The Tennessee Titans were the worst team in the league last year. Sometimes it's easy for fans to say that jokingly but no -- The Titans actually were the worst team in the league in 2024.
Being the worst team in the league meant that the Titans landed the number one pick in this year's draft and they spent that pick on Miami's Cam Ward. The hope is that Ward will eventually blossom into a franchise quarterback and the Titans won't have to worry about addressing the most important position in sports again for quite some time.
Unfortunately, sometimes having a rookie quarterback, especially with a mostly inexperienced roster, can lead to some growing pains early on. That's exactly what Seth Walder of ESPN projected in his latest Football Power Index, as he gave the Titans the third-best odds of landing the number one pick in the 2026 NFL Draft with an 11% chance.
ESPN just handed Cam Ward and the Titans a cold dose of reality
Not only do Walder's projections have the Titans in the top three as far as odds to land the top pick go, but they're also given a 42% chance at landing a top-five pick. Getting to pick in the top five means that the Titans were a bad team, though truthfully, getting to pick fifth would at least be a big improvement over last year.
Titans fans aren't surprised by these projections. After all, the Titans have a rookie quarterback, a second-year head coach, and a roster that leaves plenty to be desired. That all leads to the team being an easy pick as one of the league's worst in 2025.
That being said, crazier things have happened. Just two years ago, the Texans were projected to be a lousy team but they went on to win the division with their rookie quarterback. I'm not saying that Ward and the Titans will win the AFC South this year by any means but it is the most winnable division and sports are a funny business.
It'd be cool to see the Titans outperform the projections given to them in 2025 but as long as Ward develops and looks like he can be the guy moving forward, that'll be a big enough win for the franchise.