The Tennessee Titans, among a sea of bad news and subpar output on the 2025-26 season, have been able to rely on a few cornerstone aspects of their team to provide solace in the near-winless storm. In addition to the team’s strong cast of young talent and, now in the wake of former head coach Brian Callahan’s firing, the navy and white’s defense has been a digestible part of their game.
While not standout or league-best by any means, the protective unit, called by defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, has given the franchise’s budding offense more than a few opportunities to score and make a difference in multiple tight games. Rarely does the offense actually capitalize on those chances, but with a new head coach and potential roster switch-up on the way, hope exists yet for the Titans’ touchdown numbers.
In the meantime, one aspect of the defense almost sure to stay the same is defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Having been drafted to Tennessee in the first round in 2019, the disruptor has been a core piece of the team’s defense ever since. The aforementioned Wilson, in addressing the media, made sure to give Simmons his flowers regardless of the team’s overall dire state.
“His approach has always been the same in terms of football,” Wilson said of Simmons. “Before you come into the meeting room on Wednesday to go over the game plan, Jeff is watching his opponent, he’s watching film, he knows what they’re doing. The difference is the way that his leadership has changed.”
“That way that he conducts himself around his teammates,” Wilson continued, “how he tries to bring people with him… those are the things that you see that’s a little bit different from last year.”
“Jeff is one of the best players in the National Football League, and I think he’s a h— of a human as well.”
With 21 solo tackles, 4.5 sacks and one forced fumble on the season, including the time he’s missed due to injury, Simmons has more than earned his “untouchable” state as the team approaches another hire-fueled overhaul. If the DT can lead now at the franchise’s lowest point in years, what he’d be capable of with more weapons around him in an overall improved system is awfully exciting for Tennessee.
Patience is a virtue — one exhaustive to Titans fans at this point, surely — but a virtue all the same. Simmons’ time in the shadows will pay off when the team finally puts the necessary support around him.
For the second consecutive offseason, the New York Mets appear to be competing to pry an outfielder away from their crosstown rivals.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Mets are interested in free-agent outfielder Cody Bellinger, who spent the 2025 season with the Yankees. Heyman noted that the Mets have openings at center field and first base—two positions Bellinger can play.
https://t.co/Cj9o233gEH Can the Mets possibly sign a star Yankee OF for the second straight winter? They are interested
Bellinger, 30, joined the Yankees in a salary-dump trade days after the Chicago Cubs acquired Kyle Tucker last December. It was one of multiple defining moves in the Yankees’ pivot from Juan Soto, who signed a historic 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets after one season in the Bronx.
Over 152 regular-season games in pinstripes, Bellinger hit .272/.334/.480 (.813 OPS) with 29 home runs and 98 RBIs. The left-handed slugger finished with 5.1 bWAR, the highest mark he has produced since his 2019 NL MVP campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers (8.7).
Bellinger not only excelled batting behind Aaron Judge but was also one of the best defenders in baseball. Playing all three outfield positions and first base, he accumulated eight defensive runs saved and was credited with +7 Outs Above Average by Statcast.
An UNBELIEVABLE Cody Bellinger catch secures the Yankees win! pic.twitter.com/XdzM96Amiw
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has emphasized improving run prevention since the offseason began, citing it as one of the main reasons the team fell short of expectations in 2025. Adding a player with Bellinger’s defensive abilities to the starting lineup could help address that issue, though his exact role would depend on other moves.
When asked about the team’s center field options Tuesday at MLB’s GM meetings in Las Vegas, Stearns said Mets No. 2 prospect Carson Benge will have a chance to make the Opening Day roster out of spring training. The 2024 first-rounder posted an .857 OPS with 15 home runs and 73 RBIs across three levels this past season, though he hit .178/.272/.311 in 24 Triple-A games.
If Benge starts in center, that would leave first base as a potential Pete Alonso replacement or either corner outfield spot as Bellinger’s most realistic long-term fit in Queens. Both Soto and Brandon Nimmo are under contract through at least 2030, so the Mets would likely have to move one to a full-time DH role or trade Nimmo to accommodate Bellinger in the outfield.
At no point during Bellinger’s first nine big-league seasons has he been a full-time first baseman, though he has made 350 career appearances (274 starts) at the position. His career marks of 10 DRS and -1 OAA at first are not as strong as his outfield metrics, though they are noticeably better than Alonso’s defensive numbers (-9 DRS, -9 OAA) in 2025.
If there is one concern about Bellinger’s potential fit in Queens, it is that the Mets already have an abundance of left-handed bats at the top of the lineup. That said, the two-time All-Star led all left-handed hitters in on-base percentage (.415) and slugging (.601) against lefty pitching in 2025.
Like Alonso, Bellinger opted out of the final year of his contract ($25 million guaranteed) in search of a longer-term agreement this offseason. Both Spotrac and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel project Bellinger to secure a six-year deal in free agency—one that would exceed his previous financial guarantee in average annual value.