What the Titans are getting with Dennard Wilson's hire as defensive coordinator for Brian Callahan
NASHVILLE — According to a report from Jordan Schulz of Bleacher Report, the Tennessee Titans are hiring Baltimore Ravens defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson to be their next defensive coordinator. Before landing in Baltimore for the 2023 season, Wilson was the defensive backs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, and St. Louis/Los Angeles […]
NASHVILLE — According to a report from Jordan Schulz of Bleacher Report, the Tennessee Titans are hiring Baltimore Ravens defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson to be their next defensive coordinator.
Before landing in Baltimore for the 2023 season, Wilson was the defensive backs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, and St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams.
He is now the first major hire of Brian Callahan's Titans coaching staff, and while highly regarded around the league, does not come without risk.
Who Is Dennard Wilson?
Dennard Wilson is a former cornerback that has been around the NFL for over 15 years and has been coaching at a high level since 2012. He got his first coaching job with the St. Louis Rams as a defensive quality control coach and was there for five seasons from 2012-2016.
Those were the same five seasons Titans GM Ran Carthon was working as the Director of Player Personnel for the Rams.
From 2017-2020, Wilson was the defensive backs coach for the New York Jets and was also given the title of passing game coordinator from 2019-2020. Jamal Adams made the Pro Bowl and was a first-team All-Pro while Wilson was coaching him in New York.
When Nick Sirianni got the head coaching job for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021, he hired Wilson to join him as defensive backs coach. Just one year later, he was once again given the passing game coordinator title. In his one season as the Eagles' pass game coordinator, Philadelphia had the league's best passing defense and allowed just 179.8 passing yards per game. Darius Slay also continued with his Pro Bowl production while James Bradberry was named an All-Pro.
With Wilson and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon moving on, the Eagles pass defense was the 31st ranked pass defense in the NFL in 2023.
This past season with the Baltimore Ravens, Wilson once again coached a dominant group of defensive backs within one of the NFL's best pass defenses. Safety Geno Stone led the AFC with seven interceptions this season and Kyle Hamilton was named a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro in his second NFL season. The Ravens also led the league in takeaways.
Titans head coach Brian Callahan said during his introductory press conference that he was looking to hire a defensive coordinator that gave him trouble as an offensive head coach. "I know the hard defenses to game plan against, and those are the things that I'm looking for in the style of defense we're going to play," said Callahan. "That's what I look for is what makes it hard for me as an offensive coach. That's the style of defense that I'm looking for."
Dennard Wilson would absolutely seem to check that box. In two games against Wilson's Ravens secondary in 2023, Brain Callahan's Bengals averaged just 176 passing yards and lost both games.
But while Wilson would seem to check all of the boxes for an ideal Titans defensive coordinator hire, there is a big risk here that Brian Callahan and the Titans are taking.
Tennessee now has a first year head coach, who is going to be in his first season as an offensive play caller, with a first year defensive coordinator leading things on the other side of the ball.
The biggest difference between Brian Callahan and Mike Vrabel as Titans head coach
Brian Callahan and Mike Vrabel are so different.
