Titans Hire Former Rival Head Coach as DC

Gus Bradley Joining Titans Coaching Staff

Bradley, 59, has two decades of experience in the NFL as a coach. He began his professional coaching career in 2006 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' linebackers coach. He served in that role for three years before joining the Seattle Seahawks to become their defensive coordinator. In four seasons in the Pacific Northwest, Bradley developed one of the best rising units in the league, which allowed him to become the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2013-16.

While he struggled with the Jags producing a 14-48 record in his tenure, he remained one of the more respected coaches in the league. Bradley became the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers from 2017-20 and hopped on over to the AFC West rival Las Vegas Raiders in 2021. For three seasons from 2022-24, he was with the Indianapolis Colts before becoming the San Francisco 49ers assistant head coach of defense in 2025.

Last season allowed Bradley to build a relationship with Saleh, who was the defensive coordinator for the team. Now Bradley and Saleh are teaming up again with the Titans in hopes of turning things around for the franchise.

Getting another former head coach on the staff will only fortify what the Titans are trying to build under Saleh. The addition of former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll as the offensive coordinator and Bradley now as the defensive coordinator gives Tennessee a three-headed monster of experience that should benefit everyone on the Titans roster.

The Titans were looking for accountability when trying to find the replacement for Brian Callahan, and it appears they have found that with Saleh leading the charge and Daboll and Bradley as his left and right-hand men.

The hope for the Titans is that Bradley's experience as a long-term defensive coordinator in the NFL will help the team get past the troubles it had last season and get back towards the top of the leaderboard in all of the major defensive categories.