One week into the Tennessee Titans’ 2026 season, the rookie class is already doing a lot of the heavy lifting in Nashville. That’s not exactly where this team wanted to be after a 23-10 home loss to the New York Jets, but for a roster still living through the aftershocks of a rebuild, the first-year players are the clearest place to look for answers.
After Week 1, the early rookie rankings are starting to take shape, and the top of the list is already pretty clear.
Anthony Hill Jr. sits alone at No. 1, and there’s already a legitimate argument that he should be in Tennessee’s starting defense right now. In his NFL debut, Hill piled up 16 tackles against New York and added multiple pass breakups, along with what looked like a forced fumble before it was ultimately ruled an incompletion. Even in a game where the Titans struggled across the board, Hill stood out as one of the team’s best defenders.
Whether he eventually pushes LB Cody Barton out of the lineup remains to be seen, but the rookie second-rounder already looks like a major hit for a defense that badly needs them.
Carnell Tate also made a strong first impression, especially after failing to catch a pass in the preseason. Tennessee’s fourth overall pick wasn’t able to overcome the offense’s larger issues, but he still produced. Tate finished tied with Wan’Dale Robinson for the team lead with 38 receiving yards, doing it on four catches.
He was targeted six times, and one of the misses can be traced to Cam Ward missing Tate when he was wide open and streaking through midfield. Even with that blemish, Tate looks like an immediate piece of the offense and should only get better as he settles in.
On the offensive line, Carmona’s debut was a little harder to pin down, mostly because the entire unit was fairly ordinary. The fifth-round rookie entered camp as one of the Titans’ most interesting stories after beating out veteran G Cordell Volson, who was eventually cut, to win the starting job at right guard. That made him one of the more notable draft developments of the summer.
Against the Jets, though, Carmona was part of a line that never really separated itself. He did allow the most pressures on the unit with three, but he also avoided giving up a sack.
LT Dan Moore Jr. did not. For now, Carmona still looks like a workable developmental piece, especially if Ward can stay more settled in the pocket.
EDGE Keldric Faulk, Tennessee’s trade-back-into-the-first-round pick at No. 31, didn’t have much room to make noise. He played just 19 snaps, according to PFF, which was among the lowest totals on the defensive front. His limited workload may have been tied to the shoulder injury he had to clear just to suit up.
When Faulk was on the field, the impact was minimal. That said, outside of Hill, that was true for much of the defense. More reps will tell us a lot more about what Faulk can actually become, but for now he remains one of the many unknowns on that side of the ball.
Nick Singleton still can’t be ranked after being inactive in Week 1, but his path could open quickly. Tyjae Spears didn’t deliver much in the backup role, and Tony Pollard managed only 35 yards on seven carries in the final year of his contract. Tennessee drafted Singleton in the fifth round for a reason, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if his chance comes sooner rather than later.
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Titans Week 1 Disaster Already Put One Position Under The Spotlight
Cam Wards NFL debut quickly turned into a hard lesson for the Titans offense, and the biggest culprit was up front. Tennessee had trouble keeping its rookie quarterback clean in Week 1, with pressure coming far too often and the pocket collapsing enough to leave Ward taking three sacks while trying to get the offense moving.
Trevor Goosby, Jordan Seaton and Trevor Lauck are three tackle prospects who could end up on Tennessees radar when the draft conversation turns to fixing the line. The Titans are already seeing how thin the margin is when protection breaks down, and Week 1 did more than expose a problem, it put a glaring spotlight on the kind of help this front office may need to chase next. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Already Face An Early Cam Ward Concern
The first week of the 2026 season already has the Titans looking at a familiar question, and this one lands on Cam Ward. Tennessee is not alone in that conversation, with several NFL teams off to rough starts and facing the possibility of turning to the 2027 draft for help at quarterback. But for the Titans, the focus is squarely on whether Ward can develop into the answer they need after a discouraging opening stretch around the league put early pressure on a position that rarely gets the benefit of the doubt.
It is still far too early to call any of these situations settled, and that is what makes the next few months so important. The Browns, Dolphins and Falcons all have their own messy quarterback questions, but Tennessees concern is the one that will matter most to its future if Ward does not take hold. For now, it is only a trend line, not a verdict, but the Titans are already in the part of the season where every snap starts to shape the bigger debate. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Already Face The Pressure That Could Undermine This Rebuild
The Titans are only one week into a season that already feels heavier than it should, and that has everything to do with how much change has washed through the building. Robert Saleh is settling in as head coach, Mike Borgonzi is helping guide the roster from the front office, and Cam Ward is part of a new look that asks for patience even as the results are slow to arrive. After a Week 1 loss, the reminder is simple: a rebuild with this many moving parts does not turn quickly, no matter how badly everyone wants signs of progress.
Amy Adams Strunk now faces the part of the process that often decides whether a reset has a chance to work. The Titans need time to sort through the new coaching staff, a reshaped roster and a quarterback situation that is still being formed, but early frustration can easily lead to impatience from the top. If the owner stays committed through the uneven stretches, the franchise can give this new group a real runway. If not, the pressure around the rebuild could start to undo the very structure it was meant to create. [Read more 🡒]