Tennessee Titans

Tennessee holds a league-high-adjacent $51.1M (rank 2 of 32) in current cap room, but committed spending spikes to $314.3M next season and forward room shrinks to $14.7M (rank 20 of 32), so this window to spend must be used surgically.

21 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Eight starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Tennessee holds seven picks in the current cycle, all in the first round, and projects 21 picks over the next three years including three first-rounders, giving this rebuild more draft ammunition than almost any team in the league.

The roster's clear strength is its defensive interior headlined by Simmons at 96 overall, while the offensive line, and particularly the left tackle and center positions, is the weakest spot on the depth chart.

• Chigh

  Austin Schlottmann starts at center but ranks 31st among starters, making an upgrade at the position one of the most urgent tasks on the roster.

• FShigh

  Kevin Winston Jr. holds the starting free safety job at just 22 years old and 75 overall, leaving the position well below league average.

• LThigh

  Dan Moore is the starter at left tackle but ranks 30th at the position, and the backup options behind him offer little if any upgrade.

• QBhigh

  Cam Ward is the starter at 74 overall, ranking 27th among starting quarterbacks, and lifting the position is the single most important long-term investment this franchise can make.

• RGhigh

  Jackson Slater starts at right guard but ranks 30th at the position, and the depth behind him is equally thin.

• TEhigh

  Gunnar Helm holds the top tight end spot at just 71 overall, placing the Titans 31st at the position and leaving Cam Ward without a reliable seam threat.

• LEDGEmedium

  Keldric Faulk starts at left defensive end and ranks 24th, a manageable gap now but one that needs closing as Jacob Martin enters the later stage of his career.

• MIKEmedium

  Cody Barton starts in the middle but ranks 25th, and while Anthony Hill Jr. is developing behind him, the position needs attention in the near term.

• WRmedium

  Carnell Tate is listed as the top wideout at 78 overall, but the unit ranks 24th and Calvin Ridley is in the final chapter of his career.

• CBlow

  Cor'Dale Flott is a legitimate starter at 80, but the group ranks 23rd overall and depth behind Alontae Taylor thins out quickly.

• HBlow

  Tony Pollard leads a serviceable backfield at 83, though the position ranks 21st and Pollard is entering the back half of his career.

• REDGElow

  Oluwafemi Oladejo starts at right edge at 73 overall and ranks 23rd, a workable situation but one where adding a higher-upside rusher would pay dividends.

• 65Mitchell TrubiskyQBMitchell Trubisky is the third-string quarterback at 65 overall and releasing him frees $1.4M against $2.8M in dead money, a modest but clean savings given his depth-chart irrelevance.Frees $1.4M · $2.8M dead
• 57Milo EiflerMIKEMilo Eifler sits third on the MIKE depth chart at just 57 overall, and releasing him frees $600K with zero dead money, making it a cost-free roster-spot upgrade.Frees $600.0K · $0 dead
• 77Jermaine Johnson IIREDGEJermaine Johnson II is the backup right edge at 77 overall but releasing him frees $13.4M with zero dead money, the largest clean saving available and a significant resource to redirect toward priority holes.Frees $13.4M · $0 dead
• 63James Hudson IIILTJames Hudson III is the backup left tackle at 63 overall behind an already below-average starter, and releasing him frees $1.1M with zero dead money for a negligible roster loss.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead
• 62David Martin-RobinsonTEDavid Martin-Robinson is the third tight end on the fullback depth chart at 62 overall, and releasing him frees $1.1M with zero dead money while the team addresses TE as a high-severity need elsewhere.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead

Tennessee is in a transitional moment, built around Jeffery Simmons as a defensive centerpiece and now staking its offensive future on Cam Ward at quarterback. The offensive line is the most pressing obstacle: Dan Moore ranks near the bottom of left tackles league-wide, the center and right guard spots are similarly weak, and there is no proven solution waiting in the depth chart. The tight end group is equally thin, ranking 31st, which further limits what the passing game can accomplish in the short term. Wan'Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate give Ward two young Star receivers to grow with, and Peter Skoronski anchors the interior, but the supporting cast around Ward needs significant investment before this offense can be competitive. Defensively, Simmons is elite, Cor'Dale Flott and Cedric Gray represent real youth at corner and linebacker, and Keldric Faulk at 21 is an exciting developmental edge piece. The bigger concern on that side is the secondary depth and the middle linebacker room, where Cody Barton holds the starting job but is entering the later stage of his career with Anthony Hill Jr. still developing behind him. Calvin Ridley, also in his final productive window, adds a veteran receiver presence but cannot be counted on as a long-term contributor. The current cap picture looks favorable at $51.1M (rank 2 of 32) this season, but committed spending rises to $314.3M next year and the forward room compresses to $14.7M (rank 20 of 32), so every free-agent dollar spent now must be weighed against that tightening window.

The franchise was founded in 1959-60 by oilman K.S. "Bud" Adams as the Houston Oilers, one of eight charter members of the upstart American Football League (AFL), beginning play in 1960 at Houston's Jeppesen Stadium. Behind quarterback George Blanda and Heisman winner Billy Cannon, the Oilers were the AFL's first dynasty, winning the league's first two championships in 1960 and 1961 and reaching a third straight title game in 1962. After the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, Houston endured lean years before the beloved "Luv Ya Blue" era of the late 1970s, powered by Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell and coach Bum Phillips, reaching consecutive AFC Championship Games (1978, 1979). The Warren Moon era (1984-1993) produced a high-flying run-and-shoot offense and seven straight playoff berths (1987-1993) but no conference title, and included the infamous 1993 playoff collapse, when the Oilers blew a 35-3 lead to Buffalo. Amid stadium disputes, Adams relocated the team to Tennessee in 1997, playing as the Tennessee Oilers in Memphis (1997) and at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville (1998) before renaming to the Tennessee Titans in 1999. The 1999 Titans, led by QB Steve McNair, RB Eddie George, and coach Jeff Fisher, went 13-3 and made a magical playoff run featuring the "Music City Miracle," reaching Super Bowl XXXIV, where they fell 23-16 to the St. Louis Rams, stopped one yard short on the final play ("The Tackle"). The Titans have since had strong stretches, including six straight winning seasons 2016-2021 under Mike Vrabel with Derrick Henry, but slid into a rebuild in the mid-2020s, bottoming out with consecutive 3-14 finishes in 2024 and 2025.