Before you know it, the Tennessee Titans will be taking the field for their Week 1 matchup against Aaron Glenn and the New York Jets, giving Robert Saleh a chance to face his old team for the first time since being fired by them in 2024. Saleh was brought in by Mike Borgonzi to spark the energy that the Titans had been missing since the Mike Vrabel days.
While hiring Saleh was a homerun appointment for the Titans, he needed to bring in a strong offensive coordinator to help Cam Ward with his development. Luckily, the Titans managed to land Brian Daboll after he was passed over for the Buffalo Bills' head coaching job. In addition, Borgonzi had to revamp the roster that had a lack of overall talent across the roster.
The big story for the Titans was bringing in a bunch of defensive help to help Saleh, and there were a good amount of familiar faces brought in to work with. The most notable name is John Franklin-Myers, who being paired next to Jeffery Simmons could be a big-time cheat code. They also traded for players like Jermaine Johnson II and Solomon Thomas to solidify the trenches.
The Tennessee Titans greatly improved their roster during the offseason (but now it's time to show it)
The offense upgraded at wide receiver with the drafting of Carnell Tate and free agency signing of Wan'Dale Robinson (who played under Daboll with the Giants). While Tony Pollard should be the starter in the backfield, we wouldn't be surprised to see rookie Nicholas Singleton make some plays this season.
A year ago, the Titans looked like a true rebuilding team within the coaching staff and the roster. This time, they look more complete and ready to compete. Tennessee has all the tools to make a run this season. At the same time, not everyone feels that way.
Sayre Bedinger of NFL Spin Zone put the Titans on an exclusive AFC list (along with the Chiefs, Ravens, and Bengals) that isn’t so friendly. When you see teams like the Chiefs, Ravens, and Bengals, you would think that it’s something great because they are some of the powerhouse teams in the NFL. Well, not this time.
Bedinger has these teams who have “win projections that are way too high for the 2026 NFL season”. For the Titans, Bedinger says that the Titans winning 7 games "is a bit much right now."
"Some have them set at an over/under of 4.5 wins, and some have them set at 6.5 wins. I've been singing the Titans' praises most of the offseason, and part of me wants to stick with my gut, but another part of me can't ignore what we saw from Cam Ward in the preseason." said Bedinger.
"We'll see what Ward and Brian Daboll have cooking for the regular season, but for right now, I'm confident in saying that predicting the Titans to win 7 games this season (taking the over) is a bit much right now. That would mean more than doubling last season's win total, and that's going to be tough if Ward is any version of erratic this season." Bedinger added.
We get it, there are a lot of new pieces in the Titans organization. It’s tough to say that Tennessee is ready to be immediate contenders due to all that unknown. At the same time, anyone that has watched Saleh coach knows that his defensive units always perform at a great level regardless of personnel.
As for the offense, Daboll was a fantastic play-caller when he was with the Bills. He helped Josh Allen become the MVP candidate he is today. Ward is only entering his second season and getting a fresh start with someone like Daboll is a setup for success in the short and long-term.
From 2022-2023 in his time with the Jets, Saleh managed to help them reach back-to-back 7-10 seasons with a lot less talent to work with on the offensive side of the ball. Tennessee has great building pieces with a fantastic offensive coordinator, something that Saleh doesn't need to worry about.
If Saleh can do that with the Jets, there's no doubt that he should have immediate success with the Titans can possibly make a push for the postseason.
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