NASHVILLE — ESPN’s future NFL power rankings are out. The Tennessee Titans landed at 24th overall with a 74.2 composite score. 

The exercise, which ESPN conducts annually, attempts to diagnose each organization’s trajectory. Are they ascending or declining? Who is primed to round into form as one of the league’s best teams?

The grades operate on a standard scale: 100 is an A+, 90 to 99 an A, 80 to 89 a B, and so on down. Four categories comprise the overall score: quarterback (20%), roster (30%), front office (25%), and coaching staff (25%).

The Titans’ individual marks paint a stark picture of where the national perception sits.

Tennessee’s roster ranks near the bottom of the NFL

ESPN’s panelists ranked the Titans’ roster 30th out of 32 teams.

The quarterback situation, with Cam Ward at the helm, graded out 21st. The coaching staff and front office each came in 24th.

For context, the Seattle Seahawks graded out highest at 88.7. ESPN considers Seattle to be the league’s top-ranked roster (91.25), the third-best coaching staff (92.25), and the second-best front office behind general manager John Schneider. Philadelphia finished second, Detroit third, Denver fourth, and the Los Angeles Rams fifth.

ESPN cited Ward, the 2025 No. 1 overall pick, as the Titans’ biggest reason for hope.

I think Ward is solid. I think he can be an average starting quarterback, slightly above at times depending on the roster construction around him. But I would not put too much weight on Ward as the primary source of hope.

Coaching staff, not Cam Ward, is the real reason for Titans optimism

The biggest reason for optimism, in my view, is the quality of the coaching staff and front office trying to put together a competitive roster around Ward.

Ward was the No. 1 overall pick, but we have talked about how he compares to previous No. 1 picks. Is he as good a prospect as Caleb Williams? No. Is he as good a prospect as Joe Burrow? No. He is probably more in that Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray tier, where you can have success with him, but it is going to be largely dependent on the situation around him.

The drafts of late have been encouraging, but Tennessee has been picking at the top of rounds for several years. Once that margin for error increases as the franchise theoretically starts drafting later, the question becomes how much sustained optimism is truly warranted.

ESPN’s biggest cited concern is offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s potential attrition. If the Titans win six games and the offense looks competent, that could be enough for Daboll to land a head coaching job elsewhere. His most successful season felt like a one-off with the New York Giants. But if he has success in Tennessee, it is reasonable to expect he would interview for head coaching opportunities at year’s end.

Should Daboll leave, I actually feel good about the depth around the offensive coaching staff.

Tight ends coach Luke Stocker has been integral to the last two coaching staffs and serves as almost Daboll’s second in command. His emphasis in the red zone and screen game are highly touted. 

Stocker is an unproven play-caller, but the foundation is there.