When the Tennessee Titans hired Robert Saleh to be their new head coach, they did so for a multitude of reasons. His leadership ability and his skills as a defensive playcaller are obvious, but something that often gets neglected is his player development skills.
Between his time as the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator and the head coach of the New York Jets, Saleh inherited a few Pro Bowl players, including Richard Sherman and C.J. Mosley. However, he was a big part in identifying and developing many more players who would turn into Pro Bowl players over time under his wing.
Under Saleh, Nick Bosa, Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams, and DeForest Buckner all earned Pro Bowl accolades quickly, but since they were high first-round picks, it is easy to discredit that as a feather in Saleh's cap. Maybe he is just really good at identifying talent and knows how to get the most out of good players, which is an asset in itself.
New head coach Robert Saleh will create more superstars for Tennessee Titans defense
It should be noted that Williams has slightly regressed statistically since Saleh's departure, and Gardner has taken a step back. At best, they are the same players, but the reality is that neither is quite as dominant as they were during the Saleh days.
Then there are players like Jermaine Johnson, Quincy Williams, and Fred Warner.
While Johnson was a late first-round pick, he certainly hasn't been easy to get the most out of. Ten of Johnson's 13 career sacks happened with Saleh at the helm, and since then, he has been talked about more as a trade candidate than a playmaker.
Williams was considered a third-round bust by the Jacksonville Jaguars when they cut him two seasons into his rookie deal. Saleh deftly swooped him up and did whatever voodoo he does with linebackers, instantly turning him into a tackle machine.
During their time together, Williams had at least 100 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and two sacks in every season. Despite being solid, Williams has fallen back to earth since his All-Pro nod in 2023.
Finally, you have Warner, who has pointed to Saleh as someone who not only coached him but also was the driving force behind why he was drafted by the 49ers.
"I' love Saleh, love everything about him,' Warner said. 'The draft process is horrible unless you're the first overall pick or something, I don't know how it is for those guys in the first round. They might get talked up, but for a guy like me who was trying to prove himself, I was a third-round draft pick and I had a bunch of teams telling me, 'You can't do this, you're not that.' Finally, I took my 30 visit with the Niners and I'm in there with Coach Saleh in his office, and he was like, 'Man, I really like your game, this is how I see you playing in our system.' This was the first time I was hearing these things. So I was thinking this guy Coach Saleh, he's the best. Then they drafted me and had all the belief in the world to stay with me even through a rocky rookie season as a starter and see it through. I love him.'"
All of the evidence points to Saleh as someone who can identify, develop, and lead Pro Bowl players. That is what Titans fans should be getting excited about as he begins to assemble his staff, and that is what should give them confidence that he is the coach who will support Cam Ward the best going forward.