The Tennessee Titans have nowhere to go but up.
After finishing the 2024 season with a 3-14 record and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, there is a new sense of direction in Nashville, especially with Cam Ward under center.
But the Titans still have a long way to go before they’re viewed in a different light.
In a recent NFL offseason power ranking from Yahoo! Sports, the Titans once again were placed as the worst team across the entire league.
The Titans could have traded that pick or taken Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter, but they knew the best path back to relevance was hitting on a pick at quarterback. That’s why Cam Ward, who set an NCAA record with 158 touchdown passes at Incarnate Word, Washington State and then Miami, is a Titan.
There’s a long way to go and Ward won’t fix all of that. There were a few bright spots on the roster — Jeffery Simmons is a star on the defensive line, 2024 rookies DT T’Vondre Sweat and CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. had promising debuts, Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley had 1,000-yard seasons in a bad situation — but rebuilding will take a while. If Ward hits, at least that’s a start.
The Titans still have a long way to go before they’re considered serious contenders again, but they seem to be taking steps in the right direction. Some of their questionable offseason moves, such as signing Dan Moore Jr. to an $82 million deal, will need to pay off big time.
With that said, things can turn around quickly if Ward turns out to be worthy of the No. 1 overall pick. Several teams in recent memory have made quick turnarounds because they got the quarterback position right.
Given the fact that the Titans are also in a wide-open AFC South division, there’s plenty of room for growth as soon as 2025.