After an injury-plauged rookie season, Titans edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo enters camp with a new coach and a new perspective. He quickly received a vote of confidence from that new coach, Robert Saleh, who came to his defense during Thursday's news conference.
"One thing that I will say with Fem is that he looks good coming off the bus. I mean, he looks awesome. The other thing I will tell you is that I will put myself in a chair and scream that he will play with elite effort and strain. That is unquestioned," Saleh said.
"Just being with him through OTAs and through the first day. You're right, he is raw in the sense that he has not had a lot of opportunities to rush the passer and to do things that we are going to ask, but I've got a lot of confidence in the fact that he is going to at minimum produce enough just based off his effort, his length, his athleticism, his tenacity, his strain, and we will continue to develop the skillset that he needs to be able to win the one-on-ones on a consistent basis."
Oluwafemi Oladejo's path to becoming a starter
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The Titans made several additions to the roster this offseason, including Jermaine Johnson II, who is expected to lock down one of the starting edge spots. The other starting spot, however, remains up for grabs. While both Jeffery Simmons and John Franklin-Myers are capable of rushing the passer from the edge, the Titans are expected to use both primarily alongside each other on the interior of the line.
That leaves two realistic candidates to start opposite Johnson: Oladejo and first-round draft pick Keldric Faulk. Faulk was a standout at Auburn, but pass rushing was the least developed aspect of his game off the edge. As a result, he may not be ready to handle an every-down edge role early in his NFL career, creating an opportunity for Oladejo to earn significant playing time.
Oladejo possesses a rare combination of size and speed that gives him the potential to wreak havoc off the edge. If he develops the way that Saleh and the coaching staff envision, he could become a major contributor for the Titans in his second season.
