NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans are not waiting around to rebuild their defense. General manager Ran Carthon just pulled the trigger on another athletic addition, securing former Cleveland Browns linebacker Mohamoud Diabate. After Cleveland declined to extend a $3.52 million restricted free agent tender, the Titans swooped in to grab a proven, durable defender without breaking the bank. He brings immediate grit to a roster desperate for high-motor athletes.
Diabate spent three seasons grinding in Cleveland, clawing his way from an undrafted free agent in 2023 to a legitimate starting option. He racked up 46 appearances and 18 starts for the Browns. The major turning point arrived during the 2024 campaign. Diabate stepped into a massive role, gobbling up a 70% defensive snap share while logging 70 tackles and five tackles for loss.
Even as his defensive snaps dropped to 28% in 2025—largely due to the Browns heavily rotating rookie Carson Schwesinger—Diabate stayed heavily involved. He played all 17 games, made six starts, and tallied 49 tackles alongside a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Under the guidance of new head coach Robert Saleh, the Titans demand versatile, explosive athletes at the second level. You can almost feel the sideline energy shifting in Nashville; Saleh loves linebackers with sideline-to-sideline speed, and the 24-year-old fits that exact profile. He injects immediate special teams value and true defensive upside into a room that needed fresh legs.
“He’s a guy who just puts his head down and works. We watched the tape, and you see a player flying to the football with absolute bad intentions. That’s the exact DNA we want in this building right now as we establish our identity.”
— Robert Saleh, Head Coach
Adding Diabate signals a clear strategy for the 2026 Titans: depth creates dominance. Tennessee walked into free agency with a mountain of cap space, and they are using it to raise the floor of the entire roster rather than blowing it all on a single headline name. With incumbents like Joe Bachie and Anfernee Orji remaining unsigned, Diabate instantly slots into the rotation alongside Cedric Gray and Cody Barton. This low-risk move frees up the Titans to target premium pass rushers or offensive weapons in the upcoming NFL Draft. If Diabate channels his breakout 2024 form, Tennessee just secured a starting-caliber enforcer on a bargain contract.
