A whole lot has changed between January 8th and May 8th. Since that first week of the Titans’ offseason, we’ve seen GM Mike Borgonzi reshape his roster in many ways both expected and surprising. And though there is still some roster tinkering to be done over the summer, the dust has largely settled on this renovation. The Draft and the bulk of free agency are behind us.

So where did everybody land?

I took a look at whose standing within the organization changed the most this offseason, and six individuals stood out to me the most. From starters, to backups, to team decision-makers: here are some winners and losers from the spring that was.

Winner: Jeffery Simmons’ back

This offseason may have hurt Simmons’ chances in the offseason awards races, but it undoubtedly helped his masseuse during the week between games. He won’t have to put this defensive on his back any longer!

Robert Saleh came in preaching the importance of having a strong front with a surplus of viable bodies to rotate for maximum freshness, and he practiced what he preached. Simmons is now surrounded by John Franklin-Myers, Jermaine Johnson, Keldric Faulk, Femi Oladejo, Solomon Thomas, Jacob Martin, and Jordan Elliott to help him. That group is much better both at the top and in terms of depth than he had last season.

Simmons is a gravitational superstar you build your defensive front around. Saleh did just that.

Loser: Mike Borgonzi’s dream situation

To be clear, I’m awfully fond of a lot of what Borgonzi did this offseason! And I think he’s a sharp executive with a very solid set of fundamentals. This isn’t about what he’s done this spring, it’s about where he sits within the organization right now.

In January, Borgonzi had the setup, man. He had all the roster control, didn’t have to worry about a good deal of the logistical/management stuff, and had the narrative shield of Chad Brinker working in his favor. Now he’s at risk of falling into a common career trap: oh no, I became too important at work and it’s ruining my life.

Now that Brinker is gone, I can understand people thinking Borgonzi has more power now. But did he pick up more power, or just more responsibility? I’m pretty confident it’s the latter. Borgo already ran the roster! He did the GM things that all personnel people actually want to do!

Now somebody else will have to handle all of the logistics with Brinker gone. Will Borgo pick up the tab? Will it be delegated? Will somebody new take over the President of Football Operations position? Time will tell.

But right now, Borgonzi has to figure that out. And he also no longer benefits from fans conveniently placing any and everything bad at the feet of Brinker and Amy, or last year’s coaching staff. Now, it’s on him.

I believe he can handle it. He hasn’t given me any reason to think that he can’t. But he was getting to have his cake and eat it too for a while, and now I’m not sure that will continue.

Winner: Bell-cow Tony Pollard

What do you think was going through Tony Pollard’s mind all spring during Jeremiyah Love mania? Pollard is a winner who needs to send the Arizona Cardinals a gift basket. Since the Titans missed out on the Notre Dame back, Pollard returns as the leading man in 2026. That wouldn’t have been the case had the Cardinals gone a different direction at 3 overall.

Pollard is still on an expiring contract, but now he gets to be the main man showing off what juice he still has in the tank for when his next pay day comes in the spring.

Loser: Cam Ward’s mental & physical health

Cam Ward’s arsenal of weapons improved this offseason. There’s no doubt about that, and it’s going to be a big help to him. But what about his health behind this offensive line?

Nothing about this offseason of roster construction disappoints me more than where the OL is at. Specifically, the plans at center and right guard that are entirely up in the air. The Titans have a handful of interesting options who will battle for their role on this team all summer, but I see no clear answer currently on the roster that inspires tremendous confidence heading in September. We’ll be forced to trust this coaching staff’s ability to develop and get players to mesh very quickly.

Winner: CB Marcus Harris

2025 6th round pick Marcus Harris is absolutely a winner of the offseason. When the Titans signed Alontae Taylor and Cor’Dale Flott to their roster, all that was left to determine was who would be the starting nickel. Based on what the coaching staff has said about him—and the fact that they haven’t added any additions competition—makes it seem like he’s in a fantastic spot heading into camp! More on his situation here.

Loser: RB Kalel Mullings

Not every 2025 6th round pick on this team is doing super hot right now. Former Michigan back Kalel Mullings seems to be on the outside fighting to get back in on this roster after a pair of depth additions brought his standing into question. The Titans drafted Penn St. RB Nick Singleton in the 5th and brought in former Saleh-Jets draft pick Michael Carter to compete at this position. I liked what little we saw from Mullings last season when he returned from injury, but I’m beginning to worry we will even get a chance to see him develop in year 2 if he doesn’t blow away the new coaching staff who didn’t choose him.