THE COVER | NFL FUTURES Tennessee Titans 2026 Futures Profile

The Titans are no longer asking whether they have their QB1. They're asking how quickly he can be the aircraft carrier for an entire franchise.

After another trip to the AFC South basement, Tennessee has handed the keys to former No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward and surrounded him with enough young talent to make this offense legitimately intriguing. The betting market still views the Titans as a rebuilding team, but six and a half wins feels more like a floor than a ceiling.

Offense: B-

Now he's had a full offseason, a new offensive system under Brian Daboll, and considerably more help at the skill positions. Tennessee added Wan'Dale Robinson and drafted Carnell Tate to give Ward more options in the passing game, while Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears still form a capable backfield. The offensive line remains a concern, but if it takes even a modest step forward behind Peter Skoronski, Ward should have enough protection to push the ball vertically. Calvin Ridley remains a smooth route runner, who will look to return to All-Pro yardage levels that he has shown with three NFL clubs during his seven year NFL career. Expect weekly highlight reels from this exciting offense.

Defense: B+

This might quietly be the strength of the Titans for 2026.

Jeffery Simmons remains one of the better interior defensive linemen in the NFL, and the Titans spent this past offseason, adding more speed and physicality around him. Robert Saleh's arrival as head coach should immediately change the personality of this defense, and five of the new defensive linemen, which include DL Franklin-Myers, Solomon Thomas, Jordan Elliott and EDGE Jacob Martin, all have previous experience playing under Saleh. His teams have historically been aggressive, disciplined, and difficult to run against. The Titans have the talent on the front seven to become a legitimately solid unit if the secondary holds up.

The Cover Pick: Over 6.5 Wins

The number is 6.5, and I think it is just a little too low.

This is not me predicting a playoff run or saying Tennessee is ready to challenge Houston for the division. There are still too many questions, particularly along the offensive line and with a second year quarterback.

Three wins feels like the floor, not the ceiling, for this revamped.

The Titans have one of the easier schedules in the league, they should be considerably better coached, and Ward now has enough help to give Tennessee a chance in games they simply were not competitive in a year ago. I see them landing somewhere around seven or eight wins, which makes the over the side I want.