The Tennessee Titans exorcised their season-opening demons on Sunday, overcoming the Indianapolis Colts 26-20 to end a 10-game losing streak. However, the outcome carried an intriguing personnel subplot involving offseason acquisition cornerback Alontae Taylor, who was made inactive despite being healthy.

Speaking during his media session Monday, head coach Robert Saleh declined to explain why Taylor was left out of the lineup or clarify whether the decision was related to his performances or disciplinary matters.

“We'll discuss it as a staff and make a decision that is best for the team moving forward,” said Saleh when asked about Taylor's future in Tennessee.

The response leaves questions about the immediate role of a player who signed a three-year, $58 million contract with the Titans in March, including $42 million in guaranteed money. Taylor's absence in Week 6 came after Saleh expressed dissatisfaction with his performance in Week 5.

The 27-year-old has found the transition to playing exclusively as an outside cornerback challenging after previously handling both boundary and nickel responsibilities with the New Orleans Saints. His statistics through the first five games lay bare his Tennessee travails.

Opposing quarterbacks completed 21 of 24 passes targeting Taylor, an 87.5% completion rate, according to Pro Football Focus. Those attempts produced a 117.9 passer rating, while Taylor neither recorded an interception nor a pass breakup for the Titans.

The cornerback played 99.7% of Tennessee's defensive snaps during its first five games, making his sudden omission particularly striking. He entered the season after completing a four-year rookie contract with the Saints, during which he accumulated four interceptions and 52 pass breakups.

Joshua Williams replaced Taylor against Indianapolis after returning from injured reserve. Williams, who signed a two-year, $8 million contract in March, had a solid performance in his first game back, giving the Titans another option at cornerback. Isaiah Oliver also received a game-day promotion from the practice squad.

Meanwhile, Marcus Harris has performed well as Tennessee's starting nickel cornerback. Moving Taylor inside could therefore create another personnel decision rather than provide a straightforward solution.

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The Titans invested heavily in their secondary during the offseason, also signing Cor'Dale Flott to a three-year, $45 million deal. Nevertheless, the defense entered Sunday's game with only three interceptions this season, although it ranked 14th in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game at 217.8 before facing the Colts.

Tennessee also played without starting safety Kevin Winston Jr., who is dealing with a quad injury.

The Titans improved to 1-5 with Sunday's win, earning their first division victory since November 2024. The team is scheduled to resume preparations on Wednesday for its next matchup against the Cleveland Browns, when Taylor's status could become clearer.