The Tennessee Titans have made a bold move, bringing in Robert Saleh as their new head coach. Known for building tough, disciplined defenses, Saleh arrives in Nashville with a proven track record of elevating units beyond the sum of their parts. His most impressive work came in 2022, when he helmed a New York Jets defense that quietly became one of the most suffocating groups in the league.
That Jets defense didn’t just pass the eye test - it backed it up with numbers. They led the NFL in yards per play allowed, finished top five in points allowed, ranked second in opposing passer rating, and cracked the top 10 in sacks.
And while there were a few standout players, this wasn’t a defense loaded with Pro Bowlers at every level. Saleh squeezed every ounce of production out of that group, turning a solid roster into an elite unit.
That’s the kind of coaching the Titans are banking on.
One of the bright spots of that 2022 Jets defense was defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who led the team with 12.5 sacks - an impressive feat for an interior lineman. Now, Saleh steps into a situation where he gets to coach Jeffery Simmons, one of the most dominant interior defenders in the game today.
That pairing could be special. Simmons brings elite strength, quickness, and motor to the middle of the line - traits that Saleh has historically maximized in his defensive schemes.
Expect Simmons to thrive under Saleh’s guidance, potentially reaching a new level as the centerpiece of this defense.
Saleh’s defenses have always been built from the inside out, and linebacker play has been a key piece of that puzzle. From Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw in San Francisco to C.J.
Mosley and Quincey Williams in New York, Saleh has consistently developed linebackers into high-impact players. That’s good news for Cedric Gray, a promising young linebacker who just posted 164 tackles in his first season as a starter.
Gray has the instincts and range to be a difference-maker, and Saleh’s track record suggests he’ll know exactly how to bring that out of him.
The Titans still need to figure out who lines up next to Gray. Cody Barton and James Williams are in the mix, but if neither grabs the job, the Titans have flexibility - and the financial resources - to go shopping. With roughly $100 million in cap space, they can afford to be aggressive in free agency if needed.
Now, let’s talk edge rushers. It might seem like a concern, but here’s the thing - Saleh doesn’t need a superstar at EDGE to make his defense work.
Outside of Nick Bosa in San Francisco, he’s rarely had elite talent on the edge. In 2022, his top pass rushers were John Franklin-Myers and Carl Lawson - solid players, but not household names.
Saleh and his staff developed them into reliable contributors, and that’s the blueprint for Tennessee.
That gives the Titans some breathing room. They could look to bring back veterans like Dre’Mont Jones or Jihad Ward in free agency to stabilize the rotation, and then use a top-100 draft pick to add a young, moldable EDGE prospect. With Saleh pulling the strings, there’s confidence that the unit will produce, even without a marquee name.
The one area where Tennessee needs to invest - and fast - is at cornerback. Saleh’s 2022 Jets defense had Sauce Gardner playing at an All-Pro level.
That kind of shutdown presence makes everything easier, especially when you're dialing up pressure up front. The Titans don’t have a Sauce-type player on the outside right now, and that’s a problem.
If they want to replicate the kind of success Saleh had in New York, they’ll need to find a true CB1 who can hold up in man coverage and take away one side of the field.
Looking at the full picture, the Titans actually have more talent at defensive tackle and safety than Saleh had in 2022. That’s a strong foundation.
Linebacker could use one more piece, and cornerback is the glaring hole. But the EDGE group?
That’s one spot where the Titans can afford to be patient, knowing they’ve got a coach who has consistently turned mid-level talent into high-level production.
Robert Saleh isn’t just bringing a new scheme to Tennessee - he’s bringing a mindset. His defenses are fast, physical, and fundamentally sound. And if the Titans give him the right pieces on the back end, there’s every reason to believe he can build a unit that plays with the same bite and swagger as the one he led in New York.