Titans' Alontae Taylor joins Dan Moore on the most overpaid list

[ASFN Admin]

As the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of the United States, one can’t help but look back and reminisce about the past and the tremendous achievements that have transpired. But for some NFL fans, the 4th of July is just another day in the countdown to the start of training camps.

The Tennessee Titans are set to kick off what they hope is the start of something big with a new staff, a retooled roster, and an excitement that hadn’t been felt in some time. Yet, if you listen to some of the analysts outside of Nashville, they see it differently, and Moe Moton of Bleacher Report believes the Titans have two of the most overpaid players in the league on their roster: Dan Moore and Alontae Taylor.

Yesterday, we covered Moore, but now, we will look at what he says about Taylor.

CB Alontae Taylor - Tennessee Titans

2026 cash salary: $22 million

Cash rank among CBs: T-5th

Alontae Taylor possesses the skill set to be one of the league's most versatile top cornerbacks. The Tennessee Titans paid him for his potential because he's lacking in recent production and consistency compared to top cover defenders.

In Taylor's 2022 rookie year with the New Orleans Saints, he performed well in pass coverage, allowing a 62.6 passer rating and a 48.5 percent completion rate while not giving up a touchdown on 66 targets.

Since then, Taylor has struggled mightily in coverage, surrendering 17 touchdowns, 13 over the last two seasons. In 2024, he allowed a career-worst 111 passer rating.

Although Taylor has made plays in the backfield, logging 14 tackles for loss and six sacks over the previous two campaigns, he's an inconsistent downhill defender, missing at least 14.8 percent of his tackle attempts in three of four seasons.

The Titans can use him in a variety of ways to justify the three-year, $58 million deal they gave him this offseason, but he's not reliable in any role because of lapses in coverage and missed tackles.

This year, Taylor will bank the same amount of cash earnings as Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie, who has an All-Pro campaign on his resume, and more money than established cornerbacks Denzel Ward, Marlon Humphrey and Jaylon Johnson.

The signing of Taylor has been one of the more polarizing moves made by general manager Mike Borgonzi during the free agency signing frenzy earlier in the offseason, and while there may be some questions that must still be answered, there is no doubt he is a significant upgrade from what the Titans had in place in 2025.

Both head coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley have commended Taylor’s offseason work and are comfortable with him being a full-time outside cornerback and occasional slot, the position he mostly held down in New Orleans. With Taylor manning the outside along with Cor’Dale Flott, Tennessee should see the best version of Taylor heading into 2026.

This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Titans' Alontae Taylor joins Dan Moore on the most overpaid list

Continue reading...