The Week 7 matchup is quite interesting for the Tennessee Titans, mainly because they pulled off a major 26-20 upset in Week 6 against the Colts.
The final injury list, and particularly CB Alontae Taylor’s status, made it a whole lot more interesting.
Titans Bringing Back Alontae Taylor in Week 7
Titans updated Taylor’s status to active on Sunday to face off against the Browns after head coach Robert Saleh benched a healthy Taylor vs. the Colts in Week 6, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Saleh cited scheme adaptation struggles, since Taylor was adjusting from man coverage to a new system and had allowed completions on 21 of 24 passes targeting him.
“We’re going to continue working with Alontae,” Saleh said Wednesday. “Last week I just wanted to give him a reset, kind of catch his breath. For him, just playing out there at corner for the first time, there are just some things that he just needed to reset on, and that was basically the gist of my decision.”
Josh Williams started in Taylor’s place, and he is expected to see some mixed reps with him today.
Josh Williams, just off injured reserve last week, started in Taylor’s place.
Alontae Taylor on Getting Benched
“It was a tough situation – coach’s decision. It was tough to watch, but I was excited to see those boys win,” Taylor said.
In terms of what happened in his meeting with Saleh, who broke the news of his decision to him, Taylor said, “It was cool. He just broke some stuff down to me, and I’ve got to take it to the chin.”
Asked if he would change anything about his decision to sign with the Titans to this point, Taylor replied, “Nothing.” He added that he didn’t need the benching to provide motivation.
“I’m self-motivated. I didn’t need this to motivate me. I’m self-motivated,” he said.
As for what comes next, Taylor said, “I was told I would come here and play corner. That’s what my mentality was, but now things are changing and I’ll just adapt.”
Alontae Taylor in Trade Rumors
Some obvious trade rumors followed that benching. With the Nov. 10 trade deadline fast approaching, benching a perfectly healthy player was an unofficial invitation for trade rumors in Tennessee.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler floated how Taylor makes for a very sneaky trade candidate heading into Week 7.
“Tennessee cornerback Alontae Taylor. He was widely considered the top corner in free agency, signing a three-year, $58 million deal with the Titans in March,” Fowler wrote. “His Week 6 benching has placed him on the radar of teams that might look to bolster the position in the next few weeks. He has struggled as an outside corner for Tennessee but is at his best as a disruptive slot closer to the action. He’s 27 with good football left, so a trade could bring out his best.”
“Money is a hurdle: Taylor’s salaries of $9.49 million in 2026 and $20.5 million in 2027 are guaranteed. Perhaps a new team could rework that money on a new deal while asking Tennessee to front some of the bill in exchange for a quality pick. Tennessee has the option to smooth things out with Taylor and solidify a role for him — and I don’t believe the Titans are floating his name right now — but benching typically signals that a player is expendable.”
However, since Saleh has activated Taylor, what happens to the rumors will be interesting to see.
Titans Update Alontae Taylor Status vs. Browns as Trade Rumors Gaim Steam