For the first time in a long time, the Tennessee Titans have hired a head coach with a long resume as a coordinator. Robert Saleh is a defensive mastermind, and hiring him means the Titans are going to focus on bringing in talent that fits how he wants to approach the defense.
That might sound simplistic, but the reality is that fans need to rethink what they understand about roster building on that side of the ball. Specifically, instead of imagining 11 starters that the Titans want for their base defense, it is more important to think about the core players on defense and the pieces around them.
On the defensive line, Saleh typically doesn't utilize two defensive tackles and two EDGEs that play 80% of the snaps. Instead, he has done one of two things. If he has a star DT (like Quinnen Williams), then that player gets 70% of the snaps, while three other defensive tackles rotate heavily around him.
If he doesn't have a star DT, he seems to prefer a real rotation where the reps are split evenly between four defensive tackles. Saleh's approach at EDGE is a little different, where his starters tend to play around 60-65% of the snaps, but there is still a healthy rotation at that position.
Robert Saleh will reshape the Tennessee Titans on defense
When it comes to roster building, that split makes it clear that defensive tackle is divided into two clear categories. Since the Titans already have their star in Jeffery Simmons, the front office might not feel the need to do much more at the position as long as the teammates around him can contribute. The one big question here is whether the Titans think T'Vondre Sweat is a fit for their system, and any significant move in free agency would be a big red flag for Sweat's future in Nashville.
EDGE, on the other hand, is a more pressing concern. Do the Titans have any confidence that Femi Oladejo can give them 700+ snaps this season? If not, then they need to heavily invest in finding two EDGEs who can handle that kind of workload.
Linebacker is a much simpler equation, where Saleh asks his two starting linebackers to stay on the field for every snap. While that is dependent on health, Saleh has still leaned heavily into having linebackers that never level the field instead of subbing linebackers in and out for different situations.
From a roster-building standpoint, that puts a lot of emphasis on having the right starters at linebacker. It might mean the Titans are set at the position, considering they already have Cedric Gray, Cody Barton, and James Williams under contract for next season.
Finally, at defensive back, it is more of what Titans fans have come to expect. Two boundary corners and two safeties, with a nickelback, is the standard. Saleh plans to hire a nickel position coach, meaning that position is going to be quite valuable in this defense.
Whether that nickel is a traditional corner like Marcus Harris or a safety like Kevin Winston is yet to be determined. That is something to keep an eye on if the Titans add multiple boundary corners in free agency. If not, the team could consider a starting defense with Winston as the nickel and Amani Hooker and Xavier Woods as the safeties.
How aggressive the Titans are in their pursuit of EDGEs and boundary cornerbacks will tell us a lot about what they think about their 2025 draft class. The same goes for how their movements at defensive tackle will provide a hint about Sweat's future.