The Titans Rookie Who Had the Best Preseason Debut is Not Who Fans Expected

Heading into this past Thursday's preseason debut, all eyes for the Tennessee Titans were on Carnell Tate - at least as far as the rookies go. Tennessee's fourth overall pick is expected to be a driving engine of the offense right from the jump. You can imagine, then, why his rough start isn't sitting well.

A Titans rookie did manage to steal the spotlight against the San Francisco 49ers, surprising many fans who had expected a bigger impact from the former Buckeyes receiver. That rookie was EDGE Keldric Faulk, who spearheaded a commendable effort from the Titans' front line.

Faulk pulled out all the stops against the 49ers, showing intensity of the edge and the ability to disrupt passing lanes with ease. His tape suggests a rookie well ahead of schedule, and one who could continue to climb in Robert Saleh's defensive rotation.

Keldric Faulk inside spin + run stop

Really impressive first outing for the #Titans rookie DL. Explosive off the edge and flashed some really violent hand usage pic.twitter.com/TuyHL92uXS
— Drew Beatty (@IronCityFilm) August 14, 2026

It made sense that eyes were on Tate heading into the contest. After all, Cam Ward is the face and leader of the Titans franchise right now. Tate was drafted to be his direct running mate.

Still, it should be no surprise that a defensive prospect is the one excelling immediately for Tennessee. That should've been obvious as soon as Saleh was hired.

Robert Saleh Puts Keldric Faulk in a Great Position to Grow

Saleh must've seen something in Faulk from the beginning, given he and the Titans brass traded up to draft him with the 31st pick in the first round. The former Auburn Tiger comes in at a bulky 6'5", 274 lbs, positioning him as a player with more mechanical growth to do than physical.

To that point, there are few coaches with more defensive experience than Saleh. Tennessee's head coach served as a defensive coordinator for five total seasons in the league. In Nashville, he went as far as to take the play-calling reins, too.

Faulk is at the center of Saleh's revamped operation, and it likely won't be long before the rookie finds his way into serious regular season rotation.

Faulk is in a Low-Pressure Scenario With Tennessee's Defense

Save for the secondary, Tennessee's defense on the whole looks to be trending in a positive direction. With trademark pieces like Jeffery Simmons, John Franklin-Myers, and Cedric Gray already in place on the defensive line, the pressure for Faulk to contribute immediately is not all that daunting.

That's something that Faulk and Tate have in common, for the most part. Both of those rookies are behind mostly reliable veterans at their respective positions already, allowing them ample time to grow therein.

Preseason struggles weren't entirely out of question for either Tate or Faulk. Headed into game two against the Seattle Seahawks, however, it will be Tate alone who is looking to make up ground. Faulk playing like he did in his debut will make Saleh's risky investment look better and better by the game.

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