Tennessee Titans Corner Out for the Year

The Tennessee Titans will be without one of their most promising young defensive backs for the remainder of the season. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports 2021 first-round pick Caleb Farley underwent back surgery and is not expected to return until the team begins its offseason program.

Farley appeared in nine games for the Titans this year, starting once. He has been out since suffering a herniated disk in the team's Week 10 17-10 win over the Denver Broncos.

Farley's absence will hurt the depth of the Titans as they push for the playoffs. At 7-5, they're in a commanding lead in the AFC South, but their pass defense's struggles could come back to haunt them in the postseason. They've allowed the second-most passing yards in the league and rank 21st in net yards per passing attempt allowed. Farley's unavailability could stretch their secondary to the breaking point.

Farley initially joined the Titans as their 22nd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft after two years at Virginia Tech. He nabbed six interceptions in 23 appearances with the Hokies before sitting out the 2020 season due to the pandemic. Injuries have held him to a disappointing 12 games in the pros; he tore his ACL in October of last year.

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