The Tennessee Titans have undergone massive changes this offseason. New GM Mike Borgonzi is running things in a collaborative effort with president Chad Brinker. There are at least 10 new projected starters when you compare the team's depth chart at the beginning of last season to the current depth chart for 2025.
The Titans are set to have new starters at premium positions such as QB, EDGE, OT, WR, and CB. Rookie No. 1 pick Cam Ward isn't the only change in Nashville.
Borgonzi believes in drafting and developing talent. That means the Titans are undergoing a rebuild. Most veterans acquired this offseason are short-term solutions, designed to buy Borgonzi time to fill those spots with longer-term prospects.
One look at Tennessee's roster indicates sweeping changes could arrive again next offseason. The Titans are near the top of the NFL when it comes to future starters or role players set to hit free agency after 2025.
Those 13 players are: Kevin Zeitler, Amani Hooker, Tyler Lockett, Arden Key, Van Jefferson, Roger McCreary, Chig Okonkwo, Dre'Mont Jones, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Lorenzo, Carter, Johnny Hekker, Joey Slye, and Mogan Cox.
Eight of those 13 players were signed earlier this offseason. Excluding the punter, kicker, and long snapper, that is still a considerable list of notable names set to hit free agency.
McCreary should be a candidate to receive an extension, and Okonkwo could have a big year with Ward under center. It would be nice if the Titans extended Okonkwo before he becomes more expensive after having a potential career year.
The biggest concern is the defensive line/EDGE depth the Titans are projected to lose. Three of the team's top four EDGEs, along with their best rotational defensive tackle, are on that list. The Titans can't expect Jeffery Simmons and T'Vondre Sweat to do it all by themselves in the trenches.
While the Titans are set to have the second-most effective cap space in the NFL next year, this front office doesn't plan on being overly aggressive in free agency. Their preference is to extend their players and build through the draft, so we'll see if homegrown talent like Hooker, McCreary, and Okonkwo stay beyond 2025.
Borgonzi said that his goal was to possess 30 draft picks and 12 picks inside the top 100 over his first three years. If you cheat the math and consider the top pick in the fourth round (103) to be close enough, then he still needs to find a way to land 21 more picks across the draft, including eight more on Day 1 or Day 2.
Analyzing all angles, there are really only two options next offseason. The first solution is to lock in their younger talents via extensions, and re-up with some of the short-term veterans at crucial positions (Joseph-Day and Jones).
If Borgonzi is opposed, then the only way to get this roster to a place where the Titans can compete for a division in 2026 is to spend more money in free agency on players of a higher caliber than they did in 2025. At some point, the Titans will have to get more aggressive.