Every dark cloud has a silver lining, and the silver lining on the Tennessee Titans disastrous 2025 campaign has been the rookie class.
As the midpoint of the season approaches, fans can admit that Cam Ward has endured an up-and-down campaign. However, there are times when you can see the shimmer of something much better underneath the surface, and there is still hope that Ward will eventually become the franchise savior that everyone hoped he would be in April.
The fourth-round trio of Chimere Dike, Gunnar Helm, and Elic Ayomanor have spent all season taking turns proving that they can be building blocks for this team going forward, The arrow is pointing up, especially once the coaching staff is upgraded with coaches that can put them in a position to succeed.
Titans rookie S Kevin Winston Jr. could make exciting defensive debut in Week 8
Femi Oladejo has been largely disappointing, and there isn't enough tape on Kalel Mullings, Jackson Slater, or Marcus Harris to have strong feelings about their play. Regardless, the majority of the feedback on this rookie class has been good.
There is still one name missing from that list. Former Penn State safety and third-round pick, Kevin Winston Jr. is expected to play a sizable amount of defensive snaps against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8.
Winston seemed like he was on the path to an instant role on defense before a training camp injury knocked him out for the first half of the season. The former Nittany Lions standout got his first defensive snaps against the New England Patriots last weekend. While he only played two snaps, Winston managed a vicious QB hit on a designed blitz, and he looked like the type of player this defense desperately needs.
Based on his midweek availability (specifically this clip posted by ESPN's Turron Davenport), Titans DC Dennard Wilson agrees.
Dennard Wilson said Kevin Winston Jr. will get an uptick in reps after debuting on defense (3 snaps) vs the Patriots. Wilson said the #Titans have a special package for Winston and pointed to how Dre'mont Jones got a sack w/Winston out there an Winston got a pressure later. pic.twitter.com/jGLZrQEerA
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) October 21, 2025
GM Mike Borgonzi is taking flak lately because the rumors around his trade deadline plans cast doubt on his ability to execute this rebuild before Amy Adams Strunk loses patience. Following head coach Brian Callahan's recent dismissal, Borgonzi's job performance is now in the spotlight.
If Winston maximises this opportunity, Borgonzi's first draft class will look even better. An expanded role versus a Colts offense that is based around the running game could be the perfect chance for Winston to prove that he was the right pick on Day 2.
Fair or unfair, the narrative on Borgonzi is that his free agent class was a disaster and that he wasted two of his three top-100 picks in the draft on players who weren't ready to play this year. Things change quickly in the NFL, so if Winston does well, the narrative will be that Borgonzi nailed five of his first six picks.
There shouldn't be this much pressure on a third-round rookie to play well, but that is where this franchise is right now. We will all watch and see if Winston has what it takes to give this fan base additional hope that it is being led by the right person.