They say a picture says a thousand words, but we need to come up with a similar phrase for emojis these days. Because Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons dropped a one-emoji reaction to the team's decision to hire Robert Saleh as its next head coach, and he really said it all.
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— Jeffery Simmons (@GrindSimmons94) January 20, 2026
The Titans cast probably the widest net of any team in the NFL with a head coach opening this offseason, bringing in about 300 candidates to interview for the job. All kidding aside, the decision to hire Saleh as the team's next head coach obviously didn't come without a ton of data collected on other candidates.
While the conventional thinking probably said, "Hire an offensive-minded head coach, you've got a young potential star at quarterback," the Titans know that the best way to support a young quarterback is having an elite defense.
Jeffery Simmons' reaction to the Titans hiring Robert Saleh says it all
Arguably nobody on the Titans' roster stands to benefit more from hiring a defensive guru like Saleh more than Simmons. Wherever Saleh goes, the defense plays at an elite level. Even though he relinquished play-calling duties at one point with the Jets (and will not be doing that in Tennessee), they still had a dominant defense for a time.
Wherever Saleh goes, the personnel on the defensive side of the ball is maximized. The 49ers just made it all the way to the Divisional Round of the playoffs without Nick Bosa for most of the season, no Fred Warner for most of the season, and a personnel group that included a ton of rookies and unproven players.
Saleh's arrival in Tennessee is obviously great news for the defense overall, but he's going to put Simmons in position to have maybe the best years of his career coming up. And that's saying something, because he was already a First-Team All-Pro this year with 11 sacks and 21 QB hits, the most of his NFL career so far.
You better believe that having Simmons was a focal point for Saleh wanting to come to the Titans in the first place.
Now you add Saleh into the mix, and player development will be on a fast track. The Titans have the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, where they should be able to add one of the best defensive players in the class to keep surrounding Simmons with talent on that side of the ball.
A better defense is going to mean more possessions for the offense. Of course, Saleh needs to pick the right staff to help support Cam Ward on that side of the ball, but putting an elite defense on the field is arguably the best thing for his development right now.
This season may have only been the tip of the iceberg for Simmons.