March 11, 2026, 4:04 a.m. ET
The Tennessee Titans got busy on Monday when the NFL’s negotiating window opened, and the franchise came to terms with some solid talent that should make an impact.
One of the most significant moves of the day was the team coming to terms with Denver Broncos free agent defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers, who agreed to a three-year, $63 million deal with $42 million guaranteed.
Franklin-Myers should be a good fit next to Jeffery Simmons in the Titans’ front, plus with this being a reunion with head coach Robert Saleh, he should be put in a place to succeed.
Here is how the move was graded by those outside the organization.
There is something amusing about all the former Jets and Giants reuniting in Tennessee to play for Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll again, in hopes that it goes better the second time around.
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And that’s particularly true for Franklin-Myers, whose career really took off after Saleh and the Jets traded him to Denver two years ago. After that trade, the Broncos moved Franklin-Myers from an edge rusher who could play inside to a defensive tackle who would moonlight outside. And his numbers relative to other defensive tackles really stood out.
This is a good Robert Saleh reunion for a venerable inside pass rusher.
This year’s DT class is very thin, so landing the top one available in John Franklin-Meyers is a huge deal. Tennessee does have Jeffery Simmons up front, so now they have the best 1-2 punch in the league at the interior of their defensive line. Now they just need some edge rushers.
Love this deal for Robert Saleh and the Titans as they look to rebuild their defense. There’s a lot of familiarity with Saleh coaching JFM when he was with the Jets, and it solves a major issue for the Titans with their inability to generate interior pressure.
The rub on Franklin-Myers is that he’s really good at collapsing the pocket, but sub-par in run support. This contract makes that okay; however, with Tennessee committing to a three-year, $63M deal that doesn’t break the bank and fixes a glaring need. I think there’s a chance, too that Saleh can turn him into a more consistent run stopper inside the Titans’ defense.
I’m generally a fan of interior defensive linemen who come with some disruptive abilities, and now the Titans have two of them: a star in Jeffery Simmons and a very good running mate in John Franklin-Myers. Franklin-Myers had 14.5 sacks in two seasons in Denver while showing off some inside/outside versatility. Add in Jermaine Johnson II and, potentially, a top EDGE or linebacker in the draft, and Robert Saleh’s defense has a strong front.
While upgrading Cam Ward’s supporting cast should be the Titans’ top offseason goal, they should be interested in boosting their defense, too. Last season, they ranked 21st in total defense and 28th in points allowed.
That’s why Tennessee’s addition of defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers is a big one. The 6’4″, 288-pound disruptive force thrived in the Denver Broncos defense over the past two years, but he’s been productive at each of his NFL stops.
Across his stints with the Rams, Jets, and Broncos, Franklin-Myers tallied an impressive 17-game average of 30 tackles, five tackles for loss, and 5.1 sacks. In Tennessee, the 29-year-old will be reunited with former Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
While this deal comes in at $6 million per year above where PFF projections had Franklin-Myers, if you’re going to pay up for something, make it pass-rushing ability. Franklin-Myers has never had a season with a PFF pass-rush grade below 65.0 and has generated at least 40 pressures in six straight campaigns. He possesses the versatility to move around the line, too, something that will perfectly fit new head coach Robert Saleh’s defense.