Johnson's Suspension Leaves Tennessee's Secondary Short Before Week 1

The Titans signed defensive back Nazeeh Johnson on August 14 to shore up a secondary that was already thin heading into the season. He was suspended six games for a PED policy violation before he could take a meaningful snap. That's the whole problem in one sentence.

Terrell Burgess is the starter at safety, and the depth behind him — Tony Adams and Jerrick Reed — has no meaningful playing time on record. The Titans knew this was a hole coming in. Johnson was supposed to be part of the answer for at least the back half of the suspension window, but the front six games are now managed entirely by a group that hasn't demonstrated it can hold up. My read is that this is the most fragile part of the 53-man roster as constructed, and the waiver claims made on August 31 didn't visibly address it.

The broader context is that Tennessee's secondary was a problem in 2025 too, and the offseason plan leaned heavily on continuity and protection for Cam Ward rather than a wholesale defensive rebuild. That's a defensible priority given Ward's development. But the Johnson situation is a reminder that even the modest fixes can fall apart. The Titans head into Week 1 with a secondary that was already a concern and is now one injury away from a genuine crisis.