How Caleb Farley is already standing out to Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson
To say Tennessee Titans 2021 first-round draft pick Caleb Farley has had an unfortunate NFL career up to this point would be the understatement of the century. The Titans drafted Farley out of Virginia Tech with evident red flags due to his lingering injury issues. It didn't help that Farley tore his ACL in his […]
To say Tennessee Titans 2021 first-round draft pick Caleb Farley has had an unfortunate NFL career up to this point would be the understatement of the century.
The Titans drafted Farley out of Virginia Tech with evident red flags due to his lingering injury issues. It didn't help that Farley tore his ACL in his rookie season placing him even further behind the proverbial eight ball. Not only that, but in his second season in the NFL Farley was forced to undergo surgery on his back, which caused many to write him off.
Farley has endured his fair share of personal adversity on top of all of this. He lost his mother to cancer in 2018 and his father in a tragic house explosion in 2023. It's a testament to Farley's resilience and perseverance to see him back out on the practice field competing for a spot on the Titans roster at minicamp.
All signs point toward a healthy Farley entering the 2024 season. Not only has he been available, but he's been on the field and making plays, according to Jim Wyatt's Tuesday Mailbag on tennesseetitans.com.
From Wyatt: "The most important thing for Caleb is to stay healthy, and compete. And, he's been able to do just that during the course of the offseason. Caleb has been on the field every day I've been out there, which is great. He's made some plays as well — he had a great break-up on a Malik Willis pass intended for receiver Treylon Burks last week. It's a good start, but he still has his work cut out for him in a room with newcomers L'Jarius Sneed, Chidobe Awuzie and Jarvis Brownlee, and returners Roger McCreary and Tre Avery, among others."
If that's not enough to stoke cautious optimism regarding Farley, Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson raved about the 25-year-old's ability to overcome adversity as well as his traits that made him a first-round talent just three years ago.
"I remember when Caleb came out of Virginia Tech, but he had all of the talent in the world. It was a pretty good draft class. With him, the length, he had the speed, the physicality, he's a very smart player. Being here, Caleb puts a smile on my face every day that I walk in that room because he's had to fight through adversity and he's never wavered. He attacks the day with purpose. For me, to see a guy go through some of the things he's gone through and still standing as a young man and still trying to chase his dream and be the best version of himself, I love it. He's a smart player, he picks up what you ask him to do. If he makes a mistake it's because he doesn't know and then he corrects it and (fixes) it."
It goes without saying that fans should temper their expectations when it comes to Farley in 2024. After all, he's played in just 12 games in his NFL career and has an uphill battle to make the team's 53-man roster with a cornerback room full of talented newcomers.
With that being said, Farley has overcome much worse circumstances to get to this point. The Titans will enter the 2024 season with an underdog mentality as nobody seems willing to give the team its due respect. Farley understands this mindset as well as anybody and has an opportunity to turn in one of the best comeback stories in Titans history.
