Tennessee Titans offensive tackle JC Latham is a player who always seems to draw controversial opinions. Some Titans fans believe he’s growing into a franchise right tackle. Others claim he needs replacing ASAP, or needs to switch positions inside to guard.

Latham is arguably the Titans’ most polarizing player. In Sunday’s nailbiting Week 2 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, he gave up an ill-timed sack on a questionable bootleg play-call on 1st-and-goal late in the fourth quarter. Latham does have a tendency to make glaring mistakes, drawing criticism he doesn’t always deserve.

The honest account is that Latham is a very good, ascending blocker. His 1-2 mistakes per weekend tend to be glaring, with some Titans fans forming overreactionary takes.

A recent pass-blocking chart from Pro Football Focus highlights how good Latham has actually been for the Titans through two weeks. The former Alabama standout has the highest “island rate” of any offensive tackle in the NFL, meaning he’s faced more one-on-one matchups than any other OT. Despite that, Latham has won the fifth-most matchups of any tackle when left on an island.

This means the Titans trust Latham to win one-on-one matchups. The results indicate he’s repaying their faith by doing just that at a very effective clip. Latham is still a 23-year-old blocker on the third year of his rookie contract. He’s undeniably an above-average right tackle with room to get better.

PFF has credited Latham with allowing just three pressures and zero sacks this season, though he definitely deserved blame for that Jalen Carter sack. He’s faced some good pass rushers on the Jets and Eagles such as David Bailey, Jalyx Hunt, and Nolan Smith. Most of the time, Lahtam is providing Titans QB Cam Ward with clean pockets.

Titans fans need to confront the truth about Latham.

There was chatter going around about Tennessee Titans DT Jeffery Simmons after Week 1. The Titans endured a lifeless performance versus the New York Jets, and Simmons didn’t pop enough. Well, it’s clear after Week 2 that he’s still a dominant defender.

Simmons leads the entire NFL in pass-rush wins through two weeks, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The Pro Bowl defender has been credited with 19 wins as a pass rusher. No contender has more than 15, with Minnesota Vikings EDGE Dallas Turner currently ranking second.

Simmons’ pass-rush-win-rate stands at 37%. Only New England Patriots DT Christian Barmore has a slightly higher win rate at 38%, because Simmons has played more reps. Not a single edge rusher in the NFL currently matches Simmons’ 37% win rate.

Pro Football Focus’ metrics largely agree. They have Simmons tied for first among defensive tackles in pressures with nine. His PFF win% of 17.7 percent ranks fifth among DTs, but none of the four interior defenders ahead of him have played as many reps as he has (Aaron Donald is in first after making his Week 2 debut with just 19 pass-rushing snaps. Simmons has 66).

Simmons dominated an Eagles offensive line in Week 2 that had Cam Jurgens and Drew Kendall starting in prominent roles. Kendall replaced the injured Landon Dickerson. He had absolutely no answer for Simmons.

There was some concern that Simmons would take time to adjust to Robert Saleh’s new attack-style defense. Those whispers grew after Week 1 when fans believed Simmons’ impact was muted versus the Jets. This clearly isn’t the case at all.

Simmons is as dominant as ever. Every advanced metric (across different outlets) proves it. The Titans still have a superstar defensive tackle in Jeffery Simmons. Hopefully the rest of the defense catches up soon.

The Tennessee Titans endured a tough loss in Week 2, losing 24-20 to the Philadelphia Eagles. Sophomore quarterback Cam Ward showed real growth. Ward was way better than he was in Week 1 versus the Jets, and that progress is good news for the Titans.

Ward finished 13-of-20 for 183 yards. The second-year No. 1 overall selection was better than the box score indicates. Ward was very accurate and decisive.

Ward also rushed for two touchdowns. His playmaking ability on 3rd-and-goal set the offense up for 4th-and-goal from the half-yard line. A QB sneak got Ward into the end zone.

Ward completed 65% of his passing attempts. He only bested that mark in four individual games last season. Ward also averaged an explosive 9.2 yards per pass. That would have been a single-game high during his 2025 rookie campaign.

Ward’s only “miss” was a throw into the end zone for Ayomanor. Poor footwork led to an inaccurate ball behind Ayomanor. It was still catchable, but it should have been a straightforward completion. Ward’s footwork is still in work-in-progress mode. The former Miami standout made up for it with the aforementioned third-down scramble that led to his first rushing score on fourth down.

Ward’s average depth of target (7.1) was also significantly better than his Week 1 aDOT (5.3). Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll did a good job removing some of the concepts Ward struggled with in Week 1. He played with confidence, throwing the ball with anticipation while finding the explosive plays that lacked versus the Jets.

The Titans’ 2026 season is all about Ward’s progress. Week 1 was a discouraging showing, but Ward already looked significantly more comfortable in Daboll’s offense against a stout Eagles defense. Hopefully he continues taking positive steps forward versus the New York Giants in Week 3.

The Tennessee Titans have a difficult matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. They’ll need to be significantly better than they were versus the New York Jets. We’ve identified three Titans players in particular who need to be way more productive against the Eagles.

Cam Ward, QB

Titans quarterback Cam Ward finished 19-of-32 in Week 1 for 140 yards and a touchdown. A large portion of his production occurred via a garbage-time possession. Ward recorded 55 passing yards and his lone touchdown late in the fourth quarter once the Jets defense went into a late-game prevent shell.

The All-22 tape review wasn’t kind to Ward’s performance. The offensive line was better than the broadcast angles indicated and receivers were creating consistent separation. Ward was hesitant, inefficient, occasionally inaccurate, and even bailed from clean pockets. The sophomore No. 1 overall quarterback needs to get better weekly.

Calvin Ridley, WR

Calvin Ridley doesn’t necessarily need to be “better.” Ward and Brian Daboll need to do a better job getting him involved. The multi-time 1,000-yard receiver wasn’t targeted in Week 1. That’s despite Ridley running 25 routes on 26 passing-down snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Ridley’s route-participation rate was 96.2%. The aging wideout still possesses enough juice to create explosive plays. Ward and Daboll need to get Ridley involved versus the Eagles to take some pressure off Carnell Tate and Wan’Dale Robinson.

Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE

The Titans traded T’Vondre Sweat to the Jets for Jermaine Johnson II. The former Florida State standout had previously played for Saleh in East Rutherford. That was supposed to make Johnson an effective pass rusher in Saleh’s system, but that wasn’t the case in Week 1.

PFF credited Johnson with registering one pathetic quarterback pressure versus the Jets. The former first-round pick earned a brutal grade of 41.8 as a pass rusher, as he did not impact Geno Smith in the pocket at all. The challenge versus Jalen Hurts will be way bigger.

Several new Tennessee Titans players failed to meet expectations in Sunday’s Week 1 loss to the New York Jets. One of the glaring ones was defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers. The Titans need Franklin-Myers to be way better versus the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2.

The Titans signed Franklin-Myers to a three-year, $63 million contract in free agency. That’s a hefty deal to play next to Jeffery Simmons. Franklin-Myers was brought in for his experience in Robert Saleh’s system, having played under him with the Jets.

Remember that Franklin-Myers missed a huge portion of training camp with stiffness and soreness. The former Stephen F. Austin standout did not play a single snap in the preseason. Franklin-Myers got the veteran rest treatment, but it clearly had a negative impact on his Week 1 performance.

Franklin-Myers recorded just three tackles and one quarterback pressure against the Jets. Pro Football Focus slapped him with an overall defensive grade of 52.7. His PFF pass-rushing grade was a 52.8, and run-stopping score wasn’t much better (55.4). Franklin-Myers was totally ineffective.

The Eagles are dealing with an injury on the offensive line. They’ll be without starting left guard Landon Dickerson, who is a Pro Bowl-caliber interior blocker. The expectation is that sophomore backup Drew Kendall will replace him. Both Simmons and Franklin-Myers need to take advantage of that matchup.

The Titans paid Franklin-Myers very handsomely to be a dominant force on the defensive line. His impact was totally muted by an underrated Jets offensive line in Week 1. Nonetheless, Coach Saleh’s defensive line was very disappointing. Franklin-Myers needs to help lead the charge towards improvement.

The Titans have had way too many big-money flops lately. They certainly can’t afford another. It’s obviously far too early to panic. Franklin-Myers is known as a consistent defensive lineman. Hopefully Franklin-Myers will perform like his usual self soon.

After minicamp, OTAs, training camp and the preseason, the Tennessee Titans finally begin their 2026 NFL campaign on Sunday. They’ll host the New York Jets at Nissan Stadium in Week 1. Head coach Robert Saleh will officially make his debut, marking the start of a new era in Tennessee.

Coach Saleh needs multiple players to step up versus the Jets, his former team, in Week 1. We’ve identified five in particular.

Jeffery Simmons, DT

Jeffery Simmons is the best defensive tackle in the NFL. He needs to apply pressure to Jets quarterback Geno Smith, who is a mistake-prone quarterback when under duress. Smith leads the NFL in interceptions across the 2024-25 seasons combined.

Cam Ward, QB

This entire fanbase will be monitoring Cam Ward’s progress as a sophomore quarterback. After a pair of lackluster showings in the preseason, fans want a heat-check on Ward as a quarterback. A big-time showing versus the Jets would ease any lingering concerns.

Carnell Tate, WR

Rookie No. 4 overall pick Carnell Tate will make his official regular season debut. The Titans drafted Tate for him to be Ward’s go-to playmaker. After failing to register a catch in the preseason, Titans fans want to see Ward pepper him with targets.

Alontae Taylor, CB

The Titans paid Alontae Taylor roughly $20 million per season to be the defense’s No. 1 cornerback. Taylor and the entire first-team unit struggled in the preseason, allowing multiple explosive touchdowns. He needs a better showing versus Garrett Wilson and the Jets’ potentially underrated passing attack.

Tony Pollard, RB

Tony Pollard has enjoyed four consecutive 1,000 yard seasons. The Titans’ reliable bellcow is both underrated and underappreciated. Pollard appears primed for another big season in Tennessee as the lead ball carrier. Tyjae Spears will spell him, and both backs are expected to catch more passes in Brian Daboll’s offense.

Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh will officially begin his era on Sunday. The Titans are hosting the New York Jets in their Week 1 opener of the 2026 NFL season. Coach Saleh will be debuting his new-look defense.

Saleh is a defensive-minded coach. General manager Mike Borgonzi built the defense in his vision. Saleh was especially allowed to revamp the defensive line, acquiring players he had coached before like Jermaine Johnson II, John Franklin-Myers, Solomon Thomas, Jacob Martin, and Jordan Elliott.

One area of emphasis for this new-look Titans defense is 2026 will be to force more turnovers. The 2025 Titans were -5 in turnover differential last year. They notched just 14 total takeaways, tied for fourth-last in the NFL. They only had six interceptions, third-fewest.

New Jets starting quarterback Geno Smith is a gunslinger. He led the league in interceptions throughout the 2025 season with 17 despite playing just 15 games. In 2024, Smith’s 15 interceptions were tied for second-most in the NFL. He loves testing tight throwing windows.

The Jets have weapons. Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall are proven playmakers. They used two first-round picks on a pair of rookie pass catchers in Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. They also expect Mason Taylor and Adonai Mitchell to continue getting better. Smith will attempt to sling the ball around.

Saleh’s San Francisco 49ers defense also struggled to record interceptions last year. They actually tied the Titans with six. We’ll see if acquisitions like Cor’Dale Flott and Alontae Taylor help. Safety Amani Hooker uncharacteristically had zero interceptions in 2025 after registering a career-high five in 2024.

Saleh brought his aggressive defense to the Titans. Hopefully it yields better results in the turnover department. The Titans will see a mistake-prone Smith at quarterback in Week 1. Hopefully the new approach pays dividends.

The Tennessee Titans had to waive or release a minimum of 37 players when cutting down from 90 to 53 by Sunday’s deadline. General manager Mike Borgonzi did not stop there. After successfully making three waiver claims, and signing two veterans via free agency, Borgonzi had to waive/release an additional five players.

After finalizing the initial 53-man roster, the Titans were awarded LB Owen Pappoe, CB Melvin Smith, and DT Nazir Stackhouse off waivers. They signed S Terrell Burgess and OT James Hudson in free agency. To make room, they waived CB Erick Hallett II, WR Xavier Restrepo, LB Mo Diabate, S Jerrick Reed II, and released OT Austin Deculus.

These moves were swiftly met with mixed reviews. Fans were especially disappointed to see Restrepo get waived, after the fan-favorite sophomore wideout initially made the 53-man roster. Hallett was also a worthwhile inclusion on the initial 53 after playing well during training camp and the preseason.

What came next proved Borgonzi navigated 53-man roster cuts with proven expertise. All four waiver-eligible Titans cleared waivers and re-signed back to the practice squad. Restrepo, Diabate, Hallett, and Reed all landed back with the Titans’ practice squad.

In fact, the only post-53-roster-cut who didn’t re-sign back to Tennessee’s practice squad was Deculus. Deculus, a vested veteran, did not have to clear waivers and was immediately free to sign with any team of his choosing. After a terrible preseason period, it’s likely Tennessee didn’t want him back anyway.

Appropriately navigating roster cuts means upgrading the talent on your 53-man squad while understanding who you can successfully pass through waivers. Borgonzi did that well, getting back all of his desired assets via the practice squad. Malik Herring was the only Titans cut who joined a rival 53-man roster.

Borgonzi knows how to structure a 53-man roster and practice squad.