Cover photo taken from Bleacher Report.
Welcome to 32 Teams in 32 Days, a daily series leading up to kickoff of the 2025 NFL season where I preview every team in the league as decided by a wheel spin and project what their season will look like. You can keep up with everything right here.
The wheel has taken us back to the basement as we head down to Nashville where the Titans rebuild is at full throttle after last season saw them finish with the worst record in the NFL and the No. 1 pick in the draft.
2024 was an abject disaster for Tennessee. Juggling between Will Levis and Mason Rudolph at QB while dealing with the turbulence of a roster void of talent in year one under HC Brian Callahan led to a 3-14 record — not the greatest start to the rebuild. The offense ranked 30th in EPA/play and 29th in success rate while Levis sat dead last in each of those categories among QBs.
Enter Cam Ward. The top pick in the 2025 draft by way of Miami, Washington State and FCS Incarnate Word, takes over under center in Tennessee, looking to be the savior of a franchise that has been starved for success for decades. Ward is an absolute stud — a prototype of a franchise quarterback in the modern game with size, athleticism and the arm to make any throw. Last year with the Hurricanes, he threw for 4,313 yards, 39 touchdowns and just seven interceptions while leading the nation in QBR, EPA and PAA en route to finishing fourth in Heisman voting and earning an All-American nod.
That being said, there is a propensity in Ward’s game to make the odd mistake. I have a saying: when you know you can make any throw, you think you can make every throw. Think Josh Allen in his first couple of seasons. So there will undoubtedly be some plays this season that make you say, “What the hell was Cam Ward thinking?” But, there will be even more plays that make your jaw drop. In any case, he’ll be a clear upgrade and is in a position to make a real difference. His ceiling is extremely high if Callahan molds him into his new Joe Burrow.
To support their shiny new rookie, the Titans have bolstered their skill position groups, which was desperately needed after last year. Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor and Ward’s college buddy Xavier Restrepo will shoot to provide depth and potential starting roles at receiver. Van Jefferson and Tyler Lockett will be the plug-and-play starters there, serving as veteran outlets. Chig Okonkwo and rookie Gunnar Helm form a pretty solid tight end duo. And the offensive line — which finished 27th in pass block win rate a year ago — received major boosts with the additions of Kevin Zeitler from Detroit and Dan Moore from Pittsburgh. Plus, Tony Pollard had a very solid first year in Tennessee last year.
The defense might leave a bit to be desired, finishing 25th in EPA/play last year, but the talent is there for the unit to improve this season. Jeffrey Simmons and T’Vondre Sweat are a massive duo in the interior, Dre’Mont Jones and rookie Oluwafemi Oladejo will make an instant impact in the pass rush, and the secondary still has potential so long as L’Jarius Sneed remains healthy. I don’t expect them to take a huge jump, but there were spurts last year where they flashed their potential only to be undone by the offense committing turnover after turnover. If Ward can keep the ball in Tennessee’s hands, this defense should see a statistical improvement.
This rebuild is coming along, and new GM Mike Borgonzi knows how to build a roster. I have high hopes for this franchise’s future, even if it doesn’t materialize in instant wins a la 2023 Houston or 2024 Washington. They’ve got the right QB, the right GM and maybe the right coach. That’s a recipe for success.
X-Factor: WR Calvin Ridley
Ridley has felt like a ghost since leaving Jacksonville, but he actually had a solid year last season with 64 catches, 1,017 yards and four touchdowns despite awful QB play. You’ve got to figure those numbers go up with Ward under center. More than anything, I list Ridley here because I think he needs to be the top veteran option to help ease Ward into the league. Every rookie QB needs his reliable WR1 to settle in. Ridley needs to play that role to a T if Ward is to remain even and not make too many mistakes.
Team MVP: QB Cam Ward
Despite the lack of clear blue-chip talent around him, I think Ward is in for a pretty good season. I’ll get into my award predictions closer to the start of the season, but I’m probably going to take him as my Offensive Rookie of the Year — don’t hold me to that, though. He just has the talent to pop some eyes, especially among a pretty weak rookie class. But I’ll get into that more when the time comes.
Breakout Candidate: DT T’Vondre Sweat
Sweat, last year’s second round pick out of Texas, quietly had one of the better years among rookie defensive linemen. The numbers weren’t eye-popping, but that’s not exactly his job. At 6-foot-4 and 366 pounds, his mere size and force in the middle of the line was enough to bolster an otherwise weak Titans run defense. PFF graded him as the 10th best tackle in the league against the run out of 220 total interior defenders. This year, he could emerge as one of the league’s best run stuffers. And if he winds up developing the pass-rushing prowess that we’ve seen out of his partner in crime Jeffrey Simmons, watch out.
Record Prediction: 5-12
Again, I have high hopes for the future of the Titans. But this is not the year. They lack the playmaking ability on offense, and their secondary gives me pause. It’s not a crazy schedule, and the rest of the division is obviously weaker than it is strong, but this is going to be a feel-out year for Tennessee. They need to let Ward get his bearings set and figure out all the moving parts on both sides of the ball. In 2026 and beyond, with more weapons at their disposal and a more comfortable HC and QB, they can certainly contend in this division.
And, again, speaking of which…
Next Up: 
Jacksonville Jaguars
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