Pro Football Focus can’t find much to get excited about on the Titans’ roster.
That’s not necessarily shocking, considering the Titans have won just 16 of their last 51 contests over the last three years, and that Tennessee finished 3-14 last season.
But the extent of PFF’s dismissal of the Titans is more eye-opening.
In its annual ranking of the top 32 players at each of 12 positions, the statistics and analytics website ranked just seven Titans among the 384 possibilities at the various spots.
PFF didn’t list a single Titan among its top 32 ranked players at seven positions — offensive tackle, tight end, wide receiver, edge rusher, linebacker, cornerback or safety.
The message at those positions, in other words, is that some NFL teams’ second-best players are better than the Titans’ best.
Fair or unfair?
Here’s a closer look at how the Titans fared in each of PFF’s top 32 position rankings, along with some thoughts on whether PFF got it right:
Position: Quarterback
Titans in top 32 (ranking number): Cam Ward (No. 25)
What PFF had to say on ranked Titan(s):
“One of two rookie quarterbacks projected to start in Week 1, Ward will need plenty to fall into place as the Titans work through a still-flawed roster. He delivered 31 big-time throws in 2024 and finished as the second-highest-graded passer among drafted quarterbacks. At minimum, he should offer an upgrade over Will Levis.”
Commentary: By the end of this season or next, Ward’s ranking might look different, assuming he begins to realize his potential as the No. 1 draft pick. But it’s hard to rank Ward any higher than this before he has thrown a single pass. It’s actually a testament to his talents that he’s ranked ahead of proven talents like Sam Darnold and Russell Wilson among others.
Position: Running back
Titans in top 32 (ranking number): Tony Pollard (No. 18)
What PFF had to say on ranked Titan(s):
“Pollard’s 73.5 PFF rushing grade in his first year with the Titans was the lowest of his career. However, he has generated the fifth-highest WAR (wins above replacement) figure among running backs over the past three seasons.
He also earned just a 51.6 PFF grade as a receiver in 2024, although much of that can be attributed to a roster that earned the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.”
Commentary: A ranking somewhere in this range seems fair for Pollard, though one could make an argument for better. Playing behind a poor offensive line last season, he finished fifth in the NFL in yards after contact (884 yards), averaging 3.4 yards after contact per carry. Pollard’s 1,079 rushing yards ranked 12th in the league, and his 1,317 yards from scrimmage ranked 20th among running backs.
Position: Wide receiver
Titans in top 32 (ranking number): None
What PFF had to say on ranked Titan(s): N/A
Commentary: Calvin Ridley deserves to be ranked among the top 32. He finished fifth in the NFL in yards per catch last season (15.9-yard average), tied for fifth in 20-plus yard catches (19) and tied for 10th in 40-plus yard catches (four). Ridley is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and his 1,017 receiving yards last season ranked 18th in the league. He gets bumped for the likes of Jaylen Waddle, Rashee Rice and Josh Downs, among others? C’mon.
Position: Tight end
Titans in top 32 (ranking number): None
What PFF had to say on ranked Titan(s): N/A
Commentary: Chig Okonkwo definitely deserves consideration — and maybe a spot — in the lower portions of this ranking. He’s posted back-to-back seasons of 50-plus catches. His 52 receptions last season ranked tied for 18th at his position, his 479 receiving yards ranked 25th and his 9.2-yard average ranked 30th among tight ends with at least 30 catches. Okonkwo’s very poor PFF run-blocking grade last season (36.0) may have cost him.
Position: Tackle
Titans in top 32 (ranking number): None
What PFF had to say on ranked Titan(s): N/A
Commentary: The lack of Titans here doesn’t say much for the team’s signing of Dan Moore to a four-year, $82 million deal, nor the drafting of JC Latham with the seventh overall pick in 2024. It’s hard to offer a huge argument when Moore led the NFL in sacks allowed last season (12) and finished tied for ninth in pressures allowed (41). Latham had his ups and downs last season under the circumstances — switching from right tackle in college to left in the pros — but surrendered seven sacks and 47 pressures. Neither player graded out especially well in the run game.
Position: Guard
Titans in top 32 (ranking number): Kevin Zeitler (No. 9), Peter Skoronski (No. 20)
What PFF had to say on ranked Titan(s):
“Although Zeitler enters 2025 at age 35, he continues to prove he isn’t slowing down. In his lone season in Detroit, Zeitler earned his highest PFF overall grade (86.5) in a decade, finishing as the NFL’s third-highest graded guard. While his pass protection dipped a bit in 2024, his 87.2 PFF run-blocking grade stands as the best of his career.”
“From a season-long viewpoint, Skoronski doesn’t move the needle much, but there’s an argument to be made that he closed out the year as the best pass protector at the position. From Week 12 onward, Skoronski produced the highest PFF pass-blocking grade (88.2) among guards. At just 24 years old, that strong finish should set up a breakout 2025.”
Commentary: Two Titans in the top 20 at one position? Madness. Zeitler looks like the Titans’ best free-agent signing of 2025, as he posted a career-best 86.5 overall PFF grade last season — 87.2 in the run game and 70.7 in the passing game (five sacks, 18 pressures allowed). Skoronski, a 2023 first-round pick, took some steps forward in pass protection last year, though he was also flagged for eight penalties.
Position: Center
Titans in top 32 (ranking number): Lloyd Cushenberry (No. 20)
What PFF had to say on ranked Titan(s):
“A torn Achilles in Week 9 ended Cushenberry’s first season in Tennessee, but a solid grading profile in his prior seasons provides confidence that he can bounce back. Across his final three seasons in Denver, Cushenberry posted the fourth-highest PFF pass-blocking grade on true pass sets. With expectations that he will be ready for training camp this offseason, he can again reach that ceiling.”
Commentary: Cushenberry got off to a solid start with the Titans, as he surrendered zero sacks and 14 pressures in seven games before the injury. If he can return to the kind of all-round numbers Cushenberry posted with Denver in 2023, the Titans will be in good shape in the interior of the line.
Position: Interior defensive linemen
Titans in top 32 (ranking number): Jeffery Simmons (No. 9), T’Vondre Sweat (No. 26)
What PFF had to say on ranked Titan(s):
“Simmons’ 80.0 PFF overall grade in 2024 ranked ninth among interior defenders. His 81.6 PFF pass-rush grade was a career high, and he tallied 45 quarterback pressures — including five sacks — to power it.”
“Sweat had an impactful rookie campaign and is poised to continue that good play in his second season. The 365-pounder earned a 75.0 PFF run-defense grade, ranking 10th among interior defenders. His lowest categorical grade was 64.1 in pass rush.”
Commentary: This is the only other spot — besides guard — for which PFF ranked two Titans among its top 32. Simmons wasn’t dominant last year but was still very good, totaling five sacks, 45 pressures and an 81.6 PFF pass-rushing grade. This spot looks about right for him. If Sweat can become a pass-rush threat, in addition to maintaining his run-stuffing excellence, then he’ll be ranked even higher next season.
Position: Edge rusher
Titans in top 32 (ranking number): None
What PFF had to say on ranked Titan(s): N/A
Commentary: Arden Key is the only one of the Titans’ current edge rushers who might merit a look, but his numbers are pretty average. Per PFF, his seven sacks last season ranked tied for 37th among edge rushers, and his 39 pressures tied for 46th. In case you were wondering, former Titans edge rusher Harold Landry, who has totaled at least nine sacks in four of his last five seasons, did not get a ranking in the top 32 either.
Position: Linebacker
Titans in top 32 (ranking number): None
What PFF had to say on ranked Titan(s): N/A
Commentary: Cody Barton has averaged 121 tackles over the last three seasons. That in itself doesn’t make Barton a top-caliber linebacker, as his 106 tackles for Denver last season ranked 44th in the NFL. But it’s a pretty good background over a decent sample size. Is there any reason Barton should be ranked behind, say, Miami’s Tyrel Dodson (a Centennial High School grad), who has totaled only 100 tackles once during his five-year career — and who was cut by Seattle last season? Or Minnesota’s Ivan Pace, Jr., who has played only two years in the league and last season posted a 29.3 pass-coverage grade?
Position: Cornerback
Titans in top 32 (ranking number): None
What PFF had to say on ranked Titan(s): N/A
Commentary: The lack of Titans at this position reflects L’Jarius Sneed’s struggles last year, as he missed the final 12 games of the 2024 season due to a quad injury. If Sneed can overcome the medical and legal issues that threaten to slow him, then he could return to the level he reached in 2023 — when Sneed was considered one of the better corners in the NFL. If not, the Titans have to hope Jarvis Brownlee can continue developing into his second season.
Position: Safety
Titans in top 32 (ranking number): None
What PFF had to say on ranked Titan(s): N/A
Commentary: Neither Amani Hooker nor Xavier Woods is a big-time playmaker. But it seems like a stretch to think 32 safeties had a better 2024 season than Hooker, who finished tied for sixth among safeties with five interceptions and tied for 13th at the position with nine passes defensed — adding career bests of four tackles for loss and two forced fumbles along the way. Is there any reason Hooker or Woods should be ranked lower than, say, Cleveland’s Ronnie Hickman, who has started nine games and made one interception in his two-year career? Or Seattle’s Coby Bryant, who has started 19 games over three seasons and totaled three picks?