The Titans are betting big that John Franklin-Myers can keep doing what he’s done the last two seasons - and maybe even do more of it with Jeffery Simmons next to him.
Tennessee signed Franklin-Myers in free agency on a three-year, $63 million deal, a move that stood out immediately because of the money attached. His $21 million annual average was the highest yearly value of any contract Mike Borgonzi handed out this offseason.
That kind of investment tells you how much the Titans trust the fit. Robert Saleh already knows Franklin-Myers well from their time together with the New York Jets, and Tennessee’s new defensive line coach, Aaron Whitecotton, was part of the group that helped turn him from a relatively anonymous player into a productive one. That connection clearly mattered when the Titans went after him.
Franklin-Myers is coming off a career-best 7.5 sacks with the Denver Broncos last season, and that followed a 7.0-sack season in 2024. But if you zoom out over the full body of work, the picture is a little more modest. From 2020 through 2023, he totaled 17.5 sacks, which works out to an average of 4.5 per season, with most of those years coming under Saleh.
The question now is whether Tennessee is getting the version of Franklin-Myers who has surged the last two years, or the steadier producer he’s been for most of his career. Playing alongside Simmons inside Saleh’s defense could push him toward a third straight season with more than seven sacks. It could also land him closer to the 4-5 sack range that better matches his overall track record.
Either way, the Titans are leaning on Franklin-Myers and Simmons to carry a pass rush that doesn’t have many proven threats beyond those two. They’re hoping Jermaine Johnson II can rebound in 2026 after an ineffective 2025 season tied to a 2024 Achilles injury. Femi Oladejo is still something of a mystery after a rough rookie year, and Jacob Martin is expected to play a bigger role than many people might assume.
In Other News...
Titans Camp Battle Could Quietly Decide Robert Salehs Defense
Training camp is about to sort out more than just the Titans depth chart. Under Robert Saleh, the competition at right guard has become one of the quieter but more consequential battles on the roster, with Jackson Slater and Cordell Volson both in the mix as the team tries to stabilize the interior and keep the offense on schedule. It is the kind of job fight that can shape how a line functions long before the regular season starts.
The same is true on the edge, where the spot opposite Jermaine Johnson II is expected to draw real attention once camp gets rolling. Femi Oladejo and Jacob Martin headline that group, with rookie Keldric Faulk also expected to factor in, and the way Saleh parcels out those snaps should tell a lot about how he sees the front seven taking shape. For a defense built on pressure and rotation, those decisions may end up carrying more weight than they first appear. [Read more 🡒]
Former Titans Star Left Stunned By Travis Kelce Friendship Snub
The celebrity-heavy wedding scene around Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift had plenty of NFL representation, with names like George Kittle and Matthew Stafford showing up with family in tow. For former Titans lineman Taylor Lewan and ex-Titans linebacker Will Compton, though, the guest list brought a different kind of attention, since both had long considered themselves part of Kelces circle and expected to be in the mix for a day that blended football fame with pop-star spectacle.
Lewan sounded genuinely taken aback when the invitations didnt come his way, openly questioning what he might be doing wrong after seeing who was there. Compton had a similar reaction, saying he was flabbergasted while reacting to the photos and even noting Dean Blandinos presence, a reminder that the guest list was full of surprises even before the Titans duo realized they were on the outside looking in. [Read more 🡒]
Titans May Finally Have The Camp Battle Their Secondary Needed
The Titans added another piece to their secondary on March 12, signing Joshua Williams to a two-year contract after four seasons with the Chiefs. For a cornerback room that has spent too much time shuffling bodies because of injuries, Williams arrives as the kind of steady, experienced depth every defense wants but not every defense can find.
What makes him especially relevant in Tennessee is the role he can fill behind Alontae Taylor and Cor'Dale Flott at boundary corner. Williams brings size, special teams value and the sort of flexibility that can help a coaching staff keep its options open if the camp competition gets tight, and the Titans will be watching closely to see whether he can turn that backup job into something more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]