It is a weird time to be a Titans fan. Honestly, if you walked into a bar in Nashville today and asked five different people who the starting quarterback will be in September, you’d probably get five different answers and at least one heated argument. The Tennessee Titans NFL roster is currently a giant puzzle with half the pieces still in the box.
We are sitting in January 2026, and the team just wrapped up a brutal 3-14 season. It was painful. It was messy. But if you look past the win-loss column, the actual roster is in the middle of a massive identity shift that most national pundits are completely missing.
The Quarterback Room is a Total Mess (For Now)
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Cam Ward. The rookie started all 17 games in 2025 and, frankly, showed more flashes of brilliance than we've seen in years. But then the season finale happened. He went down with a right shoulder injury in the first quarter against the Jaguars. Now, we’re all just holding our breath waiting for medical updates.
Behind him, it’s even more of a question mark. Will Levis ended the year on Injured Reserve. Brandon Allen is there, and we even saw Trevor Siemian and Tim Boyle take snaps this past year. It was a carousel. Basically, the Titans have a "starter" who is hurt and a former "franchise guy" in Levis whose future in Tennessee feels thinner than a piece of wax paper.
If Ward’s shoulder isn't 100% by training camp, that number four overall pick in the 2026 draft starts looking a lot like a new quarterback.
Why the Offensive Line Isn't as Bad as the Stats Say
You’ve probably heard people trashing the O-line. They allowed a lot of sacks. That’s true. But look at the individuals. JC Latham, the 2024 first-rounder, is a mountain of a man. Yeah, he had 14 penalties in 2025—which he's publicly said he needs to fix—but the raw power is there.
Pairing him with Peter Skoronski at guard and the veteran Lloyd Cushenberry III at center gives them a solid interior. They even snagged Garrett Dellinger off waivers from the Browns late in the year.
- LT: Dan Moore Jr.
- LG: Peter Skoronski
- C: Lloyd Cushenberry III
- RG: Kevin Zeitler (The ageless wonder)
- RT: JC Latham
It’s not a perfect unit, but it’s a young unit. Most of these guys are still figuring out how to play together. If Latham cuts those holding calls in half, this group actually becomes a strength.
The Skill Positions: Youth Over Everything
The days of Derrick Henry running through faces are long gone. This is a different kind of offense now. Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears are the 1A and 1B in the backfield, though we saw a lot of Julius Chestnut and Kalel Mullings toward the end of the year.
What's really interesting is the wide receiver room. Calvin Ridley is the veteran leader, but the real excitement is around the kids.
Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike—both rookies in '25—started getting a ton of targets late in the season. Ayomanor, specifically, looks like he could be a legitimate WR1. He’s 6'2", physical, and has that "go up and get it" mentality that this team has lacked since... well, A.J. Brown.
We also can't ignore the Tyler Lockett signing from last year. He didn't put up 1,000 yards, but his veteran presence in a room full of 22-year-olds is probably the only reason that offense didn't completely implode when the losses started piling up.
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The Jeffery Simmons Factor and the Defense
Defensively, everything starts and ends with Big Jeff. Jeffery Simmons is still the heartbeat of this team. He’s 28 now, right in his prime, and he finally has some help. T'Vondre Sweat has turned into a massive human roadblock at nose tackle.
The linebacker corps is where things get interesting. Cedric Gray, the kid out of North Carolina, led the team in tackles for a good chunk of the season. He’s fast. He hits like a truck. Alongside Cody Barton, the middle of the defense feels settled for the first time in a while.
The secondary is a different story. L'Jarius Sneed is the lockdown guy, but the safeties were a revolving door due to injuries. We saw Mike Brown, Kevin Winston Jr., and Xavier Woods all hit IR. By the end of December, the Titans were basically signing guys off the street to play safety.
The Coaching Search is the Real Story
You can't talk about the Tennessee Titans NFL roster without talking about who is going to lead them. Brian Callahan is out. Mike McCoy filled in as the interim, but the search for a new head coach is currently at a fever pitch.
As of this week, the Titans have interviewed a laundry list of candidates:
- Mike McCarthy: The veteran option. He’s got the rings and the experience, but is he the right fit for a rebuild?
- Matt Nagy: Rumors are swirling that he’s the favorite because of his ties to GM Mike Borgonzi.
- Robert Saleh: The defensive specialist who could turn Jeffery Simmons and T'Vondre Sweat into the most feared duo in the AFC.
- Brian Daboll: Just interviewed on January 16.
The roster is built for a specific kind of modern, West Coast offense, but if they hire a defensive-minded guy like Saleh or Jeff Hafley, we might see a pivot back to a more "ground and pound" style.
What to Watch This Offseason
The Titans recently signed 11 players to "Futures" contracts. These aren't household names—guys like WR Xavier Restrepo and RB Blake Watson—but they are the depth pieces that matter. Restrepo actually looked decent in his limited snaps before getting hurt.
The big question is that #4 pick. Do they take a tackle to move Latham to his more natural spot? Do they take a pass rusher to help Arden Key? Or do they get nervous about Cam Ward's shoulder and take another QB?
Honestly, the "expert" take right now is that the Titans are a mess. But they have nearly $70 million in projected cap space and a top-five pick. That "mess" can turn into a playoff contender real fast in the NFL.
Actionable Next Steps for Titans Fans:
- Monitor Cam Ward’s Rehab: His shoulder status is the single most important factor for the 2026 season. If he's not throwing by May, expect a QB move in the draft.
- Track the Head Coach Hire: A "win now" hire like McCarthy suggests they’ll be aggressive in free agency. A "development" hire like Nagy or a young coordinator suggests they’re playing the long game.
- Watch the Secondary: With so many safeties hitting free agency or coming off major injuries, expect at least two veteran signings in the defensive backfield this March.
- Keep an Eye on Elic Ayomanor: He’s the breakout candidate for 2026. If he has a full offseason with the starters, he could easily be a top-15 receiver in the league.