NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — One of the core tenets of Robert Saleh’s defense is rushing the passer with reckless abandon.
And the rush comes from all over. Saleh’s defenses usually keep nine or 10 defensive linemen to keep on a steady rotation, so they are fresh to rush the opposing team’s quarterback on third downs and in the fourth quarter of tight games.
While the Titans have a superstar in All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, who had a career-high 11.0 sacks last year, the rush won’t just be built around him. The team added veteran defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers in free agency as well as guys like Solomon Thomas, Jermaine Johnson and Jacob Martin to go along with young draft picks Femi Oladejo and Keldric Faulk. The idea is that the rush just keeps coming in waves to wear an opposing offensive line down.
“The slide’s going to Jeff and then after John’s done taking care of his one-on-ones, the O-Line’s going to ask for help,” Johnson said after practice Thursday. “And then Jeff’s going to be free. And then the edge is going to be free. It’s just a tough tandem for me to see any team [be able to] handle.”
Several Titans defenders have experience in Saleh’s defense before. Guys like Franklin-Myers, Thomas and Johnson played for Saleh in his first head coaching stint with the Jets and know exactly what he expects from linemen in the pass rush.
Johnson enters his fifth NFL season fully healthy after suffering an achilles injury two years ago while with the Jets. He has 13.0 career sacks but believes he has the potential to be a double-digit sack contributor to a defense and believes he’s poised to break out in Tennessee.
“Just give me my helmet,” Johnson said. “I just want to go play football and be myself and be the player I know I am. I don’t care about potential talk anymore. I’ve got to go do something this year. I believe I’m top five, top 10 at my position in the NFL, but I know that’s not the case statistically and I’ve got to go change that this year.”
The Titans also hope to get production from 31st overall pick Faulk, as he makes the transition from Auburn in the SEC to the NFL, and a second-year Oladejo. The team’s second round pick in 2025 had his ups and downs as a newcomer but is a guy Saleh has had his eye on since the college scouting process and seems to fit well within the scheme.
“He looks good coming off the bus, right? I mean, he looks awesome,” Saleh said. “He’s raw in the sense that he has not had a lot of opportunity to rush the passer and do the things that we’re going to ask. But I’ve got a lot of confidence in the fact that he’s going to, at minimum, produce just based off of his effort, his length, his athleticism, his tenacity, his strain, and we’ll continue to develop the skillset he needs to win those one-on-ones on a consistent basis.”
Oladejo did not record a sack as a rookie but said he learned a ton about how to practice, prepare and take care of your body. He believes that the change in defensive systems can help him tap into his potential.
“I think when I moved to edge in college at UCLA, that’s what it was, just going straight,” Oladejo said. “So to be in a system that’s similar where I can just go straight and not think, that’s where the money’s made.”
Saleh’s defense is notoriously straight forward with a plan based on several athletes constantly attacking and wearing opponents down, rather than trying to out gameplan or scheme an offensive coordinator. It remains to be seen if the Titans have enough of those guys to produce one of Saleh’s truly elite athletes, but Johnson is bullish on their chances.
“I believe we have the guys to do it,” Johnson said. “And I can’t wait to test it out.”
