The Tennessee Titans have overhauled their defense throughout the 2026 offseason, with the changes at cornerback maybe being most noticeable of all. They replaced both boundary corners on day one of free agency, and were believed to not be done making changes at the position.
The Titans were looking to make a shift at the nickel spot, desiring more of a linebacker type player, as is common with NFL trends nowadays. For as well as Marcus Harris played last year, the sophomore cornerback does not fit that mold, and coming into the draft, the only guy the team had who would have made any sense to fill that spot was Kevin Winston.
Even though the signals told us that more changes were coming in the secondary, the draft has passed without the Titans making any new meaningful additions back there. The outlook did not look as favorable for Harris weeks ago, but now, the starting job at nickel might be his to lose.
Tennessee Titans have shown belief in Marcus' Harris long-term potential
When the Titans traded away Roger McCreary at the 2025 deadline, many looked at it as a mistake to trade away a good player who could have been part of the future. Many also believed that part of the reason they made the move was because they believed in Harris, and those people have been proven right.
Harris came in and had a near seamless transition to the starting nickel role, not allowing many receptions per game. In fact, he played like one of the stingier corners in the whole league, ranking sixth in the NFL allowing just 0.7 yards allowed per coverage snap.
Mike Borgonzi also spoke highly of him in the midst of the draft last week, and those words as well as their actions indicate that they are high on the second-year pro out of Cal.
Stock up: Marcus Harris. 📈
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) April 25, 2026
Mike Borgonzi complimented him yesterday and the #Titans won't touch competition for him at nickel until at least 184, barring a trade up.
Now let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here. Harris was a sixth rounder who only played in a starting role for about half of the 2025 season. Additionally, he certainly does not fit the profile of a typical linebacker type nickel, as his slender frame of 5-foot-11, 188 pounds alone will hold him back.
Another thing to consider is that maybe the lack of expected action to address the nickel position was not 100 percent by design. The Titans had so many needs coming into the offseason that they surely could not address every one, and a sensible opportunity to add a new nickel may not have presented itself.
That being said, the Titans clearly have a reasonable level of faith in Harris, because if they thought he wasn't capable, they would have found a replacement. At the very least, they would have brought in someone to realistically compete with him for that nickel spot, which they have not done and very likely will not do at this point.
Harris still has a lot to prove, and will likely need to be no less than stellar in 2026 if Robert Saleh and company are willing to make him the permanent starter at nickel. But if Harris can repeat last year's efforts, he certainly can rise to the occasion.
The Titans appear bought into that potential.
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