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The Tennessee Titans finally have some hope for the future after the 2025 NFL offseason. Tennessee made some big moves over the past few months. None were more important than drafting QB Cam Ward with the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Now the Titans have a franchise quarterback who they can build the team around.
Tennessee also made a host of improvements at nearly every other position on the roster. The Titans loaded up on wide receivers in the draft, upgraded the offensive line in free agency, and added a handful of starters on defense.
When looking at the offseason in its entirety, the Titans added enough talent to prove that they are no longer the worst team in the league. Now the Titans need to focus on turning the team into a contender in the AFC South.
Tennessee's coaching staff already had a chance to see their young players in action during rookie minicamp, OTAs, and mandatory minicamp. The next big milestone on the NFL calendar is training camp later this summer.
I spent a lot of time praising the Titans already, but there here are still a few areas of the roster that could be improved ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
Below we will explore one roster move the Titans need to make before the start of training camp in July.
The Titans need an inside linebacker like Ja'Whaun Bentley or Eric Kendricks
Tennessee's biggest roster need heading into training camp is off-ball linebacker. And it is the biggest need by a wide margin.
The Titans have invested heavily in their defense during the past few offseasons. They now have talented players like L'Jarius Sneed, T'Vondre Sweat, and Jeffery Simmons who can be the backbone of the unit moving forward.
To be fair, the Titans have not completely neglected the off-ball linebacker position. They simply have not hit on many players in recent years.
Tennessee drafted both Cedric Gray and James Williams as well as signing Otis Reese IV as a UDFA. Reese has some promise, but both Gray and Williams have not yet lived up to expectations.
The Titans added Cody Barton on a three-year, $21 million contract during free agency. Barton, who recorded 106 total tackles in 2024 with the Broncos, should be an immediate starter and a huge upgrade in the middle of Tennessee's defense.
But Barton cannot do it alone.
The Titans would be wise to add another veteran off-ball linebacker before training camp. There are a handful of established veterans who could slot in perfectly to Tennessee's 3-4 defense.
The best fits for Tennessee could be either Ja'Whaun Bentley or Eric Kendricks.
Bentley blossomed into a starting off-ball linebacker in 2020 in New England and was a capable starter ever since. In fact, Bentley posted over 100 total tackles each season between 2021 and 2023.
Unfortunately, Bentley suffered a season-ending pectoral injury that forced him to miss almost the entire 2024 season.
The Patriots decided to move on from Bentley after Mike Vrabel took over as head coach.
Bentley could be a risky addition because of his recent pectoral injury. That said, he told Patriots fans at a season-ticket member event in March that he had been fully cleared, per ESPN.
As for Kendricks, he has been even more reliable than Bentley.
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Kendricks has forced at least 92 total tackles in every season of his NFL career dating back to the 2015 season in Minnesota. He had one of his more productive seasons in 2024 in Dallas, logging 138 total tackles.
There is no question that Kendricks' experience would also be a great addition to Tennessee's defense.
If the Titans were to decide between the two players, the tiebreaker may come down to age and injury risk.
Bentley (28) arguably has more tread left on his tires, but is coming off his aforementioned pectoral injury. Meanwhile, Kendricks (33) has veteran experience but may have lost a step in pass coverage.
In my opinion, either would be a great addition.
Would Bentley or Kendricks become an immediate starter for the Titans in 2025?
Perhaps the best way for the Titans to decide between these two linebackers is determining which could become an immediate starter.
Bentley may be the better linebacker by that metric, given his high level of play over the past three seasons. But it is hard to ignore his injury concerns.
Technically the Titans could start Kendricks as well, though perhaps not as an every-down player.
PFN's Brandon Austin made the argument that Kendrick could be more of an early-down linebacker at this point in this career.
“Kendricks had an up-and-down 2024 campaign. He remained highly productive against the run, posting a career-high 94 tackles and an impressive 25% tackle rate, but his effectiveness in coverage declined,” Austin wrote about the possibility of the 49ers signing Kendricks. “His liabilities in coverage suggest he’s trending toward a role as an early-down linebacker rather than an every-down defender.”
If the Titans did add Kendricks, they could easily take him off the field on third downs. They could either replace him with an additional defensive back, or deploy former safety James Williams as a third-down linebacker.
If I were forced to make a choice for the Titans, I would lean towards Kendricks. But I will admit that Bentley is absolutely worth taking a chance on, even after his pectoral injury.
It will be fascinating to see which players, if any, the Titans add before training camp.
