The Tennessee Titans went just 3-14 last season and finished at the bottom of the AFC South, but optimism at training camp suggests the team sees a way forward even if a playoff chase remains a distant goal.
The team has made roster improvements, including adding rookie quarterback Cam Ward, but challenges remain.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler spent Saturday and Sunday at the Titans' camp in Nashville and shared his observations from those days on Monday.
Fowler explained why the outlook remains measured. "This is the path out of the bottom," Fowler said, referencing the team's effort to climb from the league's basement.
He described the Titans as operating "that uneasy space where the team should be better but not good enough to contend just yet."
Fowler added, "The roster clearly needs more work. No one here is shying away from that."
Titans head coach Brian Callahan spoke about the excitement Ward brings as a rookie quarterback and acknowledged the ongoing work needed to shore up the roster. "It certainly gives you energy and excitement of what can be," he said.
The whole organization emphasizes progress over immediate wins, as general manager Mike Borgonzi noted. "I'm really not big into expectations. I want to see growth," Borgonzi said. "I want to see competition and discipline and start to come together as a team. Are we getting better?"
With only one top-10 player defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (according to ESPN's project of executives, coaches and scouts ranking all 11 positions), the Titans face a challenging road ahead. The team knows the work needed to climb out of the league's lower ranks and build toward future contention.