The Tennessee Titans have found their new head coach. The AFC South team is expected to hire San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
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NFL insiders Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero broke the news very late Monday night. They noted that Saleh had an interview scheduled with the Arizona Cardinals but that the Tennessee Titans closed the deal on his flight.
The Cardinals will have to continue the head coach search while the Titans will move forward into the offseason. They will hope that Saleh will help fix what was the 21st-ranked defense last season while also finding assistant coaches who can continue quarterback Cam Ward's progression.
The Titans went 3-14 last season, Ward's first year under center after being the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The team fired head coach Brian Callahan after a 1-5 start and moved forward with interim coach Mike McCoy leading the way.
Saleh, 46, comes to the Titans with previous head coaching experience. He previously spent three full seasons and one partial season leading the Jets (2021-2024). The team fired him five games into the 2024 season.
Saleh posted an overall record of 20-36 during his tenure in New Jersey. The AFC East team had a top-four defense in yards allowed in 2022 and 2023, but an offense that ranked 25th or worse every season.
The Jets also had a rotating lineup of quarterbacks making starts for the team. This included Joe Flacco, Zach Wilson, Mike White, Josh Johnson, Chris Streveler, Chris Streveler, Trevor Siemian, and Aaron Rodgers. However, Rodgers only lasted one pass attempt into the 2023 season before tearing his Achilles.
According to Garafolo, Saleh will call the defensive plays for the Titans as he dons the head coach headset for the second time in his career. This comes after a season with the 49ers in which the defense ranked 13th in scoring despite injuries to key members of the lineup, such as Nick Bosa and Fred Ward.
