Listen back through the roughly 28 minutes of the news conference Tennessee Titans executives Chad Brinker and Mike Borgonzi held after the end of the NFL draft and there are a few words you won’t hear.
No one said “fixed.” No one said “holes.” No one said “filled.” No one said “plugged.” Some other words that never came up: addressed, strengths, weaknesses, hype, improved.
Gone seem to be the days of the Titans coming out and proclaiming a new leaf has been turned over. Even after snagging quarterback Cam Ward with the overall No. 1 pick, Brinker and Borgonzi didn’t come out and cry savior. Not about Ward. Not about any of the nine players the Titans drafted over the weekend. Not about the class as a whole.
This, essentially, is the new way the Titans talk about drafting.
“It’s important to us that we were going to build this thing with a strong foundation and I think it was well documented on the character of these individuals that we brought into this football team,” Brinker said in an opening statement. “Now, it’s going to be upon them. The NFL is a tough business, and we expect them to come in and learn how to be a pro and be the guys that we think they can be to really help change the culture around here.
“And I know that takes some time, but it starts with getting really good football players in here who are also really good people. So we’re excited about the guys we drafted.”
Unlike years past, the Titans are no longer in the business of telling fans and media where on the roster they’ve gotten better and where there’s still work to be done. Short of those decrees, let’s revisit the five biggest areas of need from the beginning of the offseason and gauge how much these weaknesses have been addressed.
QuarterbackBefore offseason: Will Levis, Mason Rudolph, Trevor SiemianAfter draft: Cam Ward, Levis, Brandon Allen, Tim Boyle
It all comes down to Ward, right? It’s hard to imagine a world where he doesn’t come in and start from Day 1, and if he can simply cut back on the Titans’ turnover rate, he’ll have been worth the pick. It’s a pretty big gamble, but it’s one just about every team in the Titans’ position would’ve taken.
Improvement grade: B+
Offensive tackleBefore offseason: JC Latham, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Jaelyn Duncan, John OjukwuAfter draft: Dan Moore Jr., Latham, Blake Hance, Duncan, Ojukwu, Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson
Other than Crenshaw-Dickson, the undrafted free agent from Florida, the Titans addressed this need with veterans rather than rookies. The hope is Latham can take a second-year leap if he moves to the right side and Moore can be a steadying presence on Ward’s blind side. There’s a lot of hope baked into this strategy, but it’s the kind of hope that seems grounded in some sort of logic.
Improvement grade: B
Wide receiverBefore offseason: Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Treylon Burks, Bryce OliverAfter draft: Ridley, Tyler Lockett, Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike, Van Jefferson, Burks, Oliver, Xavier Restrepo
Maybe the most transformed position group after the draft and free agency. There’s still some projection required for someone like Ayomanor or Dike to emerge as a bona fide starter. And there’s always fear with building the unit around older receivers like Ridley, Lockett and Jefferson. But the group does seem better.
Improvement grade: B+
Pass rusherBefore offseason: Harold Landry III, Arden Key, Jaylen Harrell, Ali GayeAfter draft: Dre’Mont Jones, Key, Lorenzo Carter, Harrell, Gaye, Oluwafemi Oladejo
Is the group better? Yes. Is it massively better? Probably not. The Titans are still lacking in a true No. 1 pass rusher, and neither Jones nor Oladejo seem like the kind of player who can blossom into that type. Don’t be shocked if the Titans go into the 2026 offseason listing this as the No. 1 need.
Improvement grade: C
Inside linebackerBefore offseason: Kenneth Murray, Jack Gibbens, Luke Gifford, Jerome Baker, Otis Reese, Cedric Gray, James WilliamsAfter draft: Cody Barton, Gray, Williams, Reese
Woof. The good news is inside linebacker is viewed as one of the lowest-value positions on the field and being bad in this room won’t be the reason the Titans struggle on defense. The bad news is this room looks awfully bad. It’s good the Titans prioritized higher-leverage needs, but the weakness is fairly glaring.
Improvement grade: D
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.