The Tennessee Titans made a major change this offseason, firing head coach Mike Vrabel. He was replaced by Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator Brain Callahan. The Titans will look different on the field going from the defensive-minded Vrabel to the offensive-minded Callahan in the early stages of a rebuild.
Callahan is a first-time head coach and he will be surrounded by some youthfulness on his staff as well. One of those people is Dennard Wilson, who will be taking over as defensive coordinator in Tennessee.
Wilson spent the 2023 season as the defensive backs coach with the Baltimore Ravens. He spent time with the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles in the same position, while also being the passing game coordinator.
NFL News & Rumors: Dennard Wilson & Tennessee Titans Updates
The Titans’ defensive coordinator job is the first time Wilson will have a chance to lead an entire defense, not just the secondary. It is an opportunity he is excited about, as he revealed during his introductory press conference one of the missions he has heading into the 2024 season.
“Football, it’s not about the scheme, it’s about the players,” Wilson said, via the team’s official website. “So, we have to figure out what they do well, and we’ll put the scheme around them to allow their talents to flourish. I can tell you this about the scheme, and I learned this a long time ago, General George Patton said this: ‘Nobody ever defended anything successfully. You are going to attack, and attack some more.’
“We are going to be an attacking defense. We are going to be violent in our approach. We are going to be smart, we are going to be intelligent, we are never going to compromise for competing, and that is the brand of football we are going to play around here.” (H/T NFL.com)
The Titans were solid in some areas defensively in 2023, but one area they were underwhelming in was producing turnovers. They were 31st with only 14 takeaways last season and last in interceptions with only six.
That is something Wilson will be looking to change right away. Playmaking and attacking defenses are something that he knows well from his previous stops. The Jets, Eagles and Ravens all excel at forcing turnovers and creating plays defensively to help put their offense in position to succeed.
NFL News & Rumors: Dennard Wilson & Tennessee Titans Updates
Wilson is going to have a lot of freedom running the defense with the Titans. Callahan is giving him authority to run things as he sees fit, which Wilson believes will mean more blitzing and playing to the strengths of his players.
“For me, if I see a talented player, I feel like I can get the best out of them,” Wilson said. “Any player that I have ever been around, the first thing I am going to do: I pride myself in being a hell of a teacher. I am going to motivate them to be better than they think they should be or reach the potential they are supposed to. And I am going to inspire them to go get it.”
The Titans have several key players defensively set to hit free agency, headlined by Denico Autry and Azeez Al-Shaair. But, there is still a nice foundation in place for Wilson to work with, including star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, Arden Key and Harold Landry.
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