The Tennessee Titans went into the 2026 NFL Draft with two needs across the interior of their offensive line. Despite spending handsomely in free agency, Mike Borgonzi did not acquire better than league-average players at the right guard and center positions. The expectation was that the Titans might draft an interior blocker relatively early.
That did not come to fruition. After targeting Carnell Tate, Keldric Faulk, and Anthony Hill Jr., the Titans didn't draft their first offensive lineman until the fifth round. Well, it turns out the Titans had designs on selecting a guard earlier than that.
Their division rival Houston Texans traded up from No. 28 to 26 to select Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge. The Titans showed considerable interest in Rutledge throughout the pre-draft process, meeting with him at the NFL Combine for a formal interview. A veteran Houston reporter is claiming the Titans attempted to trade up for him before the Texans successfully did.
NFL Draft: How the Houston Texans screwed over the Tennessee Titans
"The Titans were trying to move ahead of the Texans with the intention of drafting Rutledge, per an NFL source," veteran Texans reporter Aaron Wilson claimed via social media. Texans GM Nick Caserio admitted he moved up two spots because he believed there was interest around the league in Rutledge.
The Titans weren't slated to make their next selection until No. 35 overall. It was considerably more affordable for the Texans to move up two spots (28 to 26) than it would have been for Borgonzi and the Titans to move up nine selections. The Texans executed their vision and Rutledge projects as an offensive line starter.
The Titans did end up trading up, acquiring No. 31 to select Keldric Faulk. Borgonzi didn't forfeit any selections in that deal with the Buffalo Bills, instead finding an agreement that swapped mid-round picks. It proves the Titans' willingness to aggressively pursue a prospect they coveted.
The Titans ended up drafting guard Fernando Carmona and center Pat Coogan in the fifth and sixth round respectively. They'll attempt to compete with sophomore Jackson Slater, and free-agent additions Austin Schlottmann and Cordell Volson for the right guard and center spots. None of those players inspire much confidence as of this writing.
Rutledge would have been an instant starter for the Titans. Instead, they'll head into training camp praying for in-house solutions to protect Cam Ward. The Texans won the Rutledge sweepstakes, and that leaves the Titans with question marks at keynote positions.
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