Tennessee locks in its first-round edge rusher, finalizing an eight-man rookie class poised to revitalize the defense and bolster a high-priced offense ahead of the 2026 season.
The Tennessee Titans drafted eight rookies back in April, and now the final domino has fallen when it comes to their contracts.
The Titans already handed out a big contract to rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate, who they took at No. 4 overall out of Ohio State. Tate signed a four-year, $51.1 million contract, with a $33.6 million signing bonus.
The amount of money Tate signed for definitely signals that he is going to have a major role with the offense in year one.
As of Tuesday, Tate, Anthony Hill Jr., Fernando Carmona, Nicholas Singleton, Jackie Marshall, Pat Coogan and Jaren Kanak had all signed their rookie contracts, with Faulk remaining.
That changed on Wednesday, as Faulk signed his rookie deal. The news was announced by the Titans' X account.
Faulk mentioned how excited he was to be with the organization shortly after putting pen to paper.
"A very exciting moment. Man, I'm extremely blessed just to be able to do it. So, feeling all fuzzy inside, you know? Titan up baby! We finna get to work, no lie."
Faulk is an edge rusher, which the Titans so desperately needed to find in the draft. The Titans already traded with the New York Jets for edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, sending T'Vondre Sweat, but the team was searching for another player to start opposite of him.
Tennessee actually traded back into the first round with the Buffalo Bills to get Faulk. The trade gave the Titans the No. 31 pick, as they selected the Auburn edge rusher.
He spent three years at Auburn starting in 2023.
Faulk went on to record 109 total tackles, 19.5 TFLs and 10 sacks with the Tigers. His best season was in 2024, when he had 45 total tackles, seven sacks and 11 TFLs.
What Faulk brings to the table is a player who can be moved around the defensive line, something Robert Saleh has done in the past with players like Arik Armstead, whom General Manager Mike Borgonzi believed was a good comparison for the rookie.
Armstead's career high in sacks came in 2019, when he was with Saleh at the San Francisco 49ers. Saleh was the defensive coordinator that season, with Armstead recording 10 sacks, 54 total tackles and 11 TFLs.
Faulk still needs to find more consistency as a pass rusher, but if he can turn into the kind of player that Armstead was for Saleh, watch out. Faulk was a disruptor in college, able to get into the backfield and stop plays behind the line of scrimmage.
The Titans now have all of their 2026 rookie class signed to contracts. The focus is now on getting through OTAs with training camp on the horizon.
