The Tennessee Titans’ first win of the season came in Week 6, and it arrived without one of the offseason’s biggest additions on the field.
Cornerback Alontae Taylor, who signed a three-year, $58 million deal with Tennessee in March, was not sidelined by injury. Instead, he was a surprise healthy inactive against the Indianapolis Colts, a move that pointed to a coaching decision from Robert Saleh and put Taylor’s status in a very different light just six weeks into his Titans run.
That benching has already pushed Taylor into the trade conversation. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler called him a sleeper target ahead of the deadline, writing, "Tennessee cornerback Alontae Taylor.
He was widely considered the top corner in free agency, signing a three-year, $58 million deal with the Titans in March," Fowler writes. "His Week 6 benching has placed him on the radar of teams that might look to bolster the position in the next few weeks."
For Tennessee, a 1-5 start almost certainly means seller mode at the NFL trade deadline. There may not be many obvious pieces that draw real interest, but Taylor is now one of the more notable names to monitor.
A move this soon after that contract would be a stunner, but the benching changes the conversation. Taylor’s fit may be better elsewhere, especially if a team sees him as a slot cornerback who could be put in a more favorable role. With his struggles over the first five weeks, the Titans made their position clear by sitting him down.
The financial side makes any deal more complicated. There is still significant money tied to Taylor, and that could scare off teams that might otherwise be interested, especially if they have to send meaningful draft capital back to Tennessee.
Still, the Titans do not have to move him. They can keep him, see whether he responds, and hope things improve. But if the right offer lands, Tennessee could end up making one of the more unexpected deadline decisions of the fall.
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Saleh went a step further by urging other NFL teams to think about giving Elliott another chance, a notable show of support at a moment when the league is still reviewing the incident. Elliotts next step is unclear, and his future in the NFL now hinges on how teams weigh the seriousness of what happened against the possibility of a second opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Release Jordan Elliott After Frightening Incident At Team Facility
The Titans moved quickly to part ways with defensive tackle Jordan Elliott after a frightening incident at the team facility that turned a routine practice day into something far more serious. According to the account, Elliott retrieved a gun from his car after an altercation during practice, but he was talked down before anyone was hurt, leaving the organization to deal with a situation that crossed well beyond football.
Robert Saleh addressed the episode in a press conference and described it as a cry for help, while also vouching for Elliott's character. Even with that support, the Titans made the decision to release him, underscoring how volatile the moment was and how much bigger the fallout is than any on-field issue the team might face this week. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Face A Familiar Test After Finally Getting Their First Win
The Titans finally have something positive to build on as they turn the page to a Week 7 matchup with the Browns, and for a team that has spent the early part of the season searching for traction, that alone matters. Getting a first win can change the tone in a locker room, but the real question in Nashville is whether it can also steady a team that still needs its defense to carry a heavy load while the offense continues to find its footing.
Cleveland brings a familiar kind of stress test, the sort that asks Tennessee to win with discipline, field position and enough stops to keep the game within reach. The matchup sets up as one of those grind-it-out afternoons where the Titans defense could decide everything, which is why there is at least a reasonable case for Tennessee to come out on top if that side of the ball shows up again. [Read more 🡒]