Titans May Have Dropped the Ball at One Position This Offseason

The Titans may not have done enough at one key position, and it could come back to haunt them in 2026.

Tennessee Titans guard Kevin Zeitler (70) heads for the locker room after mandatory Titans Minicamp at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, June 10, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Tennessee Titans had plenty of needs to fill this offseason. General manager Mike Borgonzi did a fine job addressing needs, though, and there's no denying this roster is much more talented than it was six months ago.

However, that's not to say every need was addressed. In fact, the Titans have at least one spot that still looks questionable at best- right guard.

Kevin Zeitler was brought in to play right guard in 2025, and the veteran performed admirably. The veteran hasn't been re-signed though, and it seems like he won't be. This would be fine if the team had an obvious replacement, but they don't. Instead, the team appears content relying on veteran Cordell Volson, Jackson Slater, or one of the rookies.

Today, let's talk about the right guard spot and find out if the Titans dropped the ball.

Missed Opportunities

Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi speaks to members of the media during a pre NFL draft press conference held at the Titans practice facility Thursday, April 16, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Let's take a look at the guards who signed this offseason. Obviously, the Titans might not have been able to get all of these guys, but these are the best guards who were free agents:

• David Edwards, New Orleans Saints- 4 yr, $61 million
• Zion Johnson, Cleveland Browns- 3 yr, $49.5 million
• Alijah Vera-Tucker. New England Patriots- 3 yr, $42 million
• Isaac Seumalo. Arizona Cardinals- 3 yr, $31.5 million
• John Simpson, Baltimore Ravens- 3 yr, $30 million

Those were the top five guard contracts signed, and the Titans easily could have afforded any of them. This isn't Madden, though, so just because the Titans had the money doesn't mean they would have been able to sign them. Perhaps they weren't interested or didn't feel like these guys were scheme fits.

Still, if the Volson/Slater/Carmona/Coogan contingent fails to perform in 2026, it will be easy to look back at these missed opportunities during free agency.

Internal Options

Speaking of the internal options, let's take a look. The Titans opted against the big fish and went with Volson in free agency on a low-risk, one-year deal. Volson didn't play in 2025 after suffering a season-ending injury, but he was a regular starter for the three previous seasons in Cincinnati.

However, in 2024, Volson didn't exactly impress. PFF rated Volson as the 78th-best guard in the league out of 136 in 2024. He's been an unreliable blocker but has been much better as a run blocker than pass blocker in the past. It's hard to be confident in an inconsistent guard coming off a serious injury.

Meanwhile, the Titans also have Slater. Slater has shown promise in short bursts and has been praised by teammates and coaches. In a small sample size in 2025, Slater earned a 79.2 pass-block grade, which would be among the best guards in the league if it were over a full season. There's reason to think Slater can be solid in a bigger role.

As for the rookies, we just don't know enough yet. Coogan has primarily played center in his career, and I think the Titans feel like he can be the center of the future. Carmona has a lot to clean up, and I don't think he'll start as a rookie.

Jun 16, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans guard Jackson Slater (64) goes through drills during day 1 of mini-camp at Vanderbilt Health Footballl Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Final Thoughts

There doesn't seem to be an obvious option to start at right guard, at least not right now. I do think that the team not signing a bigger name in free agency could point to them being comfortable with Slater stepping up.

The team could also be waiting to see who gets cut by other teams, or if perhaps Zeitler will change his mind and decide to return. I think it would be nice to have the veteran return for one more year, and hope that Slater or Carmona can take over next year.

It will be interesting to see how this race plays out over the next month. RIght now, it seems like anybody's job.