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Grading every Titans free agent signing, from the disappointing to the exciting
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- Grading every Titans free agent signing, from the disappointing to the exciting
Don't think of these as grades in a " permanent record " sense. More of a " progress report " kind of way.
The Tennessee Titans have been extremely active in the early days of 2026 NFL free agency , spending more money on new contracts than any other team. Some of the deals make total sense. Some are head-scratchers. Some just feel like stopgaps.
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Now's the time to grade the signings, but not from a "final verdict" perspective. Remember how positively the Titans ' decision to trade for L'Jarius Sneed was received in 2024? Or how outlets like The Athletic and CBS Sports gave the Titans an A for the Julio Jones trade in 2021? We're not going to be victims of the moment here.
Consider the following set of grades to be less about how good or bad the players and their contracts are in the moment, and more an attempt at grading the process that led to the Titans adding these players.
Here's how The Tennessean is grading the Titans' free agency decisions in the moment, with players sorted alphabetically by last name.
Tennessee Titans free agency grades: How good are the Titans roster signings?
TE Daniel Bellinger : D+
Of all the reunion signings the Titans are making, this is the least inspiring. The team is paying starter money to a tight end who doesn't grade out as a particularly great blocker and who has never put up 300 receiving yards in a season. He'll be a scheme fit, but this signing isn't particularly imaginative. It feels more like a chance for offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to quickly install his language in a room with a position coach and a starter who are holdovers from the previous staff.
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DL Jordan Elliott : C-
No defense should be judged by its rotational depth pieces. Elliott's not a star, and he's a downgrade as a run stuffer compared against both T'Vondre Sweat and Sebastian Joseph-Day . But as far as guys who'll play 25 to 30 snaps per game, he's not going to hurt the team.
CB Cor'Dale Flott: B
It's hard to call a player who's making $15 million a year "underrated," but Flott might fit the bill. He showed real growth in Year 4 with the New York Giants , putting up career bests in pass breakups, passer rating against, completion percentage against and snaps per reception allowed. And he's only 24 years old. Keep him on this trajectory and Flott's a rare instance of the Titans being able to sign a free agent on an upswing, not coming down from a peak.
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DL John Franklin-Myers : A
Good player . The Titans have two of the best interior pass rushers in the NFL. Pairing Franklin-Myers with Jeffery Simmons all but ensures that opponents are going to have to single-block edge rushers or leave tight ends and backs in for blocking help. Coach Robert Saleh wants to build his defense around a four-man rush. Franklin-Myers doesn't just help the Titans achieve that — he turns that achievement into a genuine strength.
WR Wan'Dale Robinson: B+
Remember, we're grading the process, not the player. In Robinson, the Titans' process brought them a player who makes quarterback Cam Ward 's life easier. Does he make the offense more explosive? No. But he takes a lot of pressure off Ward for two reasons: One, the improved underneath game allows Ward to get the ball out more quickly. And two, Ward should have more of a shifty safety blanket to find close to home when he scrambles to create. Robinson shouldn't be viewed as a No. 1, but he makes the Titans better.
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IOL Austin Schlottmann : Incomplete
Schlottmann's heading into his ninth year in the NFL and he has made 18 career starts. If he's the Titans' answer as a starting center, that's a potential problem. If he's the new Corey Levin as the Titans' swing guard and backup center, good deal.
CB Alontae Taylor : B-
Throwing nearly $20 million a year at a cornerback who allowed eight touchdowns playing primarily out of the slot last season is a big choice. Frankly, it's surprising to see Taylor signing a deal with a bigger annual average value than that of players like Jaylen Watson and Jamel Dean . But, screw it, right? The Titans had money to burn and a massive need at cornerback. Taylor is absolutely an upgrade over the literal nobody who was on the roster ahead of him. If you regret the deal in two years, move on. The alternative was saving money you don't need to save so you can sign a worse player.
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P Tommy Townsend : A
Pretty good punter! Ranked near the top of the league last year in hang time and total number of punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Good on the Titans for chasing an upgrade rather than sticking with a familiar face who has been with his coach forever in this case.
QB Mitchell Trubisky : A
If Trubisky's a good mentor for Ward, call it an A+. But that's not the reason to grade him so high. The reality is the Titans are a lot better off with Trubisky if Ward gets hurt than they ever would've been with past backup QBs like Brandon Allen , Mason Rudolph or Joshua Dobbs . Across 33 games in his career where Trubisky has come off the bench or had to play as a replacement starter, his teams are 19-14 and he has a passer rating of 94.3. That's roughly equivalent to how good Justin Herbert was in 2025, albeit spread across five years.
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IOL Cordell Volson : D+
Sincere bonus points here for buying low on a player coming off an injury. It's a low-risk move that could end up looking pretty smart if he's your starter. The problem is Volson has never had all that strong of a reputation when he's been healthy. He'll have to end up outplaying his past for the gambit to work out.
CB Joshua Williams : A-
Interesting player. He's always been good in small doses, but that's the only way the Chiefs ever used him. How small of a dose are the Titans willing to use him in with the depth issues at cornerback? He's another player who, along with Flott, is an intriguing idea if the projections are fair and his career is on the up.
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Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com . Follow Nick on X @nicksuss . Subscribe to the Talkin' Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans NFL free agency grades for every major signing
