Titans roster 2026: Tony Pollard, John Franklin-Myers and Fernando Carmona Jr. are underrated

Nobody reading this site on a regular basis needs to be told that the Tennessee Titans’ two straight 3-14 seasons are not good enough. That falls into the “Well, DUH” category for any NFL team.

So, instead of reliving the mistakes of years past, let’s focus on how the Titans can rise out of the muck and become competitive again.

One reason for optimism is the development that rookie quarterback Cam Ward showed as the 2025 season went along. From Weeks 1-9, Ward completed 170 of 295 passes for 1,760 yards, five touchdowns, six interceptions, and a passer rating of 72.1. But starting in Week 10 through Week 18, Ward turned it around, completing 153 of 245 passes for 1,409 yards, 10 touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 90.0.

That was entirely legit. And new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is excited about helping Ward take the next steps.

“He is a young professional,” Daboll said of Ward in early May. “He wants to be great. He is instinctive. When we are just watching the tape, he is able to communicate the things that he sees, and why he did certain things, when we watch the tape from last year. When we are installing the new system to him, concepts and things like that, he is able to pick things up very quickly. It has been awesome to work with him.”

New head coach Robert Saleh, one of the NFL’s best defensive minds, does carry a 20-36 record as a head coach as baggage. But as that happened over four seasons with the New York Jets from 2021-2024, we’ll give him a pass. We are not sure who could succeed with the Jets at this point.

And this Titans team is loaded with talent. Ward is ascending. First-round receiver Carnell Tate has the skills to be an alpha X-iso receiver, no matter what some may say.

There could be at least five new starters on defense, if not more, and Saleh has to be excited about that — as we will detail, Saleh and general manager Mike Borgonzi have done a nice job of acquiring players who fit the new head coach’s schematic preferences.

Can the 2026 Titans be like the 2025 New England Patriots, and jump from obscurity to the Super Bowl? That’s a tall order, but stranger things have happened in the National Football League. For that to happen, of course, everybody on the roster will have to step up to unimaginable heights. The stars, yes, but also the guys whose names don’t make a dent in a national sense.

To that end, I’ve identified three Hidden Gems for the 2026 Titans — one underrated veteran, one underrated free-agent signing, and one underrated draft pick.