Eyes of the Guru IDP Info, Part 23: Tennessee Titans

Overview of the Tennessee Titans Defense

The Titans were a mess in 2025. The offense struggled to score points, and the defense was a catastrophe of epic proportions. Three teams created fewer turnovers, with only the Jets intercepting fewer passes. The Titans were dead last in yards allowed per pass attempt at 8.2 and surrendered 58 pass plays of 20+ yards. The run defense was only a little better, tying for 20th in yards per carry while allowing the third-most carries of 40+ yards. It all manifested on the scoreboard with Tennessee allowing the fifth-most points.

There are plenty of other stats to throw out there that emphasize how badly this defense struggled, but none of that matters. In all my years as an IDP prognosticator. I've never seen an organization blow up a defense so completely. It starts with a new coaching staff that includes defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and a move from the 3-4 to his 4-3, and could end with as many as eight new starters come week one.

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Bradley didn't fare well as the head coach in Jacksonville, but he has been the mastermind of some outstanding NFL defenses. He has also shaped the careers of many IDP stars over the years. There is little doubt that he will continue to do so in Tennessee.

The traits of a Bradley-coached defense are fast linebackers, ball-hawking defensive backs, pressure on the quarterback without blitzing much, minimal mental mistakes, and sound fundamentals. It may take a minute for the Titans' fortunes to turn around, but I expect this crew will give fantasy managers plenty of value throughout the process.

Tennessee Titans Defensive Line

Tennessee had 15 defensive linemen see action last season. Five of them remain on the roster entering camp, and four of those are not locks to make the team. Jeffery Simmons is the lone survivor from last year's starters. There is a very good reason that he was not part of the facelift. Simmons is arguably the best interior lineman in the game. He can fill any down lineman's role in any scheme and is a foundational player that the team can build around. More importantly for us, he is a perennial fantasy stud.

Simmons missed the final five games of 2023 with a sprained knee. At the time he was injured, he ranked fourth among tackles. He was back in 2024 with the best production of his career up to that time. At 41-35-5 with 4 turnovers and 4 swatted passes, Simmons checked in at number three, just seven points short of top billing. Then came 2025, when he was a beast.

Simmons exploded for 67 tackles, including 39 solo, and forced three fumbles, but it was his career-best 11 sacks that set him apart from the competition. When I say set him apart, I mean that the number two DT last year, Cam Heyward, was a ridiculous 33 points behind.

The scheme change means Simmons will move from outside tackle in the team's previous 3-4 to the three technique in the new 4-3. The responsibilities of the two positions are nearly identical, so it should be business as usual for him. That said, expecting a repeat of last year's dominance would be a mistake.

The perfect storm rarely strikes twice. His previous career high was 8.5 sacks in 2021. Simmons averaged 7 from 2021 to 2024. That is about what we should count on, along with strong tackle numbers and a couple of turnovers. It is unlikely that he will be as dominant, but Simmons may well repeat as the DT1. At worst, he is an elite-tier option who should be the first tackle off the board.

Projecting useful fantasy numbers for any of the team's other interior linemen would be a crap shoot. If anyone is going to do it, John Franklin-Myers is the top candidate. With 28 sacks over the last five seasons, he has a proven track record as an interior pass rusher. He has also shown the versatility to line up on the edge at times over his eight years in the league.

The expectation is that Franklin-Myers will line up outside on early downs, where his prowess as a run defender will be an asset. In passing situations, he will shift inside to complement Simmons. The plan seems to be a great fit for his skill set and should give Franklin-Myers enough snaps to make an impact.

Franklin-Myers makes the list as a good sleeper, but not everything about him is sunshine. He has seen enough opportunity at times in the past, but has not been able to close the deal. He recorded 7 sacks a year ago for Denver, but managed a pedestrian 25 combined tackles. That has been the story of his career. Despite being a starter for the past five seasons, Franklin-Myers has never reached 20 solo stops or exceeded 40 combined in a season.

With Franklin-Myers working outside on early downs, Jordan Elliott is the leading candidate to start inside. He should compete with journeyman Solomon Thomas and third-day rookie Jackie Marshall to establish the pecking order.

The Titans addressed their edge position strongly. It started in February when they traded tackle T'Vondre Sweat to the Jets for Jermaine Johnson II, and culminated with the first-round selection of Keldric Faulk in the draft.

Johnson is a player I was high on coming out of Florida State in 2022. The 26th overall pick started slowly, as many do. In year two, he progressed, as many do. Moving into the starting lineup, Johnson logged 747 snaps, going 36-19-7 with 3 takeaways, 7 batted passes, and a score. Just when it looked like he would blossom, an injury ended his 2024 season in week two. He was back on the field last year, but was not the same productive player, at least not on the stat sheet. Two years removed from the injury, Johnson is fully recovered. He is working in a scheme that is favorable to production from the edge positions, and there is no one looking over his shoulder who is likely to poach significant snaps. Maybe this will be his year.

Faulk is a player who could be special in time. He entered the draft after his junior season at Auburn and is still growing both physically and as a football player. He is a hard-working, high-character addition who will see a lot of action as a rookie, but he has work to do as a run defender. Faulk is a good candidate to be one of those guys who start slowly and blossom in year two or three. He is a good taxi target for dynasty managers.

Oluwafemi Oladejo was a second-round selection by the previous regime. His skill set best fits the edge in a 3-4, where he could work from a two-point stance. Oladejo was going to be a big part of the team's plans. He even opened last season as a starter, seeing action on 241 plays through six games before he was lost to a hamstring injury. Because he is young, talented, and under contract for three more years, the new regime will give him every opportunity to grow and adapt. If that goes well, he could see the field this year as part of the rotation.

Several other players, including holdovers Jaylen Harrell and Truman Jones and free agent pickups Jacob Martin and Jalyn Holmes, will compete to fill out the rest of the depth chart.

• Edge Jermaine Johnson II – High upside sleeper
• Edge Keldric Faulk – Talented player with long-term upside
• Edge Oluwafemi Oladejo – Worth keeping a close eye on
• Edge Jacob Martin – No impact expected
• Edge Jalyn Holmes – No impact expected
• DT Jeffery Simmons – Stud DT1 with top 5 expectations
• DT John Franklin-Myers – Worth a shot as a second starter or quality depth
• DT Jordan Elliott – No impact expected
• DT Solomon Thomas – No impact
• DT Jackie Marshall – Developmental rookie

Tennessee Titans Linebackers