Which former Tennessee Titans coach could return after a decade away?

The Tennessee Titans coaching staff is taking shape, and one of the most important vacancies remaining is the defensive line position.

As it stands right now, the Titans have already hired their offensive and defensive coordinator, and they have also hired position coaches for the offensive line, wide receivers, linebackers, and defensive backs. That means that the team is still searching for a special teams coordinator and position coaches for the defensive line, quarterbacks, running backs, and tight ends.

All of those coaches are going to be important, but the Tennessee Titans defense is going to be defined by their defensive line. With Jeffery Simmons, Harold Landry, Arden Key, and (potentially) Denico Autry, you could argue that the Titans defensive line is the most talented position group on the roster.

Whoever coaches that group is going to have an easy job, but they are also going to have high expectations.

Why Tracy Rocker is the right choice for the Tennessee Titans

Rocker was with the Tennessee Titans from 2011-2013, and during that time he spent a year coaching with/under Gregg Williams. That is important because Williams is someone Dennard Wilson has pointed to as someone he learned a lot under, even saying that Williams groomed him to eventually become a DC someday. He also coached with new Titans linebackers coach Frank Bush during that time as well.

After that, Rocker spent nearly a decade in the SEC as a DL coach, but in 2021 he jumped back into the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles. The defense was fine in 2021, but they rocketed to the top of the NFL in 2022. During that season the Eagles led the league in pass defense and sacks, with four different players having 10+ sacks.

That also happens to be the year that Dennard Wilson joined the Eagles coaching staff as the team's passing game coordinator.

After the Eagles face-planted to end the 2023 season and went one-and-done in the playoffs, nearly the entire staff was replaced including Tracy Rocker.

Considering how important familiarity and communication are, it makes a lot of sense for Brian Callahan to try to pair Tracy Rocker with Dennard Wilson again to see if they can replicate the results that they got together in 2022.

Remember, building a coaching staff is about finding the best fits and not the biggest names. Rocker is a solid DL coach, but he isn't an elite coach who is going to garner a lot of attention from every team. However, his connection with Dennard Wilson and Frank Bush would help get the defensive coaching staff on the same page quickly, and that should make him valuable to the Tennessee Titans.