Tennessee’s roster trim this week produced a small but telling footnote for general manager Mike Borgonzi: his first draft miss is out, at least for now.
The Titans waived running back Kalel Mullings, the former Michigan standout who was Borgonzi’s final pick in the 2025 NFL Draft at No. 188 overall. It’s a notable moment because it marks the first time one of Borgonzi’s draft selections has been waived since he began rebuilding the team.
Mullings entered the league with a clear path in mind. Tennessee wanted him to grow into a short-yardage option and a help piece on special teams.
Instead, his rookie season never really got off the ground. He totaled just seven rushing yards on three carries, good for 2.3 yards per attempt, and one of those attempts came on a failed fourth-down run.
The Titans also saw a possible special teams weapon in him. Mullings had played some linebacker at Michigan before switching full-time to running back, and that background made Tennessee think he could become a strong coverage player. He did log 137 special teams snaps as a rookie, which was 29% of the Titans’ total snaps in that phase.
But injuries kept slowing him down. He missed a significant stretch of training camp this offseason, and that made it tough to push for the fourth running back spot behind Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears and Nicholas Singleton. In the end, he lost out to Julius Chestnut.
Even so, Tennessee didn’t cut ties completely. After Mullings cleared waivers, the Titans brought him back on the practice squad, where he can keep working on what Coach Saleh calls "the next 16," with the chance that an opening eventually comes along.
The Titans’ broader roster cleanup saw more than 40 players moved out, and Mullings got a little lost in the shuffle. Still, his exit says something about how the early Borgonzi drafts are being viewed: there have been more hits than misses so far. The bigger question remains the same one hanging over the whole rebuild - whether Cam Ward develops into a franchise quarterback.
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