It feels like every offseason, there's a list of Tennessee Titans supposedly ready to take "the next step." This time, it actually feels different. There's a real buzz around the organization right now, and for once, I think it's warranted. Three names in particular stand out as guys who should be flat-out better in 2026 than they were a year ago for the two-tone blue.

Can Robert Saleh Unlock Kevin Winston Jr.?

Let Winston tell it himself. "No, I never felt like myself at all," he told reporters during OTAs. "Everything I was learning was in a game. We went over things in practice, but the majority of what I was going through — when I got beat or when things happened — was in the game. Now, during OTAs, I'm seeing things. It's happening to me now for when that time comes in a game."

That's the sound of a light bulb turning on. Winston was taken in the third round, 82nd overall, out of Penn State in the 2025 NFL Draft. He'd been injured during his final season at Penn State, and plenty of draft prognosticators pegged him as one of the potential steals of the class — a guy who, fully healthy, would've gone much higher with far stronger draft capital attached. Winston got his feet wet across 10 games with the Titans, and now there will be real expectations for him to have a productive sophomore campaign.

Let's see what he does with a full offseason, a full bill of health, and defensive mastermind Robert Saleh calling the shots. Saleh has shown the ability to truly unlock talented defenders and to put chess pieces in the right spots, so they complement one another.

The Titans loaded up on the outside with corners Alontae Taylor and Cor'Dale Flott, while long-term staple Amani Hooker remains locked into his veteran leadership role up the middle. If Winston takes the leap, this secondary could quickly turn into a strength of the team. He's already flashed some big plays in OTAs, and with his college pedigree and unique ball skills, he oozes upside. There's a lot trending in his direction.

Calvin Ridley? Really?

Yes. Calvin Ridley.

Just being on the field and healthy lets him impact this team in a bunch of ways. We know he has history with Brian Daboll. I wrote earlier during OTAs about Ridley being an impact player for this team, even if the fan base has a slightly bad taste in their mouth thanks to recency bias and the injuries that wrecked his 2025 season.

Well, news flash — Ridley doesn't have to carry the load as a true No. 1 anymore. The team added No. 4 overall pick Carnell Tate and Wan'Dale Robinson to line up across from him. Ridley still posted underlying advanced numbers showing he can stretch the field, and he had a pile of uncatchable deep targets from Cam Ward — deep-ball accuracy being one of the things Ward simply has to improve this year.

Ridley is a nice bounce-back candidate. He might not fill up the season-long box score, but I'm confident he's got a few spike weeks left in the tank and can make some splash plays. He should find favorable coverage now that the Titans have some underrated weapons across the line of scrimmage. Not to mention, Tate can learn a lot from a guy who's been around the block in the NFL and has dealt with a ton of adversity – even if some of it was self-inflicted.

Gunnar Helm Can Become Cam Ward's Best Friend

This is Helm's tight end room to lose. Tennessee desperately wants him to take the next step. Yes, they signed Daniel Bellinger — but we know what his ceiling is as an NFL player, and that signing was as much about familiarity for Daboll as anything.

Here's the kicker: per Fantasy Points, Helm ran routes on only about 37% of the Titans' dropbacks last season and still ranked fourth on the team in receiving yards with 357. He also drew a ton of targets inside the 20-yard line.

At 6-foot-5, he could be an absolute red-zone monster if deployed properly. I can't wait to see what Daboll does with this kid, who flat-out torched defenses at the University of Texas. Give him a bigger route share and a creative play-caller, and the production should follow in a big way.

Wheels up for these three Titans as we enter the heart of summer.