Titans could meet ‘championship foundation’ requirements sooner than you think thanks to these pivotal players in 2026
Daniel Jeremiah laid out the 12-player blueprint for building a championship foundation. Has Titans GM Mike Borgonzi built a roster capable of reaching this threshold in 2026, sooner than anybody expects?
There are certain content topics you can set your watch to in NFL media. One of them comes just after a Super Bowl champion is crowned. We absolutely love to do a roster autopsy of the winner to determine what (we think) other teams must replicate to reach the mountaintop themselves.
A lot of that is prisoner of the moment fluff. But there are, in fact, a handful of roster elements that make up a time-tested “championship foundation”. And NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah does a good job laying out the basics in this tweet:
It’s hard to argue with this list. So let’s apply it to the Titans!
Which Titans must make the leap to establish a true championship foundation
Quarterback is the easiest place to start, and it’s the biggest question we hope to answer this year. Rookie Cam Ward showed more than enough flash and composure in a terrible situation last year to inspire confidence heading into 2026. But this year is a very big one for him. He has to turn those flashes into consistency, and he needs to develop in a handful of areas. There’s no doubt he has the mental makeup to be the guy they need here, but until we see it happen on Sundays, you have to label this box with caution.
Championship Foundation QB: possibly
The playmakers on this Titans offense are firmly in “see it to believe it” mode before the season. Could we finish the year feeling good about three of them being above league-average playmakers? Absolutely. TE Gunnar Helm is in the same boat as Cam Ward in my opinion. The flashes indicate potential dominance. But it’s still merely potential, and I want to see a much larger sample size. WR Wan’Dale Robinson was a 1,ooo yard receiver last year and is being paid like a foundational playmaker. But anybody who joins a new team needs to prove they can do it in their new setting. We know what Calvin Ridley is capable of when healthy, but his inconsistency keeps him off the list until he proves it again. And saving the best for last, rookie Carnell Tate absolutely can finish this season clearing the playmaker bar. All we have to do is wait to see.
Championship Foundation Offensive Playmakers: 4 maybe’s
The Titans OL is feast or famine right now. There’s no question they have at least one bonafide “quality offensive linemen”, and his name is Peter Skoronski.
Do they have two others? The only candidates right now are the starting tackles. I need to see one more season from JC Latham where he takes one more step forward before I officially stamp him as a quality starting tackle. I expect him to clear this bar in the fall.
And let’s put some respect on Dan Moore’s name, who didn’t get his due for being exactly as advertised last season. He’s never going to be your best lineman. But he’s a bonafide starting tackle in the NFL, and those are scarce. I think a second season of steadiness could make him an argument to clear this bar. If either of these tackles fail to produce, the Titans will need their new center or right guard to step up very quickly.
Championship Foundation Quality OL: 1 definitely, 2 possibly
You’d assume these are edge rushers, but in the modern NFL, I think you have to include elite interior rushers. And Jeffery Simmons is arguably the most impactful interior rusher in the league right now, so he gets put in this category as a “definitely”.
But you can’t get away with having no quality rushers on the boundary. So the Titans need one of the following players to establish themselves this fall to complete the pair: Jermaine Johnson, Femi Oladejo, or Keldric Faulk. I think this listed order is the ranking from most-to-least likely to do so this season. Johnson is a “year after the year after” guy, suffering a season-ending lower body injury two seasons ago. He didn’t seem completely like himself. The Titans need him to return to form.
Championship Foundation Pass Rushers: 1 definitely, 1 possibly
With Simmons off the board, I see two other defenders I feel comfortable stamping as championship foundation playmakers today: DE John Franklin-Myers and CB Alontae Taylor. Both are transplants, so they have to fit in on this new team seamlessly to qualify. I recognize the assumption being made on that front. But They’re being paid to be foundational playmakers, and I think they will be.
The next player who comes to mind is LB Cedric Gray, who is one “confirm it” season away from cementing himself in this category. Working with Saleh should raise his stock. And then there are a handful of maybe’s: CB Cor’Dale Flott, LB Anthony Hill, S Kevin Winston Jr, EDGE Femi Oladejo, and DE Keldric Faulk.
Championship Foundation Defensive Playmakers: 2 definitely, 1 possibly, many maybe’s