It’s not hard to find the rough spots on an 0-2 team, and the Titans have given plenty to sort through already. Through two games of the 2026 season, three names stand out for the wrong reasons: two on Robert Saleh’s defense and one on the offensive side.
Start with EDGE Arden Key, who Saleh knew from his time with the New York Jets and then brought to Nashville in hopes of getting that old disruption back. So far, the production has been thin. Key has four total tackles and six pressures through two games, and PFF has him at a 53.3 overall grade, which puts him 92nd among 112 ranked players at his position.
The bigger issue is that he hasn’t separated himself from the rest of the rotation. Journeyman EDGE Jacob Martin recorded a sack last week against the Eagles, and he did it on fewer snaps than Key.
That’s not the kind of comparison a veteran trade acquisition wants attached to his name. If Key is going to keep holding down a significant role, the Titans need more from him than what he’s shown so far.
The secondary has its own problem in L’Jarius Sneed. Tennessee handed him a three-year, $58 million deal in the offseason, and through two games that investment has not paid off. PFF has him 95th out of 96 cornerbacks, and he still hasn’t been credited with a pass defended this season.
He’s been asked to line up against the opposing WR1, and the results have gone the wrong way. DeVonta Smith beat him for 10 catches and 117 yards last week against Philadelphia.
The week before, Garrett Wilson had six receptions on seven targets for 79 yards. Sneed has been less than effective to this point, and the hope is that Cor'Dale Flott can get back in the lineup soon and ease some of that burden.
Then there’s Calvin Ridley, whose place in the offense is already looking shaky. He entered the season on a restructured contract and was supposed to start on the fringe at receiver, but Week 3 arrives with Elic Ayomanor making a case to take that spot outright.
Ridley opened with a goose egg in Week 1, then followed it up with two catches for 35 yards last week. Against the Eagles, he was also called for his second personal foul of the season. At that point, he had two more fouls than targets, which tells you plenty about how little he was involved early in that game.
Tennessee is happy to have Ridley back healthy, but the on-field return has not matched the expectation. If Ayomanor keeps producing the way he has, it’s tough to see Ridley staying in a major role for long. For now, the story is simple: he hasn’t done enough, and the early returns in 2026 look disappointingly familiar.
In Other News...
Titans Rookie Receiver Is Quickly Becoming Hard To Ignore
Rookie wide receiver Elic Ayomanor is starting to draw the kind of praise that usually comes only after a player has spent enough time making a quiet, steady impression behind the scenes. Titans head coach Robert Saleh singled out Ayomanors work ethic and the way he keeps improving every day, the sort of compliment that suggests the rookie is doing more than just learning the playbook and showing up on time.
For Tennessee, that matters because young receivers often have to earn every look, every rep and every bit of trust before they can become part of the regular conversation. Salehs comments add Ayomanor to a growing list of AFC South rookies whose development is being closely watched, and while the full role picture is still taking shape, his name is clearly getting harder to overlook. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Still Sorting Out Offensive Line Depth Ahead Of Week 3
The Titans keep tinkering with the back end of their offensive line picture as Week 3 approaches, a sign that the group is still not settled behind the top options. Tennessee brought guard Drew Moss back to the practice squad after a round of workouts that included offensive linemen Nick Broeker, Amari Kight and Brandon Walton, each with some NFL experience, while linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo was waived in the move.
Ciarlo had been filling in temporarily for injured Mohamoud Diabate, so the roster shuffle also shows how these small decisions can ripple beyond one position. With the New York Giants next on the schedule, Tennessee is still sorting out where it wants its depth to land and which linemen it trusts most if the game starts to test that group. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Just Got A Very Different Week 3 Challenge In New York
The Titans are heading into Week 3 with a very different look on the other sideline than the one they likely spent the early part of the week preparing for. Jaxson Darts knee injury ended his season, and the Giants are now expected to turn to Jameis Winston at quarterback for Sundays matchup in New York, changing the tone of a game that already carried plenty of early-season pressure.
For Tennessee, the switch adds a new layer of uncertainty because it comes alongside other injury concerns for the Giants as they approach kickoff. A different quarterback changes the reads, the rhythm and the game-plan details, and it leaves the Titans dealing with a moving target instead of the version of New York they may have anticipated when the week began. [Read more 🡒]