The Tennessee Titans left Santa Clara with a 19-13 preseason win over the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, but the box score did a better job flattering Tennessee than the tape did.
This was the kind of opener that exposed plenty on both sides. The Titans’ offense struggled to string together drives, and the passing game never really found a rhythm. On defense, the secondary issues that showed up in practice carried right into the game, with the starting unit surrendering several explosive plays.
A lot of that damage came with cornerback Cor'Dale Flott in the middle of it.
Flott, one of Tennessee’s biggest free-agent signings this offseason, arrived on a three-year, $45 million deal to join Robert Saleh’s defense. That investment did not get the kind of first impression the Titans were hoping for.
Against San Francisco, Flott had trouble staying attached at the top of routes and was beaten multiple times by rookie receiver De'Zhaun Stribling. One of the biggest plays came on a 32-yard catch from quarterback Kurtis Rourke in the second quarter, a gain that flipped field position and pushed the 49ers into Titans territory.
The same drive got worse for Flott. On second-and-goal, he was flagged for pass interference, a penalty that moved San Francisco to the goal line and helped set up Patrick Taylor Jr.’s rushing touchdown.
That sequence summed up a rough night for Tennessee’s defense, and especially for the secondary. Flott’s struggles stood out because he was asked to handle work that the Titans will expect him to manage much better once the games count.
To be fair, he was only on the field for a few drives, so this was a limited sample. And yes, Stribling is still a young receiver with plenty of upside. But the larger point is hard to miss: Tennessee brought Flott in to deal with more established threats, not to look unsettled against depth pieces and a third-string quarterback.
He was going against Rourke, and the rest of the 49ers’ receiving group on those snaps was made up of depth players. Even with that context, the performance was hard to overlook.
It’s still just one preseason game, so nobody needs to hit the panic button yet. But Flott has to clean it up fast. If he doesn’t, the questions around Mike Borgonzi’s $45 million bet will start showing up in a hurry.
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