The Tennessee Titans released center Lloyd Cushenberry after a failed physical tied to his torn Achilles injury. Here's what the $50M cut means for Cam Ward's protection in 2026.
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The Titans cut a big piece of their offensive line on Wednesday. What's the next step to protecting Cam Ward?
Lloyd Cushenberry was supposed to be the anchor. The former Denver Broncos center arrived to the Tennessee Titans on a four-year, $50 million deal to stabilize the Titans’ offensive line. But two years later, he’s gone, released with a failed physical designation that traces back to a torn Achilles. Now, quarterback Cam Ward needs a new center, and the Tennessee Titans have no obvious answer, with combine-week panic already setting in across the fan base.
The Tennessee Titans officially released the 28-year-old center on Tuesday, Feb. 25, per multiple sources. Cushenberry was given the failed physical tag by the team, stemming from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered in 2024. Safety Xavier Woods was released in the same wave of roster moves, as GM Mike Borgonzi’s offseason teardown is picking up speed.
Tennessee Titans Continue to Purge Ran Carthon’s Roster
Cushenberry was one of the centerpieces of ex-Titans’ GM Ran Carthon’s 2024 free agency spending spree. The former Denver Broncos’ third-round pick signed his $50 million deal with $30 million guaranteed, per Spotrac’s contract records, making him one of the highest-paid centers in the NFL at the time. The move was praised nearly across the board. Then reality hit.
He played just eight games in 2024 before the Achilles tear ended his season. Before the injury, Cushenberry allowed only one sack and posted an 89% pass block win rate, per ESPN’s TruMedia data. He returned in 2025, starting 15 games after beginning camp on the physically unable to perform list, but the performance never justified the price tag. Cutting him now saves just over $3 million in 2026 cap space while leaving $9.05 million in dead money on the books.
Carthon, who was fired after compiling a 9-25 record, also handed Calvin Ridley a $92 million deal and L’Jarius Sneed $76.4 million — both of whom are rumored to be the next names out the door. Meanwhile, Carthon’s predecessor Jon Robinson, landed on his feet this week, getting hired by the Dolphins as a senior personnel executive.
Robinson brought studs Derrick Henry, Kevin Byard, and Jack Conklin to the Tennessee Titans during the beginning of his tenure. However, the latter half of his Titans’ career ended with a fury of terrible draft picks and the infamous AJ Brown trade to the Philadelphia Eagles.
What This Means for the Tennessee Titans in 2026
Here’s the problem nobody in Nashville wants to hear: The Titans have no established center to protect Cam Ward.
Tyler Linderbaum is the clear top center on the 2026 free agent market, as ESPN’s Bill Barnwell ranks him as the only Tier 1 franchise-caliber option at the position. After Linderbaum, the class falls off a cliff. The Ravens have not franchise-tagged Linderbaum to date.
That leaves Borgonzi staring at a bigger roster-building puzzle. The Titans still have glaring holes at edge rusher, cornerback, and wide receiver,and now center just jumped back onto the priority list.
Spending premium draft capital or top-dollar free agency money on interior offensive line help when this roster needs a pass rusher and a CB1 creates the kind of resource crunch that can set a rebuild back another year. Every move Borgonzi makes from here is triage, and the clock is ticking with free agency opening in March.