Titans roster rebuild gets a division-rival “steal” test as Mike Borgonzi goes all-in on upgrading the roster

The Tennessee Titans’ rebuilding posture is no secret, but an offseason exercise circulating among team fans tries to make the challenge concrete by asking a simple question: if the Titans could “steal” one player from each AFC South division rival, who would it be? The premise, described as a way to map Tennessee’s roster needs onto what its opponents bring, comes as general manager Mike Borgonzi has pushed an aggressive roster makeover in the 2026 offseason.

In the framing, the stakes are not just theoretical. The Titans have finished last in the AFC South in consecutive seasons, and the prevailing view in the exercise is that the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, and Jacksonville Jaguars currently have considerably better rosters. The test, then, is less about fantasy and more about what kind of difference-maker would be required to move Tennessee out of the bottom tier of the division.

According to the exercise’s setup, the Titans made eight selections in the 2026 NFL Draft and committed more than $310 million in NFL free agency, a league-high figure in the way the Yahoo Sports item characterizes the offseason. That level of spending and draft activity suggests a front office trying to change the trajectory quickly, not a slow, asset-accumulation rebuild. Still, the exercise also stresses that the rebuild is not necessarily complete, even with the increased capital.

The “steal” test starts with the Texans, where the exercise identifies Will Anderson Jr. as the most obvious fit. In the description, Anderson is presented as the kind of dominant edge rusher who could address a pass-rush need that Tennessee has carried into the offseason. The author notes that the alternative would have been Derek Stingley Jr., but frames the hypothetical pick as prioritizing pass rush over coverage help, reflecting a belief that Tennessee’s biggest immediate gap is pressure from the outside.

From the Colts, the exercise turns to the interior of the offensive line. Quenton Nelson is labeled as the “surefire choice,” with the note that Nelson’s usual spot is left guard in Indianapolis. The exercise also connects the scenario to Tennessee’s current competition at right guard during training camp, mentioning Jackson Slater and Cordell Volson as the players vying for the starting job. The implication is that a top-tier interior lineman could do more than upgrade the right side, stabilizing the unit and simplifying play designs.

For the Jaguars, the exercise focuses on the defensive line and points to Travon Walker as the target. It recounts that Jacksonville was once mocked for selecting Walker over Aidan Hutchinson at No. 1 overall, then follows with a more current evaluation: consecutive 10-sack seasons in 2023 and 2024, followed by a large contract extension. In this version of Tennessee’s “division stealing,” Walker is positioned as a player whose athletic tools and production would fit a line Tennessee wants to become more dangerous.

What to watch next is whether the Titans can turn offseason spending into on-field cohesion. Capital helps, but an AFC South turnaround also requires that new players fit roles quickly, and that the Titans’ draft and free-agent additions translate into pressure, protection, and assignment-sound football within the same schemes. The “steal” exercise is not a roster prediction, but it does sharpen the questions Tennessee must answer as it builds toward the next season.

If you’re looking for the real measure of progress, it will likely be how Tennessee performs against the specific areas the exercise spotlights. That means generating consistent pass rush, improving interior line reliability, and closing the gap in defensive line impact against opponents like the Texans and Jaguars. The offseason’s big-picture message, reinforced by both the spending figure and the rebuild context, is clear: Tennessee is trying to compress the timeline.

confidence: medium

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