The Tennessee Titans are heading into training camp with a reworked defensive line, and the edge group in particular looks very different after an offseason of change.
Robert Saleh was given room to reshape that room, and he wasted little time. Tennessee traded for veteran Jermaine Johnson II and signed Jacob Martin, both rushers with past ties to Saleh. The Titans also moved back into the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to land a Saleh-approved prospect in Keldric Faulk, while sophomore pass rusher Femi Oladejo is expected to fill out the top four at EDGE.
That leaves one more spot in the pass-rush mix, and third-year pro Jaylen Harrell appears to be the leading internal candidate. Even so, he is not a guaranteed roster lock. After the way he finished the 2025 season, cutting him would come with real risk.
Harrell’s rookie year in 2024 was rough. The former Michigan standout looked like a seventh-round pick, posting just five pressures on 129 pass-rushing snaps and a 1.6% win percentage, according to Pro Football Focus.
His second season told a different story. As Tennessee’s season faded, Harrell started seeing more snaps and made the most of them.
He finished with 4.5 sacks, recording at least a half-sack in each of the Titans’ final five games. He also logged 20 QB pressures and bumped his pass-rush-win percentage up to 7.8%.
With Saleh’s comments about the defensive line rotation, keeping five pass rushers on the roster feels like the expectation. Harrell may still have to beat out free-agent addition Malik Herring for that final role. Herring also brings a connection to Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi from their time together with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Harrell’s late-season surge gave him some breathing room, but not a full guarantee. He enters camp trying to prove that the breakout was real, and he’ll be doing it in a new system with a new coaching staff.
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