Boasting a frame reminiscent of a Pro Bowler, Auburn product Keldric Faulk joins a revamped defensive line tasked with elevating Tennessee’s pass rush alongside superstar Jeffery Simmons.
The Tennessee Titans had a middling pass rush last season.
What stands out about this is that Jeffery Simmons just had the best season of his career. He had 11 sacks, 67 total tackles and 17 TFLs.
With how good a year he had, how is it possible that the Titans were ineffective at sacking opposing quarterbacks? The answer is written among his supporting cast.
The player with the second-most sacks on the team last season was Jihad Ward, with five. Then, there was Dre'Mont Jones (4.5), Jaylen Harrell (4.5) and Arden Key (4).
Out of those four players, only Harrell is returning in 2026. Ward and Key weren't re-signed and left in free agency. Jones was traded to the Baltimore Ravens at the trade deadline last year.
As a whole, the Titans ranked 14th in team sacks last season with 42. That isn't good enough in the NFL.
General Manager Mike Borgonzi made sure to get Simmons help.
He traded for Jermaine Johnson and then signed John Franklin-Myers in free agency. Borgonzi then selected edge rusher Keldric Faulk and defensive tackle Jackie Marshall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Faulk was more of a backfield disruptor in college and still needs to develop his skills as a pass rusher. However, he is a perfect fit for what Robert Saleh loves to do on the defensive line, which is move players around to take advantage of mismatches.
Another thing he has going for him is that he has a very similar build to that of eight-time Pro Bowler Cameron Jordan before he was drafted.
Jordan was listed at 6-foot-4, while Faulk is 6-foot-5. Jordan weighed in at 287 pounds, and Faulk came in at 276. Jordan's arm length was 35 inches, and Faulk's was 34 and three-eighths inches.
The veteran has Faulk beat in hand size, at 11 and one-eighth inches compared to 9 and 3/4 inches, but the Auburn product had a better 40-yard dash time (4.76) and vertical jump (35) at the NFL Combine.
Jordan has played for the New Orleans Saints since 2011. He is 36 years old this season, but he is still playing at a high level.
He hasn't been to the Pro Bowl since 2022, but he had 10.5 sacks last season. His best season in terms of sacks was in 2019, when he recorded 15.5.
Jordan shared in an interview this offseason that the 2026 season will be his last.
If Faulk has anything close to the kind of career Jordan has had in the NFL, I think most people in the Volunteer State would say that would be a success for the Titans.
We'll have to wait and see where Saleh puts Faulk on the defensive line. Ahead of training camp, Faulk is currently listed as a backup defensive end behind Franklin-Myers per OurLads.com.
Of course, this is all subject to change since we are still a couple of months away from the start of the regular season in September.
It's still very early for Faulk but being compared to an eight-time Pro Bowler is never a bad thing.
