The Tennessee Titans have their new head coach in former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. While Saleh was in charge of several great defenses during his time as a coordinator, his best defense came in 2022 when he was the head coach of the New York Jets. The accolades for that group are extensive.
Saleh's 2022 Jets defense led the league in yards per play allowed. They finished top five in points allowed, second in passer rating, and seventh in sacks. You might be tempted to believe he was in charge of an exceptionally talented group. In reality, Saleh was maximizing the talent he was given, and time has proven that he elevated that roster more than any coach since.
While his group wasn't exceptionally talented, they did have a few stars sprinkled in the mix. Their leading pass rusher that season was defensive tackle Quinnen Williams with 12.5 sacks. It's probably not a coincidence that Saleh decided to join the team with possibly the most dominant defensive tackle in the league right now, in Jeffery Simmons. Those two should be kindred spirits, and fans should only expect to see more dominance from the interior of that defense.
Titans could recreate the Robert Saleh defense in Tennessee
Speaking of the middle of the defense, Saleh has always been a defensive coach who has been defined by his elite linebacker play. Linebackers like Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, and Azeez Al-Shaair were all under his tutelage when he was with the 49ers, and when he joined the Jets, he helped C.J. Mosley return to Pro Bowl form. Not only that, but when the Jacksonville Jaguars cut Quincey Williams just two years after they drafted him in the third round, Saleh scooped him up and helped him develop into an All-Pro linebacker.
Saleh is inheriting an exciting young linebacker in Cedric Gray, who stacked up 164 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and a sack in his first season as a starter. Saleh can use his experience and insight to determine whether Cody Barton or James Williams can be good starters beside him, and if not, then he can use some of the $100 million the Titans have in cap space to find a replacement.
The biggest question marks come at EDGE and cornerback. EDGE is less of a concern because, outside of Nick Bosa with the 49ers, Saleh has never had an elite EDGE to work with. During his 2022 season, his top two EDGEs were John Franklin-Myers, who was a relative unknown before Saleh and his staff developed him into a very good player, and Carl Lawson, who was coming off a missed season due to an Achilles injury.
Saleh has proven that he can elevate EDGEs and that his defense is more about the group than the individual at that position, so that reduces some of the immediate need. The Titans could bring back Dre'Mont Jones and Jihad Ward via free agency, then spend a top-100 pick on an EDGE and feel pretty good about their ability to replicate the group that Saleh had in 2022.
Where the Titans need to step up their game and commit resources is at cornerback. The Jets didn't have elite cornerback play on both sides, but Saleh and his staff had Sauce Gardner playing at a peak that he hasn't seen since their time together. Having arguably the best cornerback in the NFL at the time makes life a lot easier, and the Titans don't have anything like that on the current roster.
When you stack it up, the Titans have a defensive line and safety group that tops the talent that Saleh had during that 2022 season with the Jets, but cornerback is a big need, and linebacker probably needs another body. Still, it is very encouraging that the Titans won't have to throw the kitchen sink at EDGE, knowing that they have a coach who will get the most out of that unit as long as the coverage on the back end can hold up.