NASHVILLE – Femi Oladejo knew there would be an adjustment to the NFL, and after the first month of the 2025 season, he was starting to settle in.
Then, in his sixth game as a pro, the Titans rookie edge rusher suffered a fractured leg in the team's game at Las Vegas.
Oladejo was placed on Injured Reserve, and he spent the rest of the season recovering, rehabbing, and learning, while thinking about what's next.
At times, it wasn't easy.
"Just keeping my faith in God, staying prayed up, reading my Bible, staying in touch with my family," Oladejo said. "And being around my teammates as well, that helped a lot."
"(My teammates) told me to keep my head up, things happen. Everyone's journey is different, and you just have to take it day by day and not let the present get too ahead of the future."
A second-round pick of the Titans in the 2025 NFL Draft, the 6-foot-3-inch, 259-pound Oladejo tallied 13 tackles, six quarterback pressures and two tackles for a loss in while playing in six games for the Titans. Before being injured on his 23rd snap in the team's October 12 game against the Raiders, Oladejo had already recorded three tackles, two tackles for a loss, and a quarterback hit. It was arguably his best showing during his brief rookie campaign.
It was a setback for Oladejo, who moved from an off-the-ball linebacker at UCLA to the edge position during his senior year. In his eyes, the more reps, the better.
And while Oladejo wasn't able to play another snap in 2025 after the injury, he did practice with the team the final few weeks of the year while remaining on Injured Reserve.
The year was a learning experience for Oladejo.
"I have a lot of developing to do," he said. "Now I have to keep growing and progress my craft and take things day by day, developing all aspects of my body, flexibility, mobility, and things of that nature. But I know the potential is there."
Oladejo said he plans to work on his body this offseason, whether it's doing Pilates, hot yoga, or boxing, while working on pass rush on the field in an effort to be more explosive.
He has big plans for his second NFL season.
"(I want to be) a playmaker, an impact player who makes plays, gets the ball back, and helps the team win in any situation," he said. "100 percent (I feel I can do it). As the weeks kept going (this year), I kept gaining my confidence more and more, I just had an unfortunate circumstance with the injury.
"But I'm going to work, and do everything I can to help this team."
