How is it that the Tennessee Titans signed an offensive weapon who is likely to push a second-year player out of a starting job, and no one is really talking about it?
That is exactly the situation unfolding at tight end. The Titans are going to have a battle to see whether Gunnar Helm or Daniel Bellinger wins the starting job, and an opportunity to become one of Cam Ward's most-trusted weapons.
Heading into the offseason, it seemed like Helm would be graduating from his backup tight end role behind Chig Okonkwo to a full-time starter, who was going to be involved in every phase of the offense. The consensus was that the Titans would bring in a low-level, blocking tight end to add depth to the position, but that it would be untouched otherwise.
Tennessee Titans have underrated position battle unfolding at TE
Then the Titans gave Bellinger a three-year, $24 million deal, which is just outside the top-20 contracts for tight ends around the NFL. Unquestionably, the Titans are paying Bellinger like a starter, so are fans ignoring that and putting the cart before the horse with Helm? To be fair, Helm was a Day 3 pick last year and only had 357 yards as a rookie, so it is fair to say that a new coaching staff might need to see it before they believe it with him.
Before the 2026 NFL Draft, the logical answer was that the Titans viewed both as starters and that we should expect to see a lot of two tight end sets. However, after spending the fourth pick in the draft on Carnell Tate, signing Wan'Dale Robinson, and retaining Calvin Ridley, it is clear that the Titans have invested much more into receiver than tight end, suggesting that they are probably going to lean towards 11 personnel.
The Titans spent this offseason getting weapons in as many shapes and sizes as possible. The goal was to make sure that Ward and Brian Daboll had as many tools as possible to guarantee they could exploit weaknesses in opposing defenses. The methodology behind the moves is to put players in advantageous situations, not to create a checklist of positions and prototypes that this offense must have to succeed (think players over plays).
However, that doesn't diminish this battle. This will determine the pecking order of this position, and while both will get opportunities to shine, fans should be hoping that Helm emerges as a guy who can continue to expand his role and do everything, similar to some of the other great tight ends around the NFL.
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