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Tennessee Titans battle for snaps at edge rusher begins with OTAs and includes talented undrafted free agent

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Travis May | Last updated May 21, 2024 2:44 PM ET

The Tennessee Titans have an incredible edge rusher duo in Harold Landry and Arden Key. Those two should tally an impressive sack total again in 2024 after they racked up a combined 18 sacks last season. However, after those two the edge rusher depth is highly questionable for the Titans.

Outside of the two starters on the edge, the Titans return exactly zero edge defenders who logged more than one sack in 2023 for the team. So, who will be the next Two-Tone Blue edge rusher to step up this year? Let's dive in.

Rashad Weaver, fourth year Titan

The Titans selected Rashad Weaver back in 2021 as a round four selection in that NFL Draft. Since then he's been rather inconsistent, racking up just five sacks on nearly 600 pass rush snaps through his first three seasons. However, his flashes have been impressive, as you can see on the 3rd-down sack in the post below from last year's preseason game against the Patriots.

Rashad Weaver beats the left tackle inside for the 3rd-down sack #TENvsNE pic.twitter.com/1XY4i2IUPh
— Justin Graver (@titansfilmroom) August 26, 2023

Weaver likely starts OTAs as the team's third or fourth edge rusher, but certainly will be pushed early on by some of the fresh faces on the the roster.

Jaylen Harrell rookie from Michigan

Fresh off a national championship with Michigan, Jaylen Harrell brings some impressive pass rush moves, speed, and flexibility off the edge. Last season he averaged a pass rush pressure rate near 15% for the Maize and Blue and brought down opposing quarterbacks a half dozen times. He was drafted near the end of round seven in this year's NFL Draft, but he doesn't look like your typical late round pass rusher as you can see in the post below.

Round: 7️⃣ Pick: 2️⃣5️⃣2️⃣@UMichFootball DL Jaylen Harrell @Titans #B1GFootball x @#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/xqTVMqXmls
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) April 27, 2024

Harrell should be the favorite to push for real playing time among all late round and undrafted free agent acquisitions on the team. He brings with him great experience, leadership, and production. He'll be one to watch as OTAs really ramp up.

Khalid Duke UDFA rookie from Kansas State

The fan favorite long shot to make the team and potentially earn a rotational pass rush role should be Khalid Duke from Kansas State. He went undrafted, but he's a prototype pass rush specialist at 6'3", 250 pounds with speed and length to get around the edge, as you can see on the highlight sack below.

Bass master, Khalid Duke pic.twitter.com/gDEhlKTCfX
— Mason Voth (@TheRealMasonV) September 9, 2023

Duke posted a pass rush pressure rate over 20% in 2022 before seeing a slight dip this past season. He'll need to add some nuance to his game, but Duke is the perfect change of pace off the edge to pair with the more powerful Harold Landry and Arden Key.

Other Key Edge Players in the Mix

Sebastian Joseph-Day may get some looks on the edge in certain packages, but he's really a better fit between three and five techniques, shading more towards the interior. Caleb Murphy and Thomas Rush could both earn some snaps, but they're really just low impact UDFA talents from last year's cycle. They'll be hard-pressed to make the team.

Be looking for more Tennessee Titans coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

And if you want to watch some Jaylen Harrell highlights from his time at Michigan to see how he might fit as a Tennessee Titan in his rookie season you can check out the video below!