The Tennessee Titans are heading into the 2026 season with real reasons for optimism, but the national view hasn’t caught up yet.
Cam Ward is expected to take a big step, and the new coaching staff is supposed to help speed that along. Tennessee also didn’t just sit still and hope for internal growth.
The Titans added Wan'Dale Robinson and Daniel Bellinger in free agency, then used the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Carnell Tate. On paper, that’s a noticeable upgrade for an offense that badly needed one.
Still, the respect isn’t there.
CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin recently ranked every team’s “offensive infrastructure,” weighing quarterback play, running backs, pass catchers, the offensive line and coaching staff. Miami landed at No. 32, which wasn’t much of a surprise given the questions around that group.
Tennessee, though, came in just ahead of them at No. 31.
“We had concerns about the group the Titans surrounded Cam Ward with heading into his first season, and things aren't much better this year despite their efforts to upgrade the wide receiver corps with Wan'Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate,” said Dubin.
That’s a pretty harsh read on what Tennessee added. Robinson brings a 1,000-yard season to the table, and Tate arrived as the top rookie receiver prospect. That doesn’t make the Titans a finished product by any stretch, but it sure sounds like more than Dubin is giving them credit for.
He also pointed to Brian Daboll as a middle-of-the-road play caller, saying, “Hiring Brian Daboll gives them an average play caller (an upgrade from last year, sadly), but they didn't do nearly enough to take care of the issues along the offensive line.”
The Daboll part is debatable, at least from an offensive perspective. Robinson posted his 1,000-yard season under Daboll, Malik Nabers also crossed the 1,000-yard mark, and Jaxson Dart showed flashes as a rookie. There’s enough there to make the case that Daboll’s offensive track record deserves more than a shrug.
The offensive line, though, is the part that keeps dragging this conversation back to earth.
That unit has been a major talking point all offseason, and the one spot Tennessee can truly feel good about is left guard, where Peter Skoronski has developed into one of the best at his position. Beyond that, the picture gets murkier fast. JC Latham and Dan Moore Jr. need to be better at tackle than they were in 2025, and the Titans are still waiting for someone to lock down right guard and center.
Austin Schlottmann gives them some hope at center, but right guard remains the bigger worry. And that’s the hinge point for this offense.
If the line holds up, the Titans have a chance to look a lot different in 2026. If it doesn’t, Dubin’s low ranking will look a lot more justified.
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Carnell Tate arrived with the No. 4 overall pick, and WanDale Robinson was brought in during free agency, giving the Titans a pair of fresh options who should change the look of the offense. After an uneven first year, Ward now has the kind of support that can turn optimism into something more meaningful in 2026, and this is the sort of setup that usually tells you a quarterback is about to get a real shot to show what he can do. [Read more 🡒]
AJ Brown Just Became A Painful Reminder For Titans Fans
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For Tennessee, the frustration is less about the destination than the reminder. Brown has long been the kind of receiver who can tilt an offense, and the expectation now is that he will do exactly that in New England while helping open things up for Drake Maye and the Patriots passing game. For Titans fans, it is another chance to picture what might have been, with the conversation around his next season only making the old one feel a little harder to shake. [Read more 🡒]