​The Tennessee Titans have paused their summer activities and won’t reconvene until training camp opens in late July. Over the past six months, Coach Robert Saleh and GM Mike Borgonzi have been reshaping the Titans’ depth chart to mirror Saleh’s vision. As a bridge from the current break to the regular season, The Tennessean is examining each Titans position group on its own and weighing the major questions that will determine how the 2026 campaign unfolds. Today we conclude our series with the central question surrounding Saleh and the coaching staff.
A sober reminder hangs over this new Titans era: Robert Saleh went 20-36 during his tenure as head coach of the New York Jets. If you’re looking for excuses, there are plenty. An injury to Aaron Rodgers two snaps into the 2023 season transformed what could have been a Super Bowl contender into a mid-pack afterthought. Zach Wilson’s status as a draft bust looms large as a contributing factor. And there’s the chatter about Woody Johnson’s meddling, the front office’s struggles to assemble consistent offensive-line contributions, and Saleh’s past missteps in hiring offensive coordinators. It’s easy to pile up the “ifs” and “buts,” yet none of that alters the win-loss record.
Saleh remained a coveted name on the coaching market for a reason. The fact that many of his former players chose to rejoin him is compelling evidence that Saleh never lost the Jets’ locker room. The Titans’ pre-Saleh investments—such as quarterback Cam Ward and linemen Peter Skoronski, JC Latham, and Dan Moore Jr.—could cushion Saleh from earlier roster-building misfires, and new Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll brings far more experience and success than Saleh’s past hires in that role did. Most importantly, none of this has compromised Saleh’s standout attribute from his Jets days: his knack for crafting a top-tier defense.
The Titans have added defensively by design. They drafted Keldric Faulk and Anthony Hill higher than the Jets did any defenders in Saleh’s initial New York stint. They’ve also brought in veterans like John Franklin-Myers, Jermaine Johnson II, Alontae Taylor, and Cor’Dale Flott, whose expectations exceed those attached to Saleh’s earliest defensive acquisitions in New York. Returning pieces such as Cedric Gray, Kevin Winston, and—of course—Jeffery Simmons fit well within Saleh’s scheme. In other words, the Titans have moved quickly to provide Saleh with the personnel needed to make his defensive plans function more smoothly than they did in his first go-around.
At the very least, the Titans have accelerated the timeline for Saleh to demonstrate that he can field a defense with enough talent around him to be effective. So, does a more sophisticated offensive philosophy, a faster-tracked defensive development plan, and a front office and ownership that have shown confidence in him translate into a more polished version of Saleh? Put simply: yes—but with a substantial collection of new qualifiers attached.
There remains the question of Ward’s development trajectory and whether he can meet the Titans’ expectations. There are also questions about how long Daboll will remain in his role, and whether the Titans have a robust succession plan should changes occur. And beyond that, the broader question persists: is building around a core of veteran defenders as sustainable as cultivating a strong corps of younger players for long-term success?
In sum, the path to a transformed Titans defense and a more dynamic overall team hinges on a range of conditional factors. The optimism is real, but it’s tempered by the realities of translating past coaching success into sustained performance in a new environment. The coming season will test whether Saleh’s blueprint can truly take root in Nashville, and whether the supporting pieces around him can thrive under a sharper, more intentional system.