Make no mistake, hiring Brian Callahan in January of 2024 set the Tennessee Titans back a few years, and this offseason was their first major step forward in trying to correct that mistake. After ruffling a few feathers by bringing in head coach re-tread Robert Saleh, the Titans are hoping to instill a new culture in Nashville, an element that Saleh is more renowned for than his head-coaching record.
Coming with him is Brian Daboll, who was in the running for a few head-coaching roles but ultimately will lead Cam Ward and the TEN offense. While the arrow is pointing up for the Titans, the 2026 NFL season will be a big litmus test for the trajectory of their franchise, especially as Ward should take the next step forward with a new offense around him.
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Tennessee Titans
2026 Coaching Staff: HC Robert Saleh, OC Brian Daboll
Previous Staff: HC Brian Callahan, OC Nick Holz, DC Dennard Wilson
A 1-5 start last season cut the Callahan tenure abruptly short, as he was only able to earn four wins in his 22 games at the helm. A disastrous hire that was never the right fit for Tennessee, this team limped to a 3-14 record last season, culminating in earning the fourth-overall pick in April’s NFL Draft.
Not everything was bad, however, as Ward showed plenty of glimpses in his rookie campaign. While his group of pass catchers is well below average, Ward was able to showcase his skill set every week, thanks to a heavy dose of throwing the football due to playing from behind so often.
Rookies Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike, and Gunnar Helm flashed at times for the TEN offense, but their production was far from impactful in what was a lost year for this roster. Tight end Chig Okonkwo was the team’s leading pass catcher, but with Okonkwo having left for Washington in free agency, they will need to replace that production.
Coach Background
Saleh’s tenure with the New York Jets will put him under the microscope early and often in Tennessee, as he seemed very ill-equipped as a first-time head coach. Having flamed out after three-plus seasons and a 20-36 record, Saleh landed back on his feet with old friends, having re-taken the defensive coordinator job with the San Francisco 49ers.
It won’t be surprising if Saleh comes out of the gate with a far better approach this time around, as having gone through the wringer in New York certainly showed him everything he needs to improve to lead a franchise. Having a fellow fired HC in Daboll alongside him will take a ton of weight off his shoulders for the offense, as NYJ was inept in that category to the point where he likely had to dedicate too much time to that side of the ball to run the team overall.
Daboll’s path is an interesting one as well, as his time with the New York Giants started strong but quickly failed to live up to the first-year expectations. After going 9-7-1 and winning a playoff game in his first season with NYG, Daboll only won 11 more games after his debut season, as he was canned 10 games into his fourth year.
One of the better offensive minds available this cycle, Daboll got his first taste of the 2025 rookie QB class with the Giants and Jaxson Dart, and the Ole Miss rookie definitely looked more comfortable as the season progressed. While there are some similarities between both Ward and Dart, Daboll will need to tailor more of a pass-first scheme for Ward, versus the hybrid scheme that encouraged Dart to use his legs.
New Defensive Scheme
Defensively, this team needs help on every level, meaning 2026 will likely be a work in progress. Having veteran anchor Jeffrey Simmons (now on a new, three-year deal) at defensive tackle gives Saleh a much-needed run stuffer, but the other 10 spots will need serious improvements this offseason.
Having revamped the NYJ defense, Saleh will once again get a shot at putting his fingerprints on a team’s defense, as he looks to bring his 4-3 scheme to the AFC South. Speed and agility are the most important traits for Saleh’s “Wide 9” pass-rush attack, putting more responsibility on Auburn rookie Keldric Faulk and former NYJ Jermaine Johnson in the below-average edge rusher room.
Saleh chose not to add a big-name pass rusher this offseason, as his low-pressure scheme forces his pass rush to contain offenses at the line of scrimmage. That puts more pressure on the backend of the TEN defense, with the trio of linebackers (Cody Barton, Cedric Gray and Anthony Hill Jr.) taking on important roles in Saleh’s scheme.
New Offensive Scheme
Working in Daboll’s favor is that he will have full creative control over the offense, especially since Saleh will have his hands full crafting the defense. His top priority needs to be establishing an identity in the passing game, something that rookie Carnell Tate will help with.
With Helm now elevated to the TE1 spot, he will join Tate and offseason addition Wan’Dale Robinson as the top pass catchers for Ward. This group isn’t going to be seen as one of the league’s best units, but compared to how this group looked last year for Ward, they are certainly working in the right direction.
Tate is going to earn the majority of headlines, as he is the shiny new toy for this offense. Having been drafted fourth overall means Tate will need to make an immediate impact, but don’t be surprised if he is second on the team in targets in 2026, even if he does play the entire season.
Robinson will likely be Ward’s favorite target this upcoming season, as his familiarity with Daboll’s scheme as well as how much money he was handed in free agency means he will play a big-time role in TEN’s offense moving forward. Daboll’s crutch is 11 personnel, meaning that he prefers a one-RB, one-TE, three-WR formation, meaning that Tate and Robinson are locked into top-target roles, with the trio of Ayomanor, Dike, and Ridley fighting for that valuable WR3 spot.
Passing Game Impact
Ward is the key to making Daboll’s offensive scheme work, and that holds true even though he is more of a pocket passer than a dual threat. Daboll and Ward will need to work together to build out a scheme that maximizes Ward’s skillset while building an off-ramp for a group of pass catchers that, even with rookies added, will be behind the eight ball to start the season.
A healthy usage of crossers and mesh concepts will likely dominate Daboll’s early-season scheme for the passing game, creating a stackable route tree that allows Ward to make quick decisions. This will also allow Tate to factor more into the 10-15-yard concepts with deep crossers, with Robinson playing the safety valve role near the line of scrimmage and Dike taking on more of the burner/vertical threat to provide this offense with a three-tiered approach in the passing game.
It is easy to see how Ward can be unlocked in a modern scheme, but you may want to slow down just a bit to start. Undergoing a complete refresh this offseason scheme-wise, this offense will likely get off the ground slowly to start the year, which could create some frustrating players in dynasty to start the year. Playing from behind more often than not will provide Ward with another season of inflated pass attempt numbers, but that might not come until he is more comfortable in the offense, around mid-season.
Running Game Impact
The run game was fighting an uphill battle towards the end of Daboll’s tenure with NYG, as Tracy became his RB1 in a lost season in 2024. The following year, Skattebo was added to the RB room, providing the Giants with a thunder-and-lightning option. That blend of power and pass-catching abilities helped ease the burden on Dart a bit, and that is the exact kind of structure the Titans currently employ with Pollard and Spears.
The Pollard-Spears combo welcomed Nicholas Singleton to the RB room, as the fifth-round selection will likely be put in a position to be the bellcow in 2027. Expecting much of a role for the Penn State rookie this season isn’t likely, but he is a solid rookie stash with a solid upside.
Daboll isn’t necessarily reliant on a hot hand for his RB starter, instead following the traditional setup of relying on the top RB on the depth chart in a bellcow role. Expect Pollard to remain as the team’s lead back with an RB2 floor, with Spears earning the lion’s share of work in the passing game. With a negative game script likely in line again this season, Spears has a shot to earn 60+ targets and get back to a RB3 season.
Biggest 2026 Takeaways
It will be another uphill battle in 2026 for the Titans, but having two former head coaches on staff in Saleh and Daboll should give this team some much-needed stability on staff. Ward is in line to take another step forward with a better offense around him, as his group of pass catchers is far better than last season.
- Ward’s confidence will need to improve for this offense to run smoothly; exposing him to yet another new professional offensive scheme is an uphill battle so how he looks to begin the season is important
- Tate has a solid floor as a WR3/flex option every week, but may be underwhelming to start the year
- Robinson is the receiver to roster in this offense, as he is Ward’s safety blanket in a scheme that should guarantee him six-plus targets every week
- Helm has a clear runway to the top tight end role, as there is no threat behind him on the depth chart, giving him a solid floor as a TE2 moving forward
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