The Titans are set to open the season at Nissan Stadium one week from today, and there’s no shortage of unknowns around a team that has been rebuilt almost from scratch. Tennessee will give fans their first regular-season look at rookies Carnell Tate, Keldric Faulk, Fernando Carmona, and Anthony Hill Jr. in Robert Saleh’s long-awaited opener against the New York Jets.
That makes Week 1 feel less like a clean read on the Titans and more like a first real test of what this roster can actually become. Still, Tennessee enters with a slight edge, even if the margins are thin and the answers are mostly educated guesses at this point.
The prediction here starts with a defensive name that might raise a few eyebrows: CB Alontae Taylor as Tennessee’s MVP. If this game turns into the kind of field-position fight it looks capable of becoming, Taylor’s job against Geno Smith could put him right in the middle of everything.
Smith led the league with 17 interceptions last season with the Las Vegas Raiders, which means the Titans’ secondary should get its chances. Taylor’s preseason didn’t start cleanly, like much of the unit, but he built momentum as camp rolled on. He also delivered a pick-six off Sam Darnold during Tennessee’s joint practice with the Seattle Seahawks, and that kind of playmaking is exactly why he gets the nod here.
The bigger picture points to a game decided in the trenches. Both offenses come in with questions, and with two former defensive coordinators on the sidelines, this has the feel of a grind.
Jeffery Simmons and Cedric Gray give Tennessee the kind of disruption that can tilt a tight game, while Taylor helps anchor a defense that should dictate the pace. On the other side, Cam Ward and his young group of playmakers are more likely to need time to settle in.
New York has its own uncertainty. The Smith-led offense is still largely unproven outside of RB Breece Hall and WR Garrett Wilson, and Smith himself falls into that category too. Defensively, the Jets have added veteran pieces like NT T'Vondre Sweat and S Minkah Fitzpatrick, and they should be able to make life difficult for Tennessee as well.
That points to a game where both teams may need the ground attack to hold things together while the bigger plays come from defensive flashes. Tennessee’s home-field edge and a slightly better offensive setup are enough to tip the scales.
So the pick is Tennessee, 17-14. The Titans don’t need a runaway win here; they just need to handle a game that looks winnable for a team trying to prove the rebuild has real traction. Taylor is the MVP choice, Ward stays away from the big mistake, and maybe Carnell Tate finally gets his first catch.
In Other News...
Titans Face 3 Week 1 Decisions That Could Define Salehs Start
As Robert Saleh prepares for his first game as Titans head coach, a few early personnel choices already look like they could shape how Tennessee comes out of Week 1. The most immediate questions center on whether rookie wideout Elic Ayomanor is ready to start, how aggressively the team wants to use first-year linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., and whether the backfield can be adjusted to get Tyjae Spears more involved as a receiver alongside Tony Pollard.
None of those moves would require a full schematic overhaul, but each would say something about how quickly Saleh is willing to trust young talent and reshape roles on the fly. Ayomanor has put himself in the conversation with a strong preseason, Hill has flashed enough to merit a longer look, and Spears offers a different dimension that could help the offense if Tennessee wants more than a straight committee approach. For a staff trying to set a tone right away, those are the kinds of decisions that can quietly define the start. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Rebuild Is Moving Fast And One Borgonzi Pick Just Felt It
The Titans rebuild has been moving quickly under Mike Borgonzi, and the draft haul is starting to look like the clearest sign of how aggressively the front office is trying to reshape the roster. Across two offseasons, Borgonzi has made 17 draft picks, and seven of them are expected to be starters in 2026, a pace that suggests Tennessee is leaning hard into youth and development while it sorts out the rest of the roster.
Kalel Mullings briefly became a small but telling part of that picture when the Titans waived the running back, Borgonzis sixth-round pick in 2025. It was the first time one of Borgonzis draft selections was cut, even if Mullings was brought back on the practice squad and still has a chance to keep developing inside the same system. For a rebuilding team, those kinds of moves can say as much about roster churn as they do about a players future. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Already Face A Robert Saleh Debate Fans Can't Ignore
Robert Salehs first Titans roster has given the front office reasons to feel better about the direction of the rebuild, with veteran additions joining a rookie class that brought real promise to Tennessee. The moves were aimed at adding stability and upside at the same time, a balancing act that often defines teams trying to climb out of the bottom tier without sacrificing the future.
Still, the bigger question hanging over this season is whether Tennessee should chase immediate progress or stay patient and keep stacking for the long term. The early schedule will provide an immediate read on where the Titans stand, and even after the offseason upgrades, there is no escaping the debate over whether this roster is ready to compete now or whether another year of building is the smarter play. [Read more 🡒]