John Franklin-Myers reveals his "superpower" to Saleh's Titans, hinting at versatile defensive line schemes that could unlock new pass-rushing mismatches.
The Tennessee Titans made a major move on the defensive line, signing free agent John Franklin-Myers.
The Titans signed him to a three-year, $63 million deal. He was the second-highest contract Tennessee handed out in free agency, behind former New York Giants receiver Wan'Dale Robinson ($78 million).
Franklin-Myers has mostly played on the interior of the defensive line throughout his career. He is familiar with Titans head coach Robert Saleh, during his stint with the New York Jets from 2020-2023.
He spent the last two seasons with the Denver Broncos and accounted for 14.5 sacks combined.
It was initially believed that Franklin-Myers was brought in to complement Jeffrey Simmons. Both fit what Saleh wants from his defensive tackles: players on the inside who are very dynamic, able not only to clog running lanes but also to get after the quarterback.
However, Franklin-Myers revealed there's a chance he could play multiple positions on the defensive line, since he did so for Saleh with the Jets.
According to ESPN's Turron Davenport, Franklin-Myers called his superpower his ability to play multiple positions and expects to do the same with the Titans.
"He never puts anybody in a box," Franklin-Myers said. "That's the beautiful thing about Saleh. He's able to get us mismatches and put us in position to win."
If what the defensive lineman says is true, then that would be great for the Titans, who still need another starting edge rusher. As it stands, the Titans are expected to trot out Jermaine Johnson and Femi Oladejo as their starting edge rushers.
Johnson was a great addition, since he has a lot of starting experience. However, Oladejo didn't get too many games of experience after suffering a season-ending injury in 2025.
The Titans were in the top 15 for sacks last season, finishing with 42. Saleh could help Tennessee improve its sack numbers if he moves Franklin-Myers or others around the defensive line to take advantage of mismatches.
This makes things interesting for the Titans' defensive line. Simmons and Franklin-Myers were already sounding like quite the dynamic duo on the inside. Imagining them lining up at other positions on the defensive line should get Titans fans excited for what Saleh has planned for this defense.
The thought has been that the Titans should either go with an edge rusher like Rueben Bain or the best player available, which could be Jeremiyah Love, with the fourth-overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
If Saleh is planning on moving around Simmons or Franklin-Myers to edge rusher to exploit mismatches, the Titans may not need to draft an edge rusher with their first-round pick.