New Titans cornerback room will give them terrific flexibility

Dec 21, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor (1) reacts to making a tackle against New York Jets quarterback Brady Cook (not pictured) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Tennessee Titans have been incredibly active in free agency, acquiring more than a dozen players thus far. They've been busiest at cornerback, where they signed Alontae Taylor, Cor'Dale Flott, and Joshua Williams. Collectively, the Titans committed $113 million to them, with Taylor ($58 million) and Flott ($45m) claiming the majority of that money.

The expectation is that L'Jarius Sneed will be released in the coming days. Darrell Baker Jr. already signed elsewhere. The Titans aren't expected to bring Jalyn Armour-Davis or Kaiir Elam back, either. No, this is a totally different Titans cornerback room, with the three additions joining sophomore Marcus Harris as the top four players at the position.

When it comes to aligning these cornerbacks in the defensive backfield, the Titans will have options. The question starts with where Taylor will line up. The former Tennessee Volunteers standout played 566 snaps as a slot corner last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Taylor earned 295 reps as a boundary cornerback, and definitely has inside-outside flexibility. In 2024, he actually played way more snaps outside (605) compared to inside (358).

Our evaluation indicates Taylor has been most effective when playing the nickel. That role allows Taylor to help dictate action around the line of scrimmage. He's a strong tackler in run support and can utilize his high football IQ to dissect offenses.

If Taylor plays the slot, the Titans would probably align Flott and Williams as the outside corners. Flott is 6-1 and Williams is 6-3 with near 33-inch arms. They are boundary corners, exclusively.

Is Williams good enough to be considered a full-time starter, though? He was a backup rotational corner for the Chiefs. Asking him to be a full-time starter may be a stretch of his abilities.

If Taylor plays outside with Flott, the Titans would have Harris at nickel. The sophomore inside corner performed very admirably during his rookie campaign, albeit through a small sample size.

The decision may come down to who the Titans prefer to field between Harris and Williams. That should be a legitimate battle throughout training camp. Perhaps Taylor and Flott play outside in base defense with Taylor moving to slot corner in nickel sets, with Williams replacing him outside. The Titans will have options.