NASHVILLE – John Franklin-Myers knows the job description, and he knows how he plays football.
In Tennessee, and under a head coach and defensive line coach he's very familiar with, the rugged defensive lineman thinks he's found the perfect fit with the Titans.
"In this defense you attack, you get off the ball, you knock people back, you run to the ball," Franklin-Myers said. "And that is everything I do, it's how I play. I play with effort, I play with physicality, I play as violent as I can, and it all started when I first joined this defense. I have been a pass rusher, it's what I do.
"But this defense helped me turn a corner, and it kind of changed my life honestly."
An eight-year NFL veteran who has played with the Rams, Jets and Broncos, Franklin-Myers signed with the Titans in free agency for a lot of reasons, he said. One of the biggest reasons is because the move will reunite him with Titans head coach Robert Saleh, his head coach with the Jets.
Franklin-Myers will also rejoin defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton, his position coach in New York. He'll also get to play again with edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, his friend and former teammates with the Jets who was traded to Tennessee.
It didn't hurt that Franklin-Myers' future in-laws now live in Charlotte, Tennessee, located just north of Dickson, about 40 miles west of Nashville. They just happened to buy five acres of land there not too long ago, and Franklin-Myers became familiar with Tennessee because of all his visits with his fiance – after first making stops at Prince's Hot Chicken, of course. JFM estimated he's been there a dozen times.
When Saleh was hired, Franklin-Myers said it was a "light bulb moment," and the Titans became even more attractive. Then came the team's trade for Johnson.
"Our relationship, we have one of the best relationships in football I would say," Franklin-Myers said of Saleh. "We kept in contact. When I'm down, he is going to shoot me a text, and he is going to pick me up. Relationships in football, they're so important. And I appreciate coach Saleh because I can always count on him. Whenever free agency started, it was like: 'If the opportunity ever came about and he was willing, and we set the financials straight, I would be more than willing. And I am so happy to be back in this defense with him, for real."
Being reunited with Johnson makes it even more special, he said.
"Playing football, you lose contact with some guys," Franklin-Myers said. "But me and Jermaine have stayed friends, and we've stayed in contact. When Saleh took the job and he got traded, Jermaine called me and said: 'Bruh, I can't wait. I hope you get out here.' Jermaine is a good friend of mine, and he knows there's not anyone who is going to hold him to a better standard than me and the people we have in that room. Whitecotton is going to hold him to that same standard, and he's going to make sure we are all held to the same standard. So, that is the best part about it, you have people that you trust and bled with and sweated with and it makes it easier to be out there."
A fourth-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in the 2018 NFL Draft, Franklin-Myers has played in 114 career games, with 83 starts, and he's tallied 200 tackles, 34 sacks and 35 tackles for a loss.
In 2025, Franklin-Myers played in 16 games, with 15 starts, and he tallied 7.5 sacks and 15 quarterback hits. Since 2024, among interior defensive linemen, Franklin-Myers ranks 7th in the NFL in sacks (14.5) and 13th in pressures (95), per PFF.
The 6-foot-4, 288-pound Franklin-Myers had seven sacks in 2024 as the Broncos set franchise records for sacks in each of the last two seasons.
The productive and durable Franklin-Myers started every game for the Jets in 2022 and 2023, and he started 31 of 34 games with the Broncos over the past two seasons. Saleh coached Franklin-Myers with the Jets before he was traded to the Broncos in 2024.
With the Titans, Franklin-Myers will also play alongside Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, a player he has admired from afar.
"I'm familiar with Jeff because he's the best in the world," Franklin-Myers said. "I've been a fan of his game, been watching it, studying it. Certain guys like Jeff, you can't exactly watch his tape and utilize his skill set, because he's 1 of 1. You take what you can from his game."
So, what's next for Franklin-Myers?
Well, the big man said he'll keep playing the way he's also played.
His plan is to continue wreaking havoc, now as a Titan.
"I am going to be physical – violence is what I do, I am known for that. And effort," he said. "If I had to choose the two things that I want to be known for, it would be violence and effort, and play-making is going to fall in line with that.
"When I am on the field, it looks a certain way," he continued. "And so, there is no way I can go out there and not be physical. There is no way I can go out there and not play with technique and effort. So, it is what I have done, and it is what I am going to continue to do. It is what helps our defense, it is what helps my teammates and my teammates feed off of that.
"I am always going to be physical, and I am going to talk mess and we are going to run, that's what it is. I love it. It's why I love football, and whenever they tell me I can't do that any more, I'll be done with this. But I ain't got no plans of stopping."
