The common theme among optimistic Tennessee Titans fans throughout the 2025 season has been that rookie quarterback Cam Ward has shown promise, but he has been getting ground into paste by the worst roster in the NFL and an incredibly disappointing offensive line.
Despite investing top picks in Peter Skoronski and JC Latham while throwing a ton of money at left tackle Dan Moore Jr., the Titans have not surrounded Ward with enough NFL talent. That could change in 2026, as Mike Borgonzi has some cash to spend on a very enticing free agent class.
The pipe dream for any OL-needy team is Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum. Even though the Ravens will likely make it a priority to keep Linderbaum in black and purple for as long as possible, teams like the Titans might be able to tempt Linderbaum if they are willing to pay a ton of money on the open market.
CBS Sports predicts that Tennessee will end up securing Linderbaum's services in the offseason, spending enough to beat out both the Ravens and other non-Baltimore suitors like the Jaguars, Jets, and Lions. Improbable? Possibly so. Impossible? If the Titans pay up, certainly not.
CBS Sports predicts Titans will sign standout center Tyler Linderbaum
Linderbaum might be the best center in the NFL not named Creed Humphrey. While Lloyd Cushenberry III has waffled between solid and below-average in his Titans career (when healthy), Linderbaum would be a titantic upgrade at a position of need for Ward and this offense.
Part of why Borgonzi was so interested to turn the page over to Ward was the fact that he gets multiple cheaper (relatively) seasons on his rookie deal. Now is the time to spend money on building a roster, and there is no better use of what available cash Tennessee has than Linderbaum.
With the Titans staring down a weak wide receiver room that will need to be addressed in the 2026 NFL Draft and a poor interior offensive line class, free agency is the time to build Ward's line up front. Even if Linderbaum is a near-lock to return to Baltimore, the Titans would be doing No. 1 disservice to not check in.
In much the same way Caleb Williams has leveled up following a helter-skelter rookie season after the Chicago Bears remade the offensive line, could Ward be in for a similar uptick in production behind a new-look Linderbaum-led unit?