The Robert Saleh era in Tennessee hasn’t exactly gotten off to the start many hoped for when he was hired.
After another lopsided loss, his team now sits at 0-5 on the year, which is a low not even former coaches Brian Callahan and Ken Whisenhunt can relate to. This is now the Titans’ worst start to a season since starting 0-6 back in 2009.
Now, if you want to remain optimistic, the Titans drastically turned that season around. They went on to win their next five in a row and nearly snuck into the playoffs at 8-8.
Unfortunately, this team doesn’t have anything close to what former RB Chris Johnson was doing that year. To put it bluntly: realistic chances of a turnaround for this Titans team are slim to none.
So what next?
The Titans have now lost 44 of their last 56 games dating back to 2023. And to make matters worse, second-year QB Cam Ward has regressed to the point where many have become skeptical about his long-term future with the franchise.
The Miami product was supposed to be the savior for a Titans team that desperately needed one. Instead, he looks like a quarterback who is completely in over his head at the moment. That certainly doesn’t mean things can’t improve over time, but considering the product this fanbase has been forced to watch the last few years, nobody can blame them for growing impatient.
The real question is how patient this franchise — a franchise that’s infamously lacked patience of late — is willing to be with their former first overall pick?
I do think there’s a world where the Titans try to go the ‘Bryce Young route’ by sitting him for a few weeks, but someone like Ward needs to play. The only way he’s going to reach his full potential is by getting the reps he needs.
Therefore, I have a hard time believing Ward will be benched any time soon, but if these types of ugly performances continue to stack up, then anything is possible.
Possible trades on the horizon
Now that the playoffs appear to be an unrealistic goal, what happens to veteran players such as DT Jeffery Simmons, RB Tony Pollard, and WR Calvin Ridley?
Let’s start with the obvious blockbuster. Trading Simmons would undoubtedly net to a massive return that would surely include a first-round pick in the upcoming draft.
But for them to trade the one true star they have on this team, the return would have to be an offer they simply couldn’t refuse. And maybe they do get that from a desperate team that's willing to do anything to get over the hump.
But trading Simmons would undoubtedly be another crushing blow for a franchise that’s suffered far too many of them as of late. Without a king's ransom in return, I think he ends up staying in Tennessee as the face of the franchise heading into their fancy new stadium next year.
Every other veteran should be on the table. Rumors of Pollard drawing interest elsewhere should only grow as we get closer to the trade deadline. If/when they get a respectable offer for the veteran running back, that’s one deal they should make without hesitation.
Pollard is likely gone after this year either way, so it would be wise to get something in return while they still can. Someone with his production and resume could yield an early-to-mid-day three pick in return.
As for Ridley, the divorce between both parties is inevitable at the end of this year, so I have a hard time not envisioning Tennessee picking up the phone if someone calls about the veteran receiver.
With that said, given the age and recent production (or lack thereof) out of the Alabama product, don’t expect anything more than a late-round pick in return should somebody call.
Nonetheless, the fact that we’re talking about all this before Halloween is extremely disappointing. The Titans are clearly in the midst of another long season that has some fans already shifting their focus toward next year’s draft.
Many Titans fans are already salivating over the possibility of reuniting the former Buckeye tandem of Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate in Tennessee. However, that’s way down the line and they’ll need to do a lot more losing to make that happen.
But at the end of the day, that’s something for the fans to focus on. This team has to focus on blocking out the noise and continue trying to put their best foot forward regardless of the outcome on Sunday’s.
Only time will tell how all this plays out, but it’s clear that Saleh and his staff have a lot of work to do to get this team where they need to be.
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