Late-season momentum can often be more telling than early flashes, especially on the defensive side of the football. For Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Jaylen Harrell, the final stretch of the 2025 regular season offered exactly that. Harrell recorded at least half a sack in five consecutive games to end his sophomore season in the NFL.
That streak was the longest such streak by a Titans defender since Harold Landry III’s eight-game run during the 2021 season. In a season filled with questions at the edge rusher position, Harrell quietly answered one of them by showing what consistent pressure can look like in Tennessee’s defense.
Sack totals often grab headlines, but consistency is what changes roles. Harrell’s five-game streak wasn’t built on one dominant performance or favorable matchups, but it was the result of steady, repeatable pressure. That’s what separates situational pass rushers from players trending toward every-down impact.
Why Jaylen Harrell’s sack streak feels like the start of something bigger
Drafted in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Harrell finished his rookie season with only 13 tackles, including zero sacks and QB Hits. He began his second season without garnering a snap on defense, but once an opportunity was presented, he never looked back.
Not only did Harrell finish with four of his 4.5 sacks in his final five games, but he also produced six QB Hits and 13 tackles in those five outings. By contrast, he produced only a 0.5 sack, two QB Hits, and 14 tackles in his first seven games of getting snaps on defense before his breakout.
During his impressive stretch, Harrell showed improved timing off the snap and better leverage against tackles, turning pressures into actual production. Even when he didn’t finish with a full sack, he disrupted plays by forcing quarterbacks to move, speed up reads, or abandon designed progressions. Those moments don’t always appear in box scores, but defenses feel them.
The comparison to Harold Landry III matters because Landry’s 2021 season marked his arrival as a cornerstone defender, built on sustained pressure rather than isolated flashes. Harrell’s streak doesn’t put him in that tier yet, but it places him on a similar trajectory. Sustaining half-sacks across five games shows dependability, which is a trait coaches value as much as raw explosiveness.
Looking ahead, the Titans’ defense is searching for long-term answers on the edge. However, the team made a marked improvement from a 29th-place finish (32 sacks) in total sacks during the 2024 season to a top-12 finish (42 sacks) during the 2025 season. Harrell’s finish positions him as more than just a depth piece. It signals a player learning how to win his matchups consistently at the NFL level.
Harrell’s late-season surge fits the mold of a player who can be an answer to the Titans' future at the edge rusher position. If his late surge carries over, the Titans may have found their next reliable pass rusher.