No one wants to be the worst team in the NFL. At least not during the season. After the season is over? Well, now it’s not so bad (assuming you didn’t pull a Carolina Panthers and trade your pick away). The Tennessee Titans did not, so they have the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, free to take whoever they want.

The assumption would be that a quarterback like Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders would make a lot of sense for a team uncertain at that position. But their comments about “not passing on a generational talent” have seen the odds jump on phenom athlete Travis Hunter. If you don’t think of this draft as having a franchise quarterback, you don’t force it after all.

The 2025 NFL Draft isn’t until late April, but NFL free agency effectively begins on March 10th with the legal tampering period. And the moves the Titans make could tip their hand as to what their draft plans are.

So why don’t we take a moment to go through the Tennessee Titans depth chart, contracts, cap space, and the available free agents to figure out what their move might be? Since we are talking offensive weapons, we’ll also weigh in with our thoughts for dynasty fantasy football leagues while we’re at it.

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*

 

 

 

Tennessee Titans Depth Chart 2025 (Fantasy Football Relevant)

QB

Will Levis

Mason Rudolph

  

RB

Tony Pollard

Tyjae Spears

Julius Chestnut

Joshua Kelley

WR

Calvin Ridley

Bryce Oliver

Tay Martin

 

WR

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Treylon Burks

Colton Dowell

 

WR

Tyler Boyd

Mason Kinsey

  

TE

Chig Okonkwo

Nick Vannett

Josh Whyle

David Martin-Robinson

  • White = unrestricted free agent
  • Green = role is safe
  • Yellow = role in flux
  • Orange = likely a depth piece
  • Red = roster spot not guaranteed

Tennessee Titans Free Agency 2025

  • PROJECTED 2025 SALARIES: ~$240M
  • ESTIMATED 2025 CAP SPACE: ~$50M

 

 

 

Titans Quarterback Depth Chart

Will Levis: The careers of general managers, quarterbacks, and coaches are often intertwined. And, when the general manager who drafted the quarterback gets fired before the team has the first overall pick, like Ran Carthon recently did, that’s usually not a good sign for the quarterback. 

There are already rumors swirling about possible Levis trades to the Rams or the Browns. Or perhaps even the Jaguars to reunite with his college coach Liam Coen. But we don’t know for sure that Levis is being moved or that the Titans are taking Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders. And, even if they do, that doesn’t mean his career is over. We’ve seen guys like Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Geno Smith escape bad franchises and have recent career resurgences. 

But now we are stacking the odds of a QB having a resurgence elsewhere with the odds of a second-round pick QB succeeding. And those odds are already not great, per our research. So Levis is really only a hold in deeper superflex leagues.

Mason Rudolph: Mason Rudolph is an unrestricted free agent and, at this stage, he’s likely only on the team's radar as a backup. But I do expect him to be signed somewhere in that capacity. 

That could mean the Titans retaining him to work behind whoever their starter is. Or he could possibly end up back in familiar territory in Pittsburgh since the Steelers can’t retain both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. 

  • Reserves/Futures: N/A

TITANS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: The situation I mentioned above with Mason Rudolph to Pittsburgh is doubly interesting as the Titans could opt not to draft a quarterback and sign one instead. And the Steelers have both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields hitting free agency. 

If the Titans don’t like this QB class, taking a stab on a young upside play like Fields could be the move. If it doesn’t work, you end up back at the top of another draft - hopefully with better QBs that time. Here are the young(ish) QB options in free agency that could start and offer some upside.  

 

 

 

Titans Running Back Depth Chart

Tony Pollard: Despite the Titans finishing as the worst team in the league and some push from fellow teammate Tyjae Spears, Tony Pollard was able to notch his third straight 1,000-yard season. 

It was also the third straight with 1,300+ yards from scrimmage. He’s locked in for 2025 as the only real out in his contract comes in 2026 when he can be released for $7.25M in savings with $2M in dead cap.  

Tyjae Spears: Spears battled injury at times but, when healthy, the Titans had a nice one-two punch with Pollard operating on run downs and Spears contributing on pass downs. Spears is on an affordable rookie deal through 2026 so, if you are hoping for him to start, it would take either an injury to Pollard in 2025 or him to be released in 2026. 

That doesn’t mean Spears can’t be relevant in your fantasy football league, but he needs to force a closer split to really make a meaningful impact in your dynasty leagues where competing teams are often fairly top heavy. 

Julius Chestnut: Julius Chestnut was retained this past year as an exclusive rights free agent which is generally a “no brainer” for any player that contributes. This year he could be retained as a restricted free agent though that seems unlikely given the minimum contract is over $3 million for that. 

He not only serves as RB depth, but he also plays on multiple special teams units so, if the Titans don’t bring him back, there’s a decent chance he finds a home somewhere.

Joshua Kelley: Kelley was a depth piece for the Titans and found himself a healthy scratch for multiple weeks. He doesn’t really contribute much in terms of special teams either, so I don’t see the Titans bringing him back. 

TITANS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Titans have two capable backs at the top of the depth chart to contribute on offense. Most teams have two players back to return kicks in the new format so, if Julius Chestnut is gone, they would not only need RB depth but possibly also some help in that capacity alongside Tyjae Spears. Here are some free agent names with some experience there.

 

 

 

Titans Wide Receiver Depth Chart

Calvin Ridley: Calvin Ridley was the rare stud wide receiver that made it to free agency so the Titans pounced when they could. And, despite the turmoil at the QB position, he put up 1,000 yards for the second year in a row. 

He’s given them no reasons to part ways with him but, just for discussion's sake, the short and sweet of his remaining contract makes it impossible to cut him this year (adds -$9.5M in dead cap) but he could be released in 2026 for $16.75M in saves with $10M in dead cap or in 2027 for $22.25M in savings and only $5M in dead cap. Barring any unforeseen issues or a trade, he’ll likely be a Titan for at least this year and next.        

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: Contrary to what some might believe, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine does more than just score touchdowns. Following the DeAndre Hopkins trade, he was the fulltime split end for this team opposite Calvin Ridley. And I mean “full-time” as he had a couple of games with a literal 100% snap share and two more at 97%. 

That’s a difficult role and a valuable asset - especially given how good of a run blocker he is. The list of players that operate in that role and are definitively better than Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Ikhine-Ihkine is not long. Tee Higgins is one. DeAndre Hopkins is not coming back barring a miracle. And Amari Cooper might be a little too risky. 

Bringing back NWI makes a lot of sense, but this market also makes him an interesting target for other teams. Most dynasty trade charts suggest he’s not even worth a 3rd round rookie pick but I’m stashing him in a couple of spots to see how free agency shakes out. 

Tyler Boyd: Tyler Boyd had every opportunity to produce in Tennessee. Not only did they trade away DeAndre Hopkins, but he was playing in a Brian Callahan offense he had previous experience in. 

We already know he has little fantasy relevance as a part-time slot player for the Titans so moving to another team is likely the best thing for his value. The question is whether anyone will be interested (or if he’s interested in continuing to play). 

Treylon Burks: Things have not gone according to plan for Treylon Burks to start his career. Injuries have derailed most of it though he hasn’t produced much even when healthy. He suffered an ACL tear that ended his season and could land him on the PUP to start 2025. 

On top of that, some damning comments have emerged recently from head coach Brian Callahan about Burks. Specifically, he said that Burks played over Westbrook-Ikhine early on because he was a first-round pick but that they wished they realized earlier that it should have been NWI. It’s an interesting situation because his contract is fully guaranteed for this year so there is no monetary benefit to releasing him. 

They could also put him on PUP if he’s not healthy so cutting him doesn’t even save a roster spot. If any team wanted to trade a symbolic 7th round pick for Burks, I’m sure the Titans would do it. But that team would then have to pick up $2.6M of his salary which is expensive to kick the tires, so it does not seem likely. 

 

 

 

Colton Dowell: There was a little smoke about the big prospect at one point, but injuries have mostly derailed his short career so far. He doesn’t really play special teams, so he doesn’t offer much if he’s not playing split end. 

He can be released with only $50K in dead cap so he’ll need to show something in camp this year for them to keep him around. If Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Ikhine-Ikhine leaves in free agency, that offers a glimmer of hope as that is the role he plays. 

Mason Kinsey: When Kinsey returned, they sent Jha’Quan Jackson to the bench so they clearly like him as a punt returner. He doesn’t really offer much besides the sporadic slot snap outside of that. He can be released for zero dead cap so his roster spot isn’t necessarily safe if they decide someone else will handle those duties.

Bryce Oliver: This often happens with new regimes - you have a lot of dart throw players to see who sticks. Most of these guys can be released with no dead cap or close to it, including Oliver. He actually did find his way onto the field on offense at times but his path to making the team is likely through special teams where he has shown he can contribute on four units. 

Tay Martin: Tay Martin was picked up after he was released by the 49ers but only appeared for 7 total snaps in a meaningless Week 18 game. He’s an exclusive rights free agent and can be retained for the vet minimum but he’s probably a practice squad level guy at best.

TITANS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Titans have a lot of guys under contract while simultaneously not having a lot of guys. Outside of Calvin Ridley, they don’t have any certified starters under contract. 

Assuming they want to continue to keep Ridley in the flanker role where he excels, they’ll be looking for a big split end and a slot guy. The draft is always in play but here are the options in free agency for each, including retaining their own guys.

 

 

 

Titans Tight End Depth Chart

Chig Okonkwo: In keeping with his offense in Cincinnati, Brian Callahan did not deploy a singular full-time tight end. The Bengals would use Drew Sample in a blocking role while deploying guys like Tanner Hudson in a pass-catching capacity (this year Mike Gesicki was in that role).

Okonkwo was in the pass-down role which was at least the better role. That saw him line up for 343 snaps at WR, 265 inline, and 82 in the backfield. But he only cracked 75% of the snaps in one game as Nick Vannett and Josh Whyle were also utilized in that inline capacity.

That limits his upside for fantasy football but that’s the scheme they run. He’s on an affordable rookie deal this year before becoming a free agent in 2026 so he should be back in that capacity.

Nick Vannett: Nick Vannett played the second most snaps in this offense in that blocking capacity - we know what he is at this stage. He’s an unrestricted free agent this offseason so they’ll need to decide if they want him (or anyone else) there as a pure blocker. 

They could just proceed with Josh Whyle in that role then maybe take a stab on TE depth in the draft. Vannett does play a good chunk of special teams too so perhaps they keep him around. 

Josh Whyle: As the third tight end, Whyle was used wherever they needed him. He played 199 snaps as an inline tight end, 137 at WR, 8 in the backfield and 129 on special teams. His path to fantasy relevance would require either an injury this year or a departure next year for Chig Okonkwo.

David Martin-Robinson: The Titans did a lot of “live tryouts” as we mentioned which included David Martin-Robinson getting a callup in the second half of the year. He primarily played special teams and did some inline blocking. He can be released with only $5,000 in dead cap so he’ll need to earn his spot on the roster in camp. 

TITANS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Titans have what they need for now at the top of the depth chart with Chig Okonkwo and Josh Whyle. And there isn’t much out there for pass-catching tight ends in free agency anyway. If they are looking for upside there, the draft is the way to go. Here are the options for blocking tight ends if they want help there.