Titans need way more from John Franklin-Myers in Week 2

Several new Tennessee Titans players failed to meet expectations in Sunday’s Week 1 loss to the New York Jets. One of the glaring ones was defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers. The Titans need Franklin-Myers to be way better versus the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2.

The Titans signed Franklin-Myers to a three-year, $63 million contract in free agency. That’s a hefty deal to play next to Jeffery Simmons. Franklin-Myers was brought in for his experience in Robert Saleh’s system, having played under him with the Jets.

Remember that Franklin-Myers missed a huge portion of training camp with stiffness and soreness. The former Stephen F. Austin standout did not play a single snap in the preseason. Franklin-Myers got the veteran rest treatment, but it clearly had a negative impact on his Week 1 performance.

Franklin-Myers recorded just three tackles and one quarterback pressure against the Jets. Pro Football Focus slapped him with an overall defensive grade of 52.7. His PFF pass-rushing grade was a 52.8, and run-stopping score wasn’t much better (55.4). Franklin-Myers was totally ineffective.

The Eagles are dealing with an injury on the offensive line. They’ll be without starting left guard Landon Dickerson, who is a Pro Bowl-caliber interior blocker. The expectation is that sophomore backup Drew Kendall will replace him. Both Simmons and Franklin-Myers need to take advantage of that matchup.

The Titans paid Franklin-Myers very handsomely to be a dominant force on the defensive line. His impact was totally muted by an underrated Jets offensive line in Week 1. Nonetheless, Coach Saleh’s defensive line was very disappointing. Franklin-Myers needs to help lead the charge towards improvement.

The Titans have had way too many big-money flops lately. They certainly can’t afford another. It’s obviously far too early to panic. Franklin-Myers is known as a consistent defensive lineman. Hopefully Franklin-Myers will perform like his usual self soon.