The real strength of Robert Saleh’s remodeled Titans defensive front is flying under the radar ahead of 2026
There’s no doubt the Titans’ defensive front is designed to make their opponents one dimensional. But our focus on the strength of this run defense is overshadowing what may be the real strength of this unit.
Tennessee Titans GM Mike Borgonzi took an interesting approach to renovating along the front of his defensive line this spring. This was a unit that needed more juice if it was going to be the feature element of new Head Coach Robert Saleh’s defense. Saleh’s always had powerful fronts that can win with four, generating pass rush and holding up against the run without adding more bodies to the equation the majority of the time.
In order to do that, you have to add beef first and foremost. The Titans have that, and they look like a group ready to be one of the league’s leading run defenses in 2026. But I’d argue the most impactful strength of this unit is flying under the radar.
Jeffery Simmons and John Franklin-Myers are Titans’ tip of the spear
Tennessee’s front is built out of very capable run defenders. Jeffery Simmons is a super star, and alongside him is a trio of experienced Saleh guys: John Franklin-Myers, Jordan Elliott, and Solomon Thomas. Those guys can hold it down when teams try to run up the gut.
On the edge is where this run defense should really shine, however. 2025 2nd Round pick Femi Oladejo is a strong edge setter, the question for him has always been pass rush refinement. Former Saleh first round pick Jermaine Johnson can certainly hold his own against the run. And drafting Auburn EDGE Keldric Faulk, an elite college run defender, was the cherry on top.
If the goal is to turn every opposing offense into a one-dimensional passing attack, which I beleive it is, then looks like a very good way to accomplish that on paper. No offense thrives in third and long, so why not aim for that as much as possible? There’s a lot to like on that front.
But the pass rushing upside of this group, particularly on the boundary, has many more questions. They still don’t have a high-end, true speed rusher archetype on the roster. Faulk’s pass rushing profile is more upside than current substance. Oladejo is in the same unrefined boat, and Johnson is hoping to bounce back two years removed from a season-ending knee injury. So it’s not surprising to see folks question how much this group will get after the quarterback.
But interior pass rushers are pass rushers too, guys. And the Titans have an elite pair of them. In the past two seasons, the 5th and 6th most efficient pressure rates amongst interior defensive linemen are named John Franklin-Myers and Jeffery Simmons.
The minimum snap count for this list may have been set at 400, but I can assure you that these two played many, many more snaps that that. These are high-efficiency interior rushers on high-volume workloads. The league as a whole has been trending towards heavy interior investment on both sides of the trenches in recent years as well. Teams like last year’s Seahawks are a prime example of why you don’t need elite household names on the edge to have a menacing pass rush.
What Simmons and Franklin-Myers can do to collapse pockets this fall has the potential to be this unit’s true strength.