Looking back at the 2025 season, there were some bright spots amid the overall disappointment for the Tennessee Titans, who finished 3-14.
One of the season’s brightest spots that has been somewhat overlooked is the rapid growth of linebacker Cedric Gray, who won the starting job during training camp and has never looked back. The second-year linebacker burst onto the scene as a tackling machine and was by far the Titans’ most consistent linebacker throughout the season.
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It wasn’t just the fans who watched his ascension, but also Mason Cameron and the team at Pro Football Focus (PFF) took notice, as Gray finished as one of their highest graded linebackers in 2025.
In just his second NFL season, and first as a starter, Gray took a monumental leap. The 23-year-old linebacker was a force in the run game, earning the second-highest PFF run-defense grade (92.7) at the position this past season — a mark that stands in the top five in the PFF era. He also recorded the second-most defensive stops (64) in the NFL.
Gray proved to be a foundational piece for the defense, leading the team in tackles and finishing second in the league in defensive stops in his first season as a starter. Now with Robert Saleh in the building, Gray should be in a position to thrive in the new defense.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Tennessee Titans’ Cedric Gray cracks PFF’s top 10 graded linebackers