Dallas Cowboys 2026 Opponent Preview: Tennessee Titans

For the first time since a 2018 Monday Night Football game in week nine, the Tennessee Titans come to AT&T Stadium in Week 11. This will be the final test for the Cowboys prior to a game that’s been circled on everyone’s calendar since it was announced, Thanksgiving Day against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Titans defense actually has a chance to be a good measuring stick for this Cowboys offense, going into 2026 with new head coach Robert Saleh. The former New York Jets head coach resurrected his career with the job he did with the San Francisco 49ers defense a year ago, getting another shot at a head job and bringing with him the former head coach he used to share a stadium with as offensive coordinator, former Giants HC Brian Daboll.

The Saleh-Daboll dynamic has drawn a lot of attention this offseason, but it will be up to the development of second-year quarterback and 2025 number one overall pick Cam Ward to really determine how far this Titans team can go.

Let’s take a look at what they’ve done to support Ward and rebuild the defense under Saleh this offseason, including adding for Cowboy Solomon Thomas through trade.

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The Titans started 0-4 a year ago, which took any spotlight for fans just interested in watching how Ward would play as a rookie away very quickly. They did go on to play one-score games against the Chargers, Texans, and Seahawks after beating the Arizona Cardinals in most improbable fashion, 22-21, in week five.

Still, winning just three games with the top pick at QB and seeing the offense lack a dynamic element under Brian Callahan led to the coaching change this offseason in Nashville. Tight end Chig Okonkwo led the team in catches last season, but signed with the Washington Commanders in free agency. Their most targeted receiver in Elic Ayomanor is back, along with Chimere Dike and TE Gunnar Helm, as well as Calvin Ridley. Former Giant Wan’Dale Robinson who played for Daboll is new, as is fourth overall draft pick Carnell Tate out of Ohio State.

As expected, having Brian Callahan (and Bill Callahan on staff) gave the Titans steady production from former Cowboy Tony Pollard out of the backfield a year ago, his second with the Titans, and he returns as the starter for 2026. The Titans seeing Ward get more comfortable as a passer and better as a team in the quick passing game could see Pollard be even more productive, creating the type of dual-threat offense that Daboll has curated before.

On defense, the Titans brought in a host of former Jets and 49ers that have played for Saleh. Within their division, the Jaguars lost a lot of production from 2025 on offense and the Colts are still searching for answers at quarterback, making the Texans the favorite – mainly because of their super impressive defense. It’s not unimaginable to think that with another Saleh coaching masterclass on this side of the ball, the Titans defense can nudge close enough to the Texans to make this a two team race in the AFC South. Saleh will have to prove he can do so while handling the total responsibilities as a head coach, something he struggled to do in the New York market with the Jets.

The Titans made quite the splash within the first five picks of the draft, by passing on Arvell Reese and drafting WR Carnell Tate. This pick also served as the first insight into how that all-important Saleh-Daboll dynamic was going for Tennessee, as Daboll got his new toy before the head coach did.

The Titans used a second first-round pick on Auburn edge Keldric Faulk. Faulk feels like a perfect Saleh-type defender with his length off the edge, and pairing a similar type rusher in Jermaine Johnson could give the Titans a formidable duo on the outside, with Solomon Thomas, John Franklin-Myers, and Jeffery Simmons remaking the defensive interior. Behind this defensive front, the Titans also drafted an athletic freak in Anthony Hill Jr. out of Texas as a high-value pick in the second round.

The Titans found Dike, Helm, and Ayomanor as pass catchers for their rookie quarterback in the same draft last year, and circled back to grab their potential star of this group in Tate this April. They then got to work bolstering the defense. If these picks hit yet again, this will be a team that has a chance to build on some late season improvement last year and truly find out who their core to build around for years to come can be in 2026.

*New to staff this season:

With so much talk about what Saleh and Daboll will bring to the Titans this season in year one for both coaches, it’s no surprise to see a list of other new coaches this season riddled with ties to the previous stops both these former HCs have made.

Carmen Bricillo was the Giants offensive line coach from 2024 to 2025, and new QB coach Shea Tierney was their pass game coordinator and QB coach during this time as well. Gus Bradley was the 49ers assistant head coach last year alongside Saleh, and while Aaron Whitecotton was with the Cowboys last year, he was a valued member of Saleh’s staff going back to the Jets tenure.

Dave Borgonzi was with the Cowboys as linebackers coach last year as well, so this will be a prove-it game for the rebuilt Dallas defense to show they’ve put 2025’s failure behind them and give their team an advantage against an offense that will start 2026 as an unknown. By Week 11, this Titans offense could be a real threat, and for Brian Schottenheimer and the Cowboys offense, calling plays against Saleh’s defense will be something to follow closely as well.

The Cowboys need to avoid this being a letdown game going into Thanksgiving, looking for their first home win against the Titans since 2002.