The Tennessee Titans will enter the 2026 NFL Draft with massive holes across their roster. Some of Mike Borgonzi's biggest offseason needs include EDGE rusher, interior offensive line, and wide receiver. Even running back Jeremiyah Love has been among the popular mock-draft selections at No. 4 overall.
The working assumption is the Titans will target an EDGE or Love with the fourth pick. While that conversation is dominating discussions, Borgonzi has another sizable decision to make at No. 35 overall. This rebuilding roster can't afford to whiff on that selection.
Offensive tackle isn't among the Titans' biggest immediate needs. Looking into the future suggests it could require addressing before it becomes a much bigger problem. Could the Titans consider an offensive tackle at No. 35 overall as the eventual Dan Moore replacement?
Titans could select Dan Moore's replacement in 2026 NFL Draft
The Titans have their starting offensive tackles for the 2026 campaign. For a second consecutive second, barring health, Moore and JC Latham will open as the Week 1 starters. Spending the 35th selection on an initial bench player would perhaps ruffle some feathers, but could eventually pay major dividends.
The Titans willingly and knowingly overpaid Moore last offseason when they signed him to a four-year contract worth more than $80 million. As expected, Moore turned in an average season. He wasn't a liability, but he wasn't a force multiplier, either. It was a kick-the-can-down-the-road move by Borgonzi, designed to buy him time to find a legitimate franchise left tackle.
The Titans could release Moore next offseason, when he'll officially be halfway through his overpriced four-year contract. Borgonzi would save nearly $9.4 million by cutting Moore, with a manageable $12.7 in dead money. Designate the release as a post-June move and the 2027 savings skyrocket to $15.7 million.
The Titans could choose to release Moore next offseason and attempt to find his replacement during the 2027 NFL Draft, but left tackle is a premium position that is always best to plan ahead for. The previous regime's failure to successfully achieve that task is precisely how Borgonzi became positioned to overpay Moore in the first place. Planning ahead could prevent settling for another temporary solution.
Tackles tend to fly off the board, but it's reasonable to believe a prospect with starting-caliber upside will be available to the Titans at No. 35 overall. Arizona State's Max Ihenachor, Clemson's Blake Miller, and Utah's Caleb Lomu are among the possibilities. If the Titans believe one of them is a future starting left tackle, they should consider drafting him, even if he won't help them win games in 2026.