If you were to ask a majority of NFL fans about expectations for the Tennessee Titans in 2026, you may get a mix of answers. For the past two seasons, the Titans have put together some unwatchable football, going 6-28 across that span. The good news was that they may have their franchise quarterback in Cam Ward, and there's excitement over what he can do in his sophomore season.
Not only will Ward have to step up his game with the improvements around him, he will need to do it under a new head coach in Robert Saleh. Just like Ward, Saleh also faces pressure to bring some kind of success to Nashville. This is his second chance at being a head coach, and he will get the opportunity to right any wrongs that he made with the New York Jets.
Saleh has put together a great coaching staff, and the Titans have added a bunch of help on both sides of the ball. Even though he is a new head coach, he is not a first-time head coach so he faces a little bit of pressure to deliver for fans.
Expectations of Robert Saleh in 2026 are more than realistic
Carter Bahns of CBS Sports listed what success would look like in 2026 for all new head coaches that were hired this past offseason, and Bahns listed for Saleh: “Approach .500 with improvement on both sides of the ball”.
"He [Saleh} inherited a roster with a solid core of young offensive skill-position players so the first priority is to help them take the next step and, in turn, aid Ward in making a sophomore leap." said Bahns.
"Saleh already put in a great deal of work on the defensive side of the ball with a number of head-turning acquisitions, including the free agent signing of defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers. He is one of many newcomers who has experience in Saleh's system." Bahns added.
There’s no doubt that Saleh and the Titans had a great offseason, but it’s what happens on the field that matters the most. Saleh has to show that he can make the Titans competitive and that even though there will be growing pains, there's also a lot of promise moving forward.
Super Bowl expectations are not there for the Titans, but if Saleh can show that he is the coach who can lead them to playoff contention, that’s all you can really ask for in his first year in Nashville.
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