Under Fire
The Titans 0-4 start after the loss to the Ravens has only sharpened the scrutiny around a franchise that has spent the past few years cycling through big leadership changes. Robert Saleh is in his first season as head coach, Mike Borgonzi is just in his second year as general manager, and the organization is still trying to find a steadier footing after another reset at the top.
Around the league, the recent Super Bowl blueprint has looked a lot different, with most champions leaning on long-tenured coaches or GMs and the kind of continuity Tennessee has lacked. That reality puts fresh attention on owner Amy Adams Strunks previous decisions to move on from Jon Robinson and Mike Vrabel, because the Titans are now living with the consequences of another reboot and the answer to whether this one can work is still very much unsettled. [Read more 🡒]