The Tennessee Titans won't have many position battles for starting jobs at training camp. The big one will occur at right guard, where Jackson Slater and Cordell Volson are vying for the starting gig. Meanwhile one of the underappreciated competitions will happen at EDGE rusher.
New Titans head coach Robert Saleh has discussed how he'll rotate defensive lineman often in his scheme. That places less emphasis on who is "starting" at defensive end, but the Titans will still have primary edge rushers. The leading candidate will probably be Jermaine Johnson II, who the Titans acquired via trade this offseason due to his familiarity with Saleh's system through their shared New York Jets days.
Who primarily plays opposite Johnson will be decided at training camp. Two of the obvious candidates are sophomore Femi Oladejo and veteran Jacob Martin. It's one of the pending position battles that is low-key more notable than fans currently realize.
Tennessee Titans have bigger position battle at EDGE than fans realize
The Titans signed Martin to a two-year contract in free agency worth $9 million. The multi-year term indicates they possess some confidence in his outlook with the defense. It's also worth noting Martin played for Saleh with the Jets in 2022, hence the level of belief they are showing in him.
Martin is coming off an underrated season with the Washington Commanders. The former Temple standout registered a career-high 5.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus credited him with producing 45 quarterback pressures. That would have ranked third on the Titans' defense last year behind just superstar Jeffery Simmons and Jihad Ward.
Meanwhile Oladejo is coming off a disappointing rookie season that ended on IR. The sophomore second-round pick is now tasked with taking a developmental step forward under Coach Saleh. He'll have to compete for reps in the Titans' busy defensive line rotation.
Johnson, Oladejo, Martin, and first-round rookie Keldric Faulk should all play notable snaps for the Titans at defensive end. How the initial opportunities get divided will be decided at training camp. Martin and Oladejo could square off in an underrated position battle.
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