For the Tennessee Titans, the entire 2025 season was going to be deemed a success or failure based on whether Cam Ward showed signs that he could be a franchise quarterback for the team to build around.
For Mike Borgonzi and Chad Brinker, and everyone else who survived the postseason purge, the good news is that Ward looks like this team's franchise QB. Despite facing the NFL's toughest schedule, he endured the tough times and steadily improved each week as the season concluded.
Now that Ward has proven that he can survive being on a bad team with bad coaches, the goal now is to surround him with the most talented group of players and coaches the Titans can find, even if that means steering away from offensive players early in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Tennessee Titans 2-round 2026 NFL Mock Draft gambles on Cam Ward
That is the discussion that needs to be happening in the Titans' war room heading into the draft. If not, then they could end up with a mock draft like the one featured on The Athletic on Thursday. In that mock scenario, the Titans drafted Ohio State WR Carnell Tate in the first round and Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnon in the second round.
If the Titans' front office feels those are the two best players when the team is on the clock, then make the pick. However, that isn't the analysis that Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman offered.
"The Titans could go edge at No. 4 (Texas Tech’s David Bailey), but everything in GM Mike Borgonzi’s world right now has to be about helping quarterback Cam Ward. There are spots in need of upgrades all over the place, but the Titans are pretty desperate for a true WR1. Tate (or Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson) fits."
If Bailey is the best player on the board, then the Titans need to draft him. Later they have the Washington Commanders drafting Bailey and they say,
"Bailey was a force on the nation’s No. 3 total and scoring defense. A unanimous first-team All-American, he finished with 14.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss. He would change Washington’s defense in an instant."
Contrast this to Tate's selection, which features no praise for the player; it is just an acknowledgement that the team needs another pass catcher. If there is a game-changing talent at EDGE, the Titans will have to find another way to address the receiver position.
Ward's supporting cast on offense obviously needs to be improved, but the best way for him to experience success is to win games and provide tangible proof that the Titans are headed in the right direction. If the best players available are on offense, load up on offense. However, if the Titans can surround Ward with an elite defense, then he has shown that he can elevate a less talented offensive supporting cast.
The Titans have put themselves in a place to take the best player available, now it is up to them to correctly decide which prospect that is.