Titans Future More Important Than Winning Now

At 1-7, the Tennessee Titans may be better off worrying about their future than trying to muster up one or two more wins in the now.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward | Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

For any remotely serious franchise in the NFL, winning football games is, and always should be, the primary goal. Yet somehow, despite what their suits and ties may say, certain teams seem to always spend more time in a rebuild — spinning wheels without making any real deals — than they do reaping the benefits of a well-earned stretch of success. The Tennessee Titans, now 1-7 n the 2025 season following a 3-14 finish last year, are one of those teams.

Perpetually Rebuilding

Or, at least, they have been recently. Well into a rebuild with no sense of direction (or a long-term head coach) it may be time for Tennessee to turn their eyes to the horizon in lieu of grinding out the occasional rare win right now.

Could this Titans team — one that, for all measurable reasons, should be better than last year's historically bad squad — get their ducks in a row and end up with more than three victories by the end of the year? More than likely, yes, especially if the defense can stay healthy and Cam Ward finds a professional rhythm that has mostly eluded him up to this point.

But as a team in contention for a second consecutive first overall pick, what exactly would be the goal?

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Chimere Dike | Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Winning Out... For What?

Suppose the Titans break through their self-imposed muck and win every remaining game this season. At 9-7, the team is a fringe-playoff squad, likely to end up in the Wild Card and still, barring an unreal collapse, sharing a division with the NFL's hottest and most favored team in the Indianapolis Colts.

Their pick worsens, they likely bounce early in postseason play, and next season, the roster changes little due to their would-be middling draft placement. It's a long-term loss for minuscule gain in the present.

And that assumes the absolute best about a Tennessee team that, even if they were to find their footing to some extent, would likely still come in well under .500 on the season because of just how badly they've played through these first eight games.

The franchise's current reality is as plain as it is painful: winning right now is no longer a workable priority. The focus, as the 2025 campaign turns the corner, should be on player development and the addition of new talent for next season.

There remains a lot to like about this Titans team, but most of it will likely have to wait at least another year before their potential is remotely proven.

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