Nissan Stadium gets its first look at a different Tennessee Titans roster Sunday. The 1-7 Titans come off their bye having sold Jeffery Simmons and Amani Hooker for picks, and the 6-2 Jacksonville Jaguars arrive after beating Baltimore 33-10 and Indianapolis 42-7 in their last two games.
Here’s what Robert Saleh’s team is now.
The future is loaded with picks
Tennessee received 2027 and 2028 first-round picks and a 2027 fourth from Chicago for Simmons, then sent Hooker and a 2027 fifth to Buffalo for a 2027 second. ESPN Research noted Simmons is the first defensive tackle since 1967 traded for multiple first-round picks. “Jeff has been an elite player in this organization both on and off the field,” general manager Mike Borgonzi said.
That adds up to four first-round picks across the next two drafts and nine picks in 2027, per Tankathon. Going into Week 10, Tennessee is slotted at No. 2 with its own pick, and the needs list starts up front.
The pass rush is the biggest hole on the roster
PFF gives Tennessee the league’s lowest team pass-rush grade, and the Titans have 20 sacks through eight games, according to ESPN’s team stats. Four of those left with Simmons.
Stack the edge rushers up against each other and the gap is stark. Jacob Martin has 6.5 sacks, about 40% of what’s left. First-round pick Keldric Faulk has one, according to his team page. Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence is the first quarterback to see this rush without Simmons inside it.
Cam Ward is taking care of the ball
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Ward has completed 155 of 248 passes for 1,483 yards with six touchdown passes and five interceptions, and he’s been sacked 13 times in eight games. He’s added 112 rushing yards and two scores. Those aren’t star numbers, but a second-year quarterback with a thin receiver room isn’t giving games away.
Rookie Carnell Tate leads the team with 413 receiving yards in seven games, and his rookie season is one reason the rebuild has a pulse. Tony Pollard has 595 rushing yards and six touchdowns after the Titans decided to keep him at the deadline.
The close losses will be harder to keep close
Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Five of the seven losses came by seven points or fewer, including 27-24 to Cleveland and a 43-36 overtime loss at Cincinnati before the bye. Hooker was a big reason games stayed tight. He had five of the team’s eight interceptions, three of them against Joe Burrow, before the trade to Buffalo.
Tony Adams and Kevin Winston Jr. are listed as the starting safeties on ESPN’s depth chart. Anthony Hill Jr. leads the team with 82 tackles and will be busy against a Jacksonville offense that has scored 75 points in two games.
Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET Sunday on Fox. Watch whether Tennessee can get Lawrence off his spot without blitzing. If it can’t, the new safeties will be tested early.
More on the Tennessee Titans
- Titans’ Joshua Williams Allowed a 158.3 Rating Before the Bye, and Trevor Lawrence Is Next
- Titans’ Calvin Ridley Situation Takes Notable Turn After Trade Deadline
- Titans Are Trade Deadline Winners After Selling Jeffery Simmons, Amani Hooker for Top Picks
- How Many Picks Do the Titans Own Now? Pass Rush Tops the List of 3 Areas They Need to Address
