Tennessee Titans 2026 preview: There is hope for Cam Ward's development in Year 2

• Cam Ward showed late-season growth: The rookie quarterback improved throughout 2025 and enters Year 2 as the centerpiece of Tennessee‘s rebuild.

• The Titans reshaped the roster: Tennessee added potential starters across the roster, including Wan'Dale Robinson, Jermaine Johnson and John Franklin-Myers.

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Key Free Agency/Trade Additions

The Titans needed to be aggressive this offseason after back-to-back three-win seasons and the arrival of a new coaching staff, and they could have as many as nine new starters from their free-agent class alone. Wan'Dale Robinson headlines the offensive additions after posting his second consecutive 90-catch season. He also took a significant step forward as a big-play threat, increasing his yards per reception from 7.5 in 2024 to a career-high 11.0 in 2025, while setting a personal best with 1.87 yards per route run.

On the defensive front, the biggest additions were John Franklin-Myers and Jermaine Johnson. The Titans will hope Johnson, now more than a full season removed from his Achilles injury, can return to the form he showed in 2023, when he earned an 83.0 PFF grade and generated 56 pressures on 445 pass-rushing snaps. Franklin-Myers has been one of the league's more consistent interior pass-rushers, earning a PFF pass-rush grade above 65.0 in each of his seven NFL seasons while providing the versatility to line up all along the defensive front.

2026 NFL Draft Class

The selection of wide receiver Carnell Tate surprised many on draft night, but he brings a different dimension to Tennessee's receiving corps with his size. He caught 68.8% of his contested targets in college and is coming off a season in which he averaged 3.02 yards per route run, giving the Titans an intriguing complement to Wan'Dale Robinson and Calvin Ridley.

The Titans also landed an ideal fit for Robert Saleh's defense by selecting Keldric Faulk at the end of the first round. Faulk has the size and versatility to line up at multiple spots along the defensive front and earned PFF grades above 75.0 in each of the past two seasons. There is still some projection involved with his transition to the NFL, but with Faulk not turning 21 until just before his rookie season begins, he has plenty of time to develop into a high-impact player.

Reasons for optimism

Cam Ward's 58.4 PFF grade as a rookie ranked third among first-year quarterbacks, trailing only Tyler Shough of the New Orleans Saints and Jaxson Dart of the New York Giants. There were encouraging signs of progress as the season wore on, however, with Ward earning a 64.2 PFF grade from Week 12 onward, the second-highest mark among rookie quarterbacks. During that stretch, his 4.1% big-time throw rate was tied for second among rookies and tied for 18th among all quarterbacks.

The biggest area for improvement entering his second season is ball security. Ward's turnover-worthy play rate ranked 28th among the 45 quarterbacks who logged at least 100 dropbacks in 2025, and cutting down on those mistakes will be key to taking the next step in his development.

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Reason for pessimism

Peter Skoronski has developed into a reliable presence on Tennessee's offensive line, leading the team with an 84.5 PFF pass-blocking grade last season. Right tackle JC Latham also showed encouraging improvement down the stretch, but there are still significant questions across the unit, particularly at left tackle.

The Titans signed Dan Moore Jr. ahead of the 2025 season in the hope he would solidify the position, but he allowed 48 total pressures, tied for the third most among all offensive linemen. Austin Deculus was added in free agency to provide competition, though after earning a 36.5 PFF grade — the third-lowest among qualifying offensive linemen in 2025 — he is unlikely to pose a serious challenge for the starting job.

Breakout Candidate

There were plenty of encouraging flashes from rookie fourth-round pick Gunnar Helm in 2025. The former Texas Longhorn earned a 69.3 PFF receiving grade in his first NFL season, and while his campaign was overshadowed by several standout rookie tight ends, his 1.45 yards per route run ranked 23rd among all players at the position.

With Chig Okonkwo no longer on the roster after seeing 76 targets in 2025, Helm has a clear opportunity to take on a much larger role. A jump to 100-plus targets is well within reach, and that workload would have ranked among the NFL's top 10 tight ends last season.

Key roster battles

With Lloyd Cushenberry no longer on the roster, the Titans will have a new starting center in 2026. They added three candidates through free agency and the draft, with Austin Schlottmann entering training camp as the favorite after earning a 70.8 PFF grade across 363 snaps and four starts last season.

Andre James is also in the mix. While he played just 84 snaps in 2025, he has previously shown he can be an effective starter, earning a 74.6 PFF grade over 963 snaps in 2023. Rookie Pat Coogan rounds out the competition after posting an 84.0 PFF pass-blocking grade in his final college season. He allowed just 10 pressures — none of which resulted in sacks or quarterback hits — while helping lead Indiana to a national championship.

With three viable options competing for the job, center is one of the Titans' most intriguing position battles heading into the season.