Ranking Titans Remaining Roster Needs: Recalibrating what Mike Borgonzi must add after the first week of free agency with the 2026 NFL Draft approaching

The Titans have done a ton in free agency to change the composition of their roster. Here’s what their recalibrated list of needs looks like.

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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Mike Borgonzi did not take his time in free agency this year.

The composition of the Tennessee Titans’ roster changed significantly on the very first day of the cycle, with a flurry of new starters agreeing to terms last Monday. We came into this offseason with a clear group of premium positions atop the Titans’ list of needs. EDGE, CB, and WR were all flashing red service lights on Tennessee’s dashboard. Other positions needed love too, such as TE, OL, and DL after some pre-free agency moves created new needs.

Now that the first wave of free agency is behind us, let’s recalibrate the Titans’ biggest needs on their roster heading into the rest of this player acquisition cycle.

1. Right Guard

Have we been lulled into an over-confidence on the Titans’ offensive line after all the renovations made in recent years? I think we have! The fact of the matter is that at the time of this article, two-fifths of the starting offense line are entirely uncertain. And while it feels a bit like splitting hairs to rank one over the other on the list of needs, I think locking down a right guard is the most important thing this team has left to do.

I think this front office thinks they may have their starting center on the roster right now. More on that in a moment. But I do not think they feel they have their starting right guard on the roster. Signing Cordell Volson to a minor free agent contract does very little to convince me that this position is in good shape. He was a starter for the Bengals from 2022-2024 with mixed results, and then he missed the entirety of 2025 with a right shoulder injury. His 1yr/$2.4 million salary reflects the depth player that I expect him to be.

Veteran journeyman Kevin Zeitler played out his one year deal in 2025 and was a perfectly useful starter next to RT JC Latham. It seems the Titans saw him as not just a good starting option, but also a steadying force next to the young tackle. And that force-multiplier element of the RG position on this team is part of why I have this listed as the biggest need.

Zeitler told me on locker cleanout day that he absolutely intends to play his age 36 season, and it seems there is mutual interest in bringing him back. But it’s not clear by any means when or if he will be back, and the longer that dance drags out, the higher the stakes become for this team. If you plan on protecting Cam Ward (and possibly maximizing the first top-4 running back draft pick since Saquon!) in 2026, you’d better get this OL nailed down!

2. Center

Center is the biggest “miss” of Mike Borgonzi’s free agency. We’d talked about how sneaky huge this one was following the cut of Lloyd Cushenberry, which I don’t think should be looked back on with hindsight regret. If they determined that he can’t play for them, then he can’t play for them. But failing to replace him with a serviceable veteran option, which I and others explicitly said they were planning on doing, is a failure.

When you have so many needs on your roster, even having the most cap space to spend can’t force everything to fall your way (unless you’re willing to throw around money irresponsibly with no guiding principles). Tyler Linderbaum got paid way, way too much money by the Raiders. Connor McGovern went back to the Bills before tampering began. And apparently the Titans weren’t in on a guys like Cade Mays at the price points they got. It just didn’t fall their way, and now they seem to be in a nervy spot.

2025 Day 3 pick Jackson Slater and free agent addition Austin Schlottman are the guys penciled-in for this role now. Schlottman got a surprising amount of money for who you’d assume was a standard depth signing: 2yr/$7 million. I’ve heard people more familiar with his game talk about him as a sleeper who could become at least a Corey Levin-level contender for the role, AKA somebody who can be your starter but you’d honestly like to do better.

Slater is who I think they will give ample opportunity to to win the job this summer, and him rising to meet the moment would obviously be a dream for GM Mike Borgonzi. But is that a great plan? I cannot call it that, unless they have some great reason to think he is the future here. If they do, we haven’t seen or heard it publicly yet. I just struggle to see the vision so far. And this is a position that has a pretty dramatic impact on your young QB!

3. Edge Rusher

Trading DT T’Vondre Sweat to the Jets for EDGE Jermaine Johnson was a great first step to adding firepower at this position, but Johnson and Oladejo isn’t going to cut it. You need more. The remaining free agent market is full of your classic mercenary edge rushers, who will be picked off one at a time throughout the offseason to play for a year on a new team in a rotational role. Adding one or two of those guys will be wise to establish a firm floor, especially in this Saleh defense where heavy rotation is a big feature.

But taking a top young EDGE in the draft needs to still be considered. An EDGE at 4th overall is, I think, still very firmly on the table. The Jeremiyah Love chatter is at a fever pitch right now, and he is a fantastic back. But Arvell Reese, David Bailey, and perhaps even Rueben Bain are still in play depending on who is still on the board when they pick.

Day 2 options are plentiful too. Here are a couple of my favorites: Texas A&M EDGE Cashius Howell, Oklahoma EDGE R Mason Thomas, Illinois EDGE Gabe Jacas, UCF EDGE Malachi Lawrence, and Texas Tech EDGE Romello Height.

4. Wide Receiver

the Titans shored up this position group with the signing of Wan’Dale Robinson and a pay cut restructure that keeps Calvin Ridley in the fold. Robinson, Ridley, year two Dike, year two Ayomanor, and the return of Bryce Oliver really is not a terrible room all things considered. But you can do much better. This room could really use a WR1.

As is often the case, good luck finding one of those! They just don’t grow on trees. And this draft has a couple of players with the potential on paper to turn into one, but no one who will obviously provide that level of contribution to a team right away. That shouldn’t keep the Titans from taking one within their first 4 selections anyways. In today’s world of football development, I think every team should draft a receiver in the first four rounds of every draft. Churn and compete!

5. Cornerback

Don’t let the signings of Alontae Taylor and Cor’Dale Flott at this position distract from the fact that this room is still perilously thin. 2025 6th Round pick Marcus Harris showed some nice things as a rookie, but I think you realistically want him as your first man off the bench right now. Free agent addition Josh Williams from Kansas City can compete for a starting job, but he played practically none last year in a crowded room. and the rest of the depth chart right now is a collection of fliers. This team needs to add another player with real starter potential, as well as at least one more depth option in my opinion. Look towards the draft and the rest of free agency, respectively.

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