Titans Complete Coaching Staff With Defensive Overhaul

Tennessee Titans Complete Coaching Staff With Defensive Overhaul

Additions

DC Gus Bradley

In a somewhat surprising move, given Bradley’s pedigree, he was hired by Saleh to be the new defensive coordinator. He previously served as the 49ers’ assistant head coach in 2025, working with his new (old?) boss. Bradley brings head-coaching experience to Nashville, having served as the Jaguars’ head coach for three seasons, including a win over the Titans in his first game. Before his stint in San Francisco, he previously worked with Saleh in Jacksonville and Seattle. Bradley’s previous stint as a defensive coordinator in the AFC South did not go well, to say the least, earning a pink slip in 2024. The defensive mind won’t call plays at Tennessee, but his knowledge will serve as a sounding board for game plans and game management. Bradley is a linebackers coach by nature after getting his first NFL start with Tampa Bay under Monte Kiffin in 2006.

Defensive Line Aaron Whitecotton

Whitecotton comes from the Metroplex after spending one solitary season with the Cowboys. Before his stint in Dallas, he spent time with the Jets alongside Saleh for several seasons. He crossed over with multiple Titans coaches, including Daboll, serving as Assistant Defensive Line Coach for two seasons. Whitecotton also possesses a connection to the Titans’ DC, as Bradley was his boss while they were together in Jacksonville. Saleh and Whitecotton worked together with the Jets and 49ers. No adjustment period is required for the well-traveled defensive line guru, as he knows the expectations of the head boss and his immediate supervisor, given their connections. He’s coached talented defensive linemen such as Quinnen Williams, Dante Fowler, Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, and Leonard Williams, among others. Much will be expected from Whitecotton to reshape a floundering Titans defensive line outside of superstar Jeffery Simmons.

Linebackers Dave Borgonzi

The brother of GM Mike Borgonzi, Dave, lands a spot coaching linebackers in Nashville in a family affair. He received his coaching start with the Cowboys in 2011 as a defensive assistant. Borgonzi didn’t get his first true “on-field” role until the 2018 season with the Colts as the linebackers coach. Interestingly, he served under Matt Eberflus at multiple stops, including the Colts, Bears, and Cowboys. Linebackers he coached throughout his career include Zaire Franklin , Bobby Okereke, Roquan Smith , and T.J. Edwards. He’ll need to perform well with the current group, which includes Cedric Gray, Cody Barton, and potential additions, to avoid the nepotism stigma. To be fair to Dave, Tennessee was the first opportunity the family had to work together. They’ve mostly been able to make their own way into the league as solo acts.

Defensive Backs / Nickels Dalton Hilliard

Hilliard played collegiately at UCLA under Jim Mora Jr. and began his coaching career at Westwood as a graduate assistant in 2016. He has a connection to the state of Tennessee, as he coached at UT-Martin for two seasons in a DPGC role. The former Bruin moved to UConn to once again serve on Moras’ staff in Storrs as a secondary coach, a role he held for four seasons. He’s part of a growing trend of college assistants jumping at the NFL opportunity because of unregulated insanity in the sport. Hilliard was slated to follow Mora to Colorado State, but instead made the journey to the Music City.

The Titans haven’t had a direct-to-pros coaching hire in the secondary since Kerry Coombs, who left Ohio State for a job on Mike Vrabel’s staff. It remains to be seen how the Titans’ nickelbacks respond to Hilliard’s credentials. He gets results at every stop he makes, often leading to all-conference defenders.

DBs / Safeties Marquand Manuel

Manuel was a key member of the “Legion of Boom” for the Seahawks during the early part of the century. He originally got selected by the Bengals before moving on to Seattle. The former Gators star defensive back rose rapidly through the coaching ranks, becoming a defensive coordinator in six seasons. Manuel was relieved from his defensive coordinator duties by the Falcons in 2017. He first crossed paths with Saleh in Seattle, when Saleh was a QC coach, and he was an assistant special teams coach. The pair would reunite once again in New York when Manuel was hired to coach safeties in 2021. OC Brian Daboll had him on staff in 2025 as the Giants’ defensive backs coach, so there’s another tie to the staff.

It’s been a long road back to being on the DC track for Manuel, but he’s on the rise again. Tennessee’s safety play should improve under his watch with the emergence of Kevin Winston, Jr. However, more reinforcements are needed. It will be interesting to see how their vast amount of dollars is utilized for the position.

Retentions

Senior Defensive Assistant Ben Bloom

Bloom was hired as the outside linebackers coach in Tennessee by the departed Brian Callahan regime and was retained by Saleh. He’s now a vaguely titled “Senior Defensive Assistant” who will presumably continue his duties in an unofficial capacity similar to how ” senior analysts” work at the college level. Perhaps it is a role that best suits Bloom, given the breadth of his experience working with the Cowboys and Browns before his Nashville stint. It bears watching how his duties will expand or contract with the coach listed below him. It can be speculated that it is a “tool” to give him more experience with the other parts of the defense.

Senior Defensive Assistant / Pass Rush Specialist Travis Smith

Smith comes with ties to both Assistant GM Dave Ziegler and VP/Football Advisor Reggie McKenzie during their shared time with the Raiders. Before his first season in Nashville, he served as the defensive line coach with the Bears for three seasons. The previous coaching administration hired the new pass-rush specialist coach as the defensive run game coordinator, so it’s unclear how the run game will be split without his presence. Smith is another “on-field” coach who got the dreaded Senior Defensive Assistant label alongside cohort Bloom.

PGC / Cornerbacks Tony Oden

Oden is another coach who was retained despite his position group’s lackluster performance. He’s a settled coach who can spread the gospel of Saleh’s defense to his pupils in the cornerback room. He was among the first group of retained coaches when Saleh took the job. The reigning cornerbacks coach got an additional bump in title by adding passing game coordinator to his business card. Coach Saleh and Smith worked together in Houston, New York, and San Francisco. Oden is a trusted Saleh lieutenant who needs significant talent infusion among his charges. He originally got his first NFL break as a defensive assistant with the Texans in 2004. His CV features a lot of versatility, flitting between coaching cornerbacks and safeties throughout his tenure. It can only help as the new secondary coaching hires are introduced to the city.