The Titans’ rookie class gave Tennessee a rare bright spot in a rough Week 7, but the pecking order at the top changed anyway.
After the loss to the Cleveland Browns, linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. moved into the No. 1 spot in the rookie rankings, pushing Carnell Tate out of the top position. Hill made the kind of impact play that gets noticed fast: he stripped Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. after a catch to force a fumble, and Tennessee recovered it.
Hill didn’t stop there. He finished with 12 tackles, second on the team behind Kevin Winston Jr.’s 14, and his season total now sits at 68.
That puts him fourth in the NFL. The second-round pick keeps stacking up strong weeks and keeps making a case as one of the best investments in Saleh’s first year.
Tate, meanwhile, had another productive game even with the slip that knocked him down a rung. He lost a fumble in the third quarter, his second of the season, and ball security is becoming one of the few recurring issues for the rookie wideout. Still, he led Tennessee’s receivers again with five catches for 69 yards and continued to be the one pass-catcher who can consistently get something done despite Cam Ward’s inconsistency.
Tate also came through with a contested catch in the fourth quarter that helped Tennessee tie the game at 24-24, which was enough to keep this outing on the right side of the ledger even with the turnover. His ranking dipped, but the trajectory still points up.
At the other end of the list, EDGE Keldric Faulk keeps sliding. After picking up his first career sack in Week 3 against the New York Giants, it looked like the first-rounder out of Auburn might be turning a corner. Instead, the production has tapered off each week.
Against Cleveland, Faulk did not record a single quarterback pressure in limited action. Paul Kuharsky posted a clip showing Faulk misreading a play and ending up behind what would have been a tackle on Browns running back Dylan Sampson. He played just 26% of Tennessee’s defensive snaps, which came out to 18 plays.
With Hill surging and Faulk still searching for traction on a defensive line that needs him, the bottom spot in the rookie rankings was easy to assign. Fernando Carmona remains off the list because he is on IR, and Nick Singleton is out after not playing for a second straight week.
In Other News...
Titans Suddenly Have A Real RB2 Debate Behind Tyjae Spears
Tyjae Spears was supposed to have a firmer grip on the Titans No. 2 running back job, but a knee injury and uneven play have opened the door for someone else. Michael Carter has been getting more work in recent games, and his ability to handle all three downs has caught attention from coach Robert Saleh. In a backfield that already leans heavily on Tony Pollard, the battle for touches behind him has become a real subplot.
Carters recent production has outpaced both Spears and rookie Nick Singleton, and that alone is changing the conversation about how Tennessee wants to structure its backfield. If Spears cannot get back to form, the Titans may have to decide whether Carter is simply a short-term fill-in or the more reliable option as RB2. The picture could shift again if Pollard is traded, which would only make this situation more important to watch in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Trade Buzz Now Centers On One Name Fans Wont Like
The trade chatter around the AFC South has widened beyond the usual deadline-day noise, with multiple NFL teams reportedly inquiring about deals for Colts receiver Josh Downs and Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. The latest buzz has also linked Jacksonville to a possible pursuit of Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne, adding another layer to a division already full of roster questions as teams weigh whether to buy, sell or stay put.
League sources have also put Jermaine Johnson, Tony Pollard and Alontae Taylor in the conversation as potential trade candidates, which only adds to the sense that the market could move quickly if one deal gets enough traction. For the Titans, it is another reminder that the division around them is not standing still, and any shift at the deadline could alter both the short-term race and the longer view of how these rivals are built. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Suddenly Loom In One Of The NFLs Biggest Trade Decisions
With the NFL trade deadline approaching, the league has already seen one of its most consequential in-season swings, as the Colts moved guard Quenton Nelson to the Seahawks for future draft picks and sent defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the 49ers for a draft pick. Deals of that size have a way of resetting the market, and they tend to invite every team with a meaningful decision to the center of the conversation.
For Tennessee, that matters because Jeffery Simmons is part of the wider trade discussion now forming around some of the leagues biggest names. Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, Brian Thomas and Budda Baker are also being floated as potential candidates, with possible landing spots already being mapped out, but the bigger question is how aggressive teams become once a move like Seattles changes the temperature. The Titans may not be the only club watching closely, but they are firmly among the teams who need to know where that market is heading before the deadline arrives. [Read more 🡒]