After years of absorbing double teams and playing on the line of scrimmage, Simmons believes Robert Saleh's attack-minded defense will allow him to create even more disruption.
By PAUL KUHARSKY
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Robert Saleh wants his deep group of defensive linemen going so hard that they need rest in short order.
“With the way we play and the demands that we have on the D-line, if you can go four plays in a row, you're not doing it right,” he said.
Jeffery Simmons understands the concept and mentality, but when the Titans reconvene for training camp in late July, his intent is to be in such good shape that Saleh, Gus Bradley and Aaron White Cotton reconsider the boundary.
“I kind of have that mindset that I’m a different breed, and my mindset is that I want to play more than four snaps in a row,” he said with a smile as the Titans wrapped minicamp practices. They will have a family BBQ on Wednesday. “Is it going to happen? Probably not because that’s the rotations and the rules that they follow. But when I come back for training camp, I’m going to be able to have that mindset, ‘No coach, I can go four more.’"
Simmons looks great and was in a terrific mood, but for the second day in a row, he did some early work on the side as per a plan he and Saleh wrote up when players reported. The right elbow injury that prevented him from fully straightening his right arm for nearly two and a half years was surgically repaired in February and is now healed, but Saleh said the defensive tackle was dealing with a “couple things.”
Jeffery Simmons had his right elbow cleaned up. #Titans pic.twitter.com/ofVJireJfz
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) June 17, 2026
The Titans' best player lit up as he envisioned himself in the new system, surrounded by a deep group of linemen including veteran John Franklin-Myers and first-rounder Keldric Faulk.
“It’s my first year playing in like this attack defense,” he said. “A lot of the last couple of years I’ve been playing 2-technique, playing on the line of scrimmage, holding on to a double team. I remember my first time going out there on the field with Whitecotton. I’m used to playing doubles; I’m going to feel a double team, sitting at the line of scrimmage, kind of holding my ground. And he showed me in the meeting rooms: ‘That’s not how we play, that’s not how the defense plays, we’re attacking up the field.
“That’s my game. I like to come on the other side of the line of scrimmage… Everything is get-off, the first two steps are the main key of the defense. You have to play on the other side of the line of scrimmage. I love this philosophy; I think it will help me make a lot more plays in the backfield. It will help this team for sure.”
Frequently aligned in techniques that required him to engage blockers, anchor and play with gap discipline, Simmons still produced 11 sacks and 27 tackles for a loss in 2025. Saleh's system is expected to give him more opportunities to attack upfield and create disruption.
Whitecotton said Simmons has done a great job of channeling his individual talents into the defensive front’s common goal. The coach praised Simmons for the pride he takes in stopping the run, rushing the passer, playing hard and physical and meeting the standard they set for everybody.
It’s hard to imagine Simmons being much better than he was last year. But this system, a determination to be even fitter and better health could give him a chance to do it.
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