The Tennessee Titans’ latest rebuild made little progress in 2025 despite working with the most recent No. 1 pick.
Turn out the lights, the party’s over.
With a little help from Willie Nelson, former NFL quarterback and narrator Don Meredith would routinely herald closing time before it was cool on the original editions of Monday Night Football. Alas for all but one of football’s 32 finest, it’s over before the desired Vince Lombardi Trophy hoist, as the season, or at least the championship-contending portion of it, has come to an end.
With that in mind, TeamFB7 goes over the season that was for the fallen, looking at what was, what is, and what could be. We finally move onto the AFC as the Tennessee Titans are next on the list.
Team: Tennessee Titans
Record: 3-13 (and counting)
Date of Playoff Death: Dec. 1
Last Playoff Season: 2021
What Went Wrong
Once the Titans fully embraced a rebuild by firing Mike Vrabel and letting Derrick Henry move on (the chaotic climax of the ill-fated A.J. Brown trade), they quietly committed themselves to a lengthy process that seems to have the unspoken endgame of being competitive by the time a new Nashville stadium opens in 2027. Making progress in the interim, however, appears to have mostly gone by the wayside.
There have probably been more scapegoats than victories in Nashville over the past few seasons: this year began with the firing of general manager Ran Carthon, whose two-year tenure barely bested that of head coach Brian Callahan. The latter was ousted six games into this season, posting a 4-19 record after two years and replaced on an interim basis by hapless offensive assistant Mike McCoy. Salt in the wound has emerged in Foxborough, where Vrabel has overseen an instant turnaround for the surging Patriots.
Once the season got underway, quarterback Cam Ward (the franchise’s first No. 1 overall pick since the legendary Earl Campbell) struggled to live up to his hype. Part of that was some early rookie jitters but offensive line struggles likely played a part: interior man Peter Skoronski remained consistent while 2024 first-rounder JC Latham struggled in a switch from left to right tackle. Either way, no quarterback in the league was taken down more than Ward in the first 16 games and the lack of progress led to the ousting of Callahan, who made a name for himself honing in on Joe Burrow’s potential in Cincinnati.
Injuries and inconsistency removed Ward’s would-be primary weapon, Calvin Ridley, from the fold, forcing him to rely on a series of rookies: with the exception of fourth-year tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, none of the Titans’ top four pass catchers had a down of NFL experience to their name entering this season.
But any and all offensive progress was going to be stifled by a brutal defensive output, particularly in the secondary: the Titans are tied for the penultimate spot in interceptions with six (three alone landing in the hands of linebacker Cody Barton) and they’re one of four teams to allow opponents to muster a triple-digit passer rating against them. Injuries certainly played their part in that matter but it’s clear that a secondary headlined by L’Jarius Sneed, Kaiir Elam, and Amani Hooker probably isn’t destined to compete in the AFC. Tennessee also gave up on defensive building blocks Jarvis Brownlee and Roger McCreary, who were respectively traded to the New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams during the season.
Silver Linings
— Mistakes at the draft continue to haunt the Titans (using a Brown yield to draft Treylon Burks before Trent McDuffie and Quay Walker in 2022 looms especially large) but Carthon’s successor Mike Borgonzi appears to have found several gems in the draft. Day three opener Chimere Dike is the undisputed headliner, earning Pro Bowl honors for his return prowess while breaking loose for the occasional big aerial gain. Fellow Saturday selections Gunnar Helm and Elic Ayomanor could also be complementary pieces on a strong offense. Third-round choice Kevin Winston overcame an early ACL injury to showcase some physical play in the secondary while Ward began to show some late progress with four consecutive games of two touchdown passes in December (compared to only seven between September and November).
— It appears Tennessee could have some semblance of a pass rush again. Some expected a repeat performance with the financially-motivated release of Harold Landry and an in-season injury to second-round pick Oluwafemi Oladejo but career-best numbers from Jeffery Simmons (one of the few holdovers from the Titans’ most recent glory days) helped stabilize the unit. Tennessee was one of 13 teams to post at least 40 sacks through 16 games and both its pressure and quarterback knockdown rate both appeared in the top 10. Veteran additions like Dre’Mont Jones and Jihad Ward somewhat helped, but the Titans will likely be inspired by the homegrown progress of late 2024 pick Jaylen Harrell and another rookie in T’Vondre Sweat.
Looking Ahead
Notable Free Agents: CB Jalyn Armour-Davis, CB Darrell Baker Jr., EDGE Arden Key, WR Van Jefferson, TE Chigoziem Okonkwo, OT Olisaemeka Udoh, LB Jihad Ward, OG Kevin Zeitler
Potential Cap Cuts: WR Calvin Ridley ($18.7 million*), CB L’Jarius Sneed ($16 million*) DT Jeffery Simmons ($14.2 million*) , RB Tony Pollard ($7.2 million), S Xavier Woods ($4 million)
(*—post-June 1)
AC/DC once said that money talks and the Titans can certainly make a statement: as of press time, they’re blessed with a league-best $105.8 million in 2026 cap space and that number could only go higher if they part ways with some pricey veterans. When it comes to that group, the spotlight will likely shine brightest on Simmons: if he sticks around in Nashville, it’s more likely than not that he’d return as the highest-paid defensive tackle in the league (just about $31 million a year).
Ward’s final hours have likely put off any conversations about a premature quarterback switch, so now the Titans’ priority becomes surrounding him with weaponry. Ayomanor, Dike, and Helm have shown flashes of potential but likely not enough to be a consistent No. 1 option. That will likely put the Titans at the head of the George Pickens sweepstakes, though they could also perhaps pool their money into a play at, say breakout men like Jauan Jennings and/or Wan’Dale Robinson. Defensively, Tariq Woolen could well be an option, especially if the Titans attempt to poach someone from the Seattle coaching staff (i.e. Aden Durde, Klint Kubiak, Andrew Janocko).
Equal attention will also linger on the Titans’ draft pick, which will likely land in the top five (fourth as of press time). Potential QB-seeking teams (i.e. Arizona, Miami) could likely take an interest though the Titans would probably love to shore up the secondary (Caleb Downs), linebacking (Rueben Bain, Arvell Reese), weaponry (Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson), or blocking (Spencer Fano).
Is There Hope?
For the time being, the Titans might be the personification of the axiom that warns of money failing to properly buy happiness.
Even with the surplus that would put the famed Dunder-Mifflin debate between chairs and a copier to shame, the Titans likely have too many holes to plug in a single offseason, at least to the point of rising in the suddenly-competitive AFC South. But again, management knew what it was getting into when it let Henry walk with little resistance in the 2024 offseason and seems content to bide its time before New Nissan Stadium emerges for its first test drive.
Having said that, there’s ample opportunity for Tennessee to leave its mark on this offseason and climb toward its Olympus-level goals. The past two years have almost necessitated leaving such an impact and changing division will be merciless in its question to keep the Titans imprisoned. A foundation featuring the old and the new can set a clearer path forward but help must come from the outside. Tennessee must not be afraid to take an expensive plunge.
Previous Obituaries
- New York Giants
- Arizona Cardinals
- New Orleans Saints
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
