After upgrading the defensive line to support Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee faces a schematic puzzle: utilizing John Franklin-Myers’ versatile history as both an interior tackle and explosive edge rusher.
The Tennessee Titans had two priorities this offseason.
One of them was to help out Cam Ward. The Titans gave him Wan'Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate.
The other was to get Jeffery Simmons help on the defensive line. He had 11 sacks, but the Titans still struggled to get after opposing quarterbacks effectively. The Titans had a middling pass rush, which ranked 14th in the NFL with 42 sacks.
There was a lack of depth outside of Simmons. The next-closest Titans player in sacks was Jihad Ward, with five.
General Manager Mike Borgonzi saw this as a big issue and bolstered the defensive line to help Simmons. He first traded for Jermaine Johnson with the New York Jets and sent defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat in exchange.
Johnson had the best season of his career with Robert Saleh at the Jets in 2023. He had 7.5 sacks, 55 total tackles and 11 TFLs that season, which is the only Pro Bowl appearance of his career.
Borgonzi wasn't done yet.
He signed free agent John Franklin-Myers to a three-year, $63 million contract per Spotrac. The Titans then selected Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Titans' defensive line also contains Jacob Martin, Jalyn Holmes, Earnest Brown IV, Malik Herring, Solomon Thomas, Cam Horsley, Timmy Horne, Femi Oladejo, Jackie Marshall, Jaylen Harrell, Truman Jones, and David Ebuka Agoha at the moment.
We don't know if all these guys will even make the roster, but this is where the defensive line stands on the 90-man roster.
The Titans are in an interesting position with Franklin-Myers.
He came into the league in 2018 with the Los Angeles Rams as a defensive tackle. He stayed with them for one year before being waived in roster cuts ahead of the 2019 season.
He was claimed off waivers by the Jets and then went on the injured reserve and didn't play a single game. Franklin-Myers was a defensive tackle for the Jets in 2020 before moving to edge rusher in 2021.
He stayed at that position throughout his time with the Jets and then joined the Denver Broncos in 2024. Franklin-Myers remained an edge rusher with the Broncos, but the fact that he's played multiple positions on the defensive line makes it hard to identify where he would be suited best with the Titans.
Franklin-Myers has even said himself that it doesn't matter where Saleh puts him on the defensive line.
I think to figure out where he should go, we need to look at the state of the defensive line. Simmons is obviously going to resume his role as a defensive tackle. Johnson is a sure-fire starter for one of the edge rusher spots.
Then there's the task of figuring out who to put at the other edge rusher spot on the defensive line. Franklin-Myers, Faulk or Martin could go there. Even Oladejo, a second-year player, could fit in at the other edge rusher spot.
The answer to this question lies in how the 4-3 system that Saleh is going to run is constructed. Saleh values versatile interior defensive linemen, and Franklin-Myers fits that mold.
Defensive tackle is the obvious choice. With Franklin-Myers and Simmons being in the middle of that defensive line, it should allow for whoever the Titans decide to put on the edge to get 1-on-1 matchups.
Franklin-Myers can be an efficient pass rusher, but he's also capable of plugging running gaps. He has 35 TFLs in his career and comes in at 6-foot-4, 288 pounds.
He does bring experience at multiple positions to the Titans, but there's really only one clear choice for the position that he should play on this defensive line, and that's defensive tackle.
