The Tennessee Titans believe they have the right guy in Robert Saleh. And some players are excited, too. Furthermore, the Titans have a real chance to succeed quickly under head coach Robert Saleh in 2026.
And the main reason is defense. When teams get good on the defensive side of the ball, they give themselves a chance to win. Saleh put together a pair of 7-10 seasons with the Jets before getting fired after five games in the 2024 campaign.
He took over a terrible defense in 2021. But over the next two years, the Jets were a top-five unit in yards allowed.
Robert Saleh was better with Jets than meets the eye
The defense finished No. 4 in yards allowed in 2022 and No. 3 in 2023. And it wasn’t a mirage, according to NBC Sports.
“All in all, the defense was top-notch when he was there,” Chris Simms said. “They had an eye for top-notch talent as well.”
However, the offense didn’t give the defense a chance to finish teams off.
“Offensively, there (were) maybe some mistakes,” Simms said. “It’s a better defense than where it was ranked for the year. Horrible offensive play … led the defense to really falling apart at times. If their offense just was respectable, I believe the Tennessee Titans defense would have been a top-half of the league-type defense last year.”
Still, defense is an area Saleh will have to overcome with the Titans. It may look bleak from a 2025 performance standpoint, but there is hope. The Titans ranked No. 30 in points allowed and No. 31 in total yards this season.
And Saleh will clean up the offensive problems. Sure, the Titans won’t be an offensive juggernaut. But look for the mistakes to be minimized. And that alone will make the defense better.
How will Saleh do it? Leadership.
“If you’re looking for true leaders, Saleh knows how to lead,” Simms said. “I think he’s somebody who can lead this Tennessee Titans defense. (It has) more talent than people realize.”
Plus, Saleh may call the defense. That makes a ton of sense. And it would make the team better overall.
Will the Titans improve their roster?
That goes without saying. This team won’t be the butt of jokes it endured in 2025. The Titans are No. 1 in effective cap space. And they are going to spend money.
One player they could target is Chargers pass rusher Odafe Oweh, according to Pro Football Focus.
“With Robert Saleh and the Titans agreeing on a contract to be named their next head coach, the first order of business in Tennessee will be to revamp a defense that struggled on the edge,” Mason Cameron wrote. “The Titans generated solid sack numbers but failed to produce pressure off the edge, generating just a 19% pressure rate (28th).
“To his credit, Oweh led two different teams in PFF pass-rush grade (among defenders with at least 100 pass-rush snaps), generating a 71.1 mark with the Ravens before being traded to the Chargers, where he earned a 77.7 figure. Cumulatively, Oweh’s 78.0 PFF pass-rush grade finished 18th among all qualifying edge rushers.”
But the Titans also need an offensive upgrade. The line ranked No. 23, according to PFF. They need to add at least one solid player to improve that unit.
“Despite having a strong unit on paper, Tennessee’s front was among the least efficient units in the league in pass protection,” Zoltán Buday wrote. “The Titans ranked 25th in PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating (83.3), and they gave up 183 pressures, including 35 sacks — the second most in the NFL — on 651 snaps.”
It wouldn’t hurt to add a veteran receiver who could push for No. 1, or at least be a very strong No. 2. Elic Ayomanor or Chimere Dike would have to ascend to a true No. 1 for that to work.
What about Robert Saleh and Cam Ward?
This is the final piece to 2026 success. Saleh will need to work with his offensive coordinator and get Ward into the mold of playing solid football.
Ward can make the splash plays. But this team needs him to be solid first. And one of the best things about Ward is his touchdown-to-interception ratio as a rookie. The volume of TDs wasn’t there, but 15 compared to seven is not bad. That’s especially true considering the coaching situation Ward had to endure.
Still, Ward fumbled 11 times, losing seven. If he gets better overall at taking care of the ball, the Titans could go from no chance at the playoffs to being on the fringe. Even as early as Saleh’s first year.
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