The Tennessee Titans are 0-5, staring down a Week 6 meeting with the 2-3 Indianapolis Colts, and they’ve already run out of patience with one of their biggest offseason investments.
Sunday’s inactives list delivered the shocker: $66 million cornerback Alontae Taylor is out for Week 6. That means the Titans have made their high-priced signing a healthy scratch for a game they badly need to win.
Taylor’s absence comes after only five appearances in a Titans uniform. The team gave him a three-year, $66 million deal this offseason, but now they’re going even further than a simple benching by parking him on the sideline altogether.
With Taylor out, Tennessee will lean on Cordale Flott, Joshua Williams, Jaylon Jones, and Micah Robinson in the cornerback group.
The matchup does create a chance for that group to get tested in a controlled setting. The Colts’ receiver room has been shaky, with Josh Downs and Keenan Allen leading the way, and they’ll also be without star tight end Tyler Warren in Week 6.
Still, this move says plenty about where Taylor stands after five games. On 21 targets this season, he has given up 18 catches for 159 yards and a touchdown, without recording an interception, and opponents have posted a 114.1 passer rating when throwing his way.
Robert Saleh is clearly making a change in the secondary and hoping the Titans’ backups can bring some life to a defense that needs it. Taylor should get another shot later on, but for now, this is a rough early checkpoint for a contract that hasn’t come close to paying off.
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Titans Just Pushed The Colts Into An Ugly New Debate
The Colts walked out of Nashville with more questions than answers after letting a 13-point halftime lead slip away in a 26-20 loss to the Titans, and the fallout has quickly turned inward. Shane Steichen was pressed about whether changes could be coming to his coaching staff, a natural line of inquiry after a game that featured turnovers, special teams mistakes and the loss of tight end Tyler Warren to injury, all while Indianapolis failed to close out a division road game it seemed to have under control.
Steichen said he is reviewing everything, but for now he remains satisfied with his staff and also confirmed Daniel Jones is still the starting quarterback. Even so, the loss has pushed the Colts into a familiar and uncomfortable debate about accountability and where the fixes need to start, with Tennessee's comeback serving as the latest reminder that close games can expose every weak spot at once. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Flipped A Lost Colts Game In A Way Fans Wont Forget
The Titans finally found the breakthrough they had been chasing, and they did it in a way that fit the chaos of their season. Down 13-0 at halftime against the Colts, Tennessee leaned on defense and special teams to claw back into the game, flipping the momentum with a 58-yard punt return and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown before Joey Slye delivered a late 49-yard field goal.
It was the kind of turnaround that can linger in a locker room, especially for a team trying to get its footing early in the year. Tennessees 26-20 win was its first of the season, and while the offense did just enough, it was the hidden yards and the timely stops that changed the script against Indianapolis and gave the Titans a result fans will remember. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Suddenly Face A Real Tony Pollard Deadline Decision
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For Tennessee, the interesting part is not just whether Pollard would draw interest, but how much leverage the Titans actually have if they choose to listen. So far, there has been no indication they are eager to move him, and any serious conversation would have to account for that reality. If a deal is ever going to make sense, it would need to reflect more than Seattles need at the position. It would have to respect the Titans position as well, which is why this is suddenly looking less like a fringe rumor and more like a real deadline decision. [Read more 🡒]