NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Titans cornerback Caleb Farley is feared to have suffered a herniated disk during the 17-10 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday, according to a league source. The injury will likely require surgery and cost Farley the rest of the season, per the source.
Farley suffered the injury while on the field as part of the Titans' punt return unit early in the third quarter. He limped off the field and into the blue injury tent with Titans trainers before being taken into the locker room and ruled out due to a back injury. This is Farley's second back injury in the past three years. He injured his L5 disc and suffered a bulged S1 disc resulting in a microdiscectomy before the 2021 draft.
The back injury, along with scouts not seeing Farley work out at Virginia Tech's pro day, caused him to fall to the Titans at 22 overall despite being considered a legitimate top-15 prospect when healthy. Titans general manager Jon Robinson was willing to select Farley in the first round despite the back issue because NFL doctors gave him a passing health grade.
Farley played in three games as a rookie last season before tearing an ACL in Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills. The Titans projected Farley to be a starter at cornerback this season after what they said was a positive offseason recovering from the ACL injury.
Through nine games this season, Farley played 99 snaps (16.8%) on defense and 74 on special teams.
