The Tennessee Titans are 1-6 heading into Sunday's difficult Week 8 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. It's fair to say the 2026 season hasn't gone totally according to plan. General manager Mike Borgonzi continues to rebuild the roster.
When owning such a dreadful record, it's fair to criticize various offseason decisions that haven't paid maximum dividends. The Titans spent league-high money in free agency, and also made two first-round selections via the 2026 NFL Draft. Despite all the capital, progress hasn't been reflected in the win column.
The Titans were terrible before they traded Jeffery Simmons to the Chicago Bears, embracing (another) rebuild. We've identified four offseason moves the Titans seemingly got wrong.
Titans' T'Vondre Sweat trade looks highly questionable
The Titans traded T'Vondre Sweat to the New York Jets in exchange for EDGE Jermaine Johnson II during the offseason. Sweat had character questions, and seemingly wasn't a scheme fit for Robert Saleh's defense. It's fair to question that decision.
Johnson has been subpar for the Titans and is already being mentioned as a candidate to be traded before the deadline. He's on an expiring contract, which the Titans acquired in exchange for Sweat's two years of rookie-contract control. Furthermore, the Titans' run defense has missed Sweat, as they rank 26th in rushing yards allowed (918).
Titans' Alontae Taylor situation is getting uglier by the week
The Titans signed Alontae Taylor to a three-year, $58 million contract in free agency. Despite him primarily playing nickel throughout his rookie contract with the New Orleans Saints, Coach Saleh and staff were adamant that he'd be a cornerback in Tennessee. It took just five weeks to seemingly abandon that plan.
Taylor was a healthy scratch for the Week 6 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. He remained benched throughout the Week 7 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Titans are starting Joshua Williams at cornerback over Taylor, bringing a big Borgonzi offseason decision into question.
What is Daniel Bellinger offering the offense?
Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was offered complete autonomy over the offense. Borgonzi signed three offensive starters in free agency who spent time with Daboll in New York. The Titans currently have the 31st ranked scoring offense.
Tight end Daniel Bellinger was one of those Daboll reunions from their shared Giants tenure. The Titans paid Bellinger a handsome $8 million per campaign. So far, he's been a below-average blocker, and has added nothing to the passing attack.
Titans need more from John Franklin-Myers
After the Titans traded Simmons to Chicago, Borgonzi was questioned by Paul Kuharsky about abandoning the offseason plan that paired him with John Franklin-Myers. The Titans signed Franklin-Myers to a three-year, $63 million contract in free agency. He's only produced 14 tackles and 1.5 sacks in seven games.
Borgonzi indicated Franklin-Myers is playing through a more prohibitable injury than fans realize. Nonetheless, Saleh's defense needs way more production from him now that Simmons is gone. Nothing we've seen indicates that'll happen though.
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