Titans' Cedric Gray Reveals Mindset During Rough Season

Just like the fans who've grown weary of hoping for the best on a weekly basis, the Tennessee Titans — at least, according to the product on the field — appear to be entirely unconcerned with stacking wins at this point in their season.

Without a tenured head coach and still reeling from the rotten Brian Callahan era, the overwhelming urge to get fold and prepare for next year seems to have taken hold.

Individual Highlights Hide Overall Lowlights

Even so, certain individual playmakers have stood out amidst the fray and distilled a share of hope into the future of the Titans' franchise, despite their current, agonizing state.

Chief among them is linebacker Cedric Gray, who has made a consistent name for himself despite the defense's overall inconsistency. With 114 tackles on the season so far, Gray has notched 51 more than any other player on the team.

Tennessee Titans linebacker Cedric Gray (33) heads out to face the Los Angeles Chargers at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Having carried his weight and, to an extent, everyone else's, Gray cited offseason developing and his own mistakes as markers of progress.

"I've said it before, I think the offseason was a huge part of it," said Gray. "But continuing to develop during the season, learning new things every week, making mistakes and learning from them every week (has helped)."

Despite Gray's own impressive play, Tennessee as a whole has looked progressively more disheveled as the games trudge along. As they continue to lose, Gray is working to bring the energy and keep spirits high regardless.

Titans LB Cedric Gray is very quietly third in the NFL in tackles, and it's not just empty production. He has really flashed on film over the last couple games (and has 27 tackles over that time too). He's an emerging talent to know. pic.twitter.com/fUMybvOQ52
— Ethan Young (@EthanYoungFB) November 17, 2025

"I think that is always how I play," Gray continued. "I am a person who kind of feeds off of energy, that is kind of what gets me going."

To boot, the LB has yet to concede the team's vision, and desire, to win football games.

The Want to Win

"So, I try to get myself going, try to get others going, stay positive even when we're down in games, believing we can still find a way to win. Just try to be positive."

Gray's mindset, even given Tennessee's arguably preferred losing streak at this point as it relates to the team's position in the NFL Draft, is hard not to get behind. Having a player, especially on defense, who is willing to trust their own process and work to a fault to get better bodes well for what the team may look like a few years down the road.

Until the rebuild is over, though, little wins like Gray's will have to be enough for Titans fans that have long gone hungry.

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