Why Jermaine Johnson Addition Could Be Titans' Best Move of Offseason

This fall, Titans fans will be greeted by a new-look roster for the final season at the old Nissan Stadium. After a three-win campaign in 2025, Tennessee spent the spring reshaping its roster in hopes of accelerating a rebuild.

Headlined by a revamped coaching staff and free-agent additions such as Wan'Dale Robinson and John Franklin-Myers, no move feels bigger than the trade for edge rusher Jermaine Johnson.

Johnson is No Stranger to Adversity

Dec 28, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets linebacker Jermaine Johnson (11) is called for roughing the passer, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) during the second quarter of the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

To fully understand the significance of February's seismic trade, you have to go back a few years. Johnson is no stranger to being doubted. Out of high school, he carried a 1.9 GPA, forcing him down a different path than most top prospects. With limited collegiate options, he took the junior college route and enrolled at Independence Community College, famously featured on Netflix's Last Chance U.

Even then, one theme continued to follow Johnson throughout his career: the talent was always there. He quickly earned an opportunity with the Georgia Bulldogs but struggled to carve out a role among one of college football's deepest collections of defensive talent. Eventually, Johnson found his chance to shine at Florida State, where he broke out with 12 sacks during his senior season.

You would think the 2021 ACC Defensive Player of the Year would finally receive his due on draft night, but that wasn't the case. Despite being widely viewed as a top five talent in the 2022 NFL Draft, Johnson watched 25 names come off the board before hearing his own called. Finally, at pick No. 26, a defensive-minded head coach made his belief in Johnson clear: Robert Saleh.

That makes it easier to understand why one of Saleh's first major moves in Tennessee was acquiring the pass rusher he believed in four years earlier. Johnson posted three sacks last season, but his best football came under Saleh's guidance in New York. The Saleh-Johnson reunion adds significant upside to a defensive line that has already been one of Tennessee's strengths over the past few seasons.

Johnson Benefitting the Team On and Off the Field

While Johnson provides an immediate boost to the Titans' defense, he didn't come cheap. To reunite with his former first-round pick, Saleh had to part with one of Tennessee's emerging young stars, T'Vondre Sweat. Moving on from a 24-year-old defensive tackle carries risk and makes this move larger than any other the Titans made this offseason.

Tennessee may have already started seeing returns on that gamble, and Johnson hasn't even played a game yet. Shortly after arriving in Nashville, Johnson took to social media and publicly recruited Broncos' standout John Franklin-Myers to join him in Tennessee.

Would Franklin-Myers have signed with the Titans without Johnson's pitch? Maybe. But it's fair to believe Johnson helped make Tennessee a more attractive destination. Pairing Johnson and
Franklin-Myers with four-time Pro Bowler Jeffery Simmons creates a defensive front capable of matching up with some of the NFL's best.

Under the direction of defensive guru Robert Saleh, the Titans' defense is once again beginning to look like a unit capable of making life difficult for opposing offenses. Johnson will undoubtedly be a key piece of a defensive line that looks formidable on paper.

This trade may ultimately prove to be the defining move of Tennessee's offseason. Moving on from Sweat was a gamble, but the Titans clearly believe Johnson is worth the risk. For a player who has faced doubt at nearly every stage of his football journey, Johnson has found another believer in Saleh. That belief could help build one of the NFL's most feared defenses.

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