The Tennessee Titans were quite bad at edge rusher last year, and despite some theoretical improvements heading into 2025, things still seem bleak.
This is the full edge rusher edition of an ongoing article series, breaking down the Titans projected 53-man roster one position at a time. Here's what we've covered so far, in case you've missed it:
- Quarterbacks
- Wide Receivers
- Offensive Tackles
- Interior Offensive Line
- Running Backs
- Tight Ends
- Special Teams
- Linebackers
In this installment, we’ll go over what needs to happen in order to get some decent edge rushing out of this unit.
Edge Rushers
- Dre'Mont Jones
- Femi Oladejo
- Arden Key
- Jaylen Harrell
- Lorenzo Carter
Cut: Titus Leo, Ali Gaye, Desmond Evans
Who Are The Starters?
Arden Key is the sole returning starter from 2024, and he’ll almost undoubtedly be starting the season back in that role. But will it stick all year? Unless somebody down the depth chart pushes him down—which, basically means if rookie Femi Oladejo can do it or not—I don’t see him being anything less than nearly an every-down rusher for this team.
Which is a shame, because we’ve seen before in Arden Key’s career what he can be as a true Designated Pass Rusher (DPR) type, as the 3rd or 4th guy in a room. When he gets to play a rotational role, focusing on just attacking the quarterback, he’s at his best. But in 2024, and probably again in 2025, he’s going to be needed on early and late downs. He can handle his own against the run and playing a high volume of snaps, but as we saw last year, it’s not often high-level football.
Alongside Key is free agent signing Dre’Mont Jones, who joins the Titans after failing to live up to a significant contract in Seattle. He’s a bigger body at the EDGE position, with theoretical versatility both inside and out. In fact, he was largely an interior player before Seattle signed him and decided to play him mostly at EDGE. Given the fact that Titans DC Dennard Wilson sees defense similarly to Seahawks HC Mike McDonald, his old boss, I’m not holding my breath on him using Jones as an interior player much.
Jones should be an upgrade over 2024 Harold Landry on paper, as he had a more efficient pass rush profile last season. But he’s also not been asked to be the lead pass rusher on his team much in his career. So how he adjusts to that role remains to be seen.
Femi Oladejo Getting Up To Speed
At the time of writing this article, Titans 2nd round rookie Femi Oladejo hadn’t yet signed his contract before training camp. But the momentum needed to finally get that deal done is underway, so the concern that this could drag out is mostly gone. By the time you’re reading this, he may be all signed up and ready to go.
But once he gets the pads strapped up… how long will it be before he breaks into the starting rotation? As a 2nd round pick, it’s fair to expect him to have an impact as a rookie. Especially in a weak room such as this. But Femi isn’t a player who was drafted for the floor he’ll provide in his first season; he was a 2-3 year bet on a player who was on a recent ascent in college. Femi only has 10 games logged as an actual edge rusher. He was playing standup linebacker before then.
So he has a lot of polishing left to do with his game. How quickly will it come together? I’m skeptical this season will be a huge one for him, by no fault of his own. You can read a lot more about that right here. Needless to say, he’s being put in a tricky situation. His team needs him. But he just may not be ready to be what they need yet.
What Depth?
Finally, I’ll touch on the depth in this room simply to point out how thin it is. 2nd year, Day 3 draft pick Jaylen Harrell was very lackluster as a rookie. Lorenzo Carter is a seasoned vet who was added in free agency, but you don’t want him being anything more than your 4th rusher. Beyond them… it really is a bunch of nothing. Or, in a more charitable read, a ton of unknown.
And that unknown gets amplified when the season ends. Dre’Mont Jones, Arden Key, and Lorenzo Carter are all on expiring contracts.
