Caleb Farley will get another opportunity with the Tennessee Titans
NASHVILLE – One defensive snap is all former first-round pick Caleb Farley managed to play in the Tennessee Titans (1-2) first win of the season over the Las Vegas Raiders (0-3). That singular play was only due to a cramping situation that knocked fellow corner Kristian Fulton out momentarily. A damning indictment for a player whose […]
NASHVILLE – One defensive snap is all former first-round pick Caleb Farley managed to play in the Tennessee Titans (1-2) first win of the season over the Las Vegas Raiders (0-3). That singular play was only due to a cramping situation that knocked fellow corner Kristian Fulton out momentarily.
A damning indictment for a player whose greatest asset in his second season is still just potential.
Tennessee needs Farley and several other members of the team's 2021 draft class to step up in their second season. The embattled defensive back is not the only one who has yet to seriously contribute. Of the eight selections made by the Titans last year, only defensive back Elijah Molden (3rd) and edge defender Rashad Weaver (4th) have provided legitimate value as pros.
Tennessee needs more, and fast.
Farley is not a bust (at this point)
Titans coaching staff certainly does not seem to trust him much, however.
Tennessee signed corner Terrance Mitchell off of the New England Patriots practice squad on Wednesday of last week. With injuries piling up in secondary ahead of Week 3, coach Mike Vrabel thought Mitchell a better option to start in a critical game than Farley at this point. In his first start with the Titans, Mitchell surrendered eight completions, 107 yards and a touchdown that occurred late in the fourth corner that could well have been the equalizing score.
"We just wanted to try somebody else," Vrabel said on Monday. "Try somebody new and give somebody else an opportunity. That may change this week, but that is what it was on a short week. That can be something different for this gameplan this week."
Farley did start in Tennessee's 41-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills while Fulton dealt with a hamstring issue. It seems, at this point, that his participation comes only when the coaching staff's hand is forced.
Vrabel understands that the Titans will absolutely need Farley at some point this season. The play-time percentage (or lack thereof) in the first month of the 2022 campaign does not mean the team will give up on the player entirely. Vrabel also knows that an NFL athlete's confidence really only gets rattled when his coaches display a lack of faith in them.
Trust in Farley is something he clearly has yet to earn.
Featured Image: USA TODAY Sports.
