Titans Add Safeties Coach to Defensive Staff

Robert Saleh, since his hiring just over a week ago to take over as head coach for the Tennessee Titans, has been on fire in surrounding himself with an elite staff to assist in what has become a complete franchise overhaul.

Rumored roster moves are still pending, as the 2026 offseason has yet to kick into full swing, but an almost entirely refreshed cast of coaches is enough to change the expectations for football in Nashville. It helps that Saleh himself brought up a future Titans' championship in what was essentially his first few introductory sentences.

In a move that came just hours after Gus Bradley, best known for his work with the "Legion of Boom" defense in Seattle, was confirmed to join Tennessee as defensive coordinator, Saleh and company added another defensive headset after the sun set.

A Focus on Long-Term Consistency

After initially breaking the aforementioned Bradley hiring, Albert Breer would close the late night with the news that Tennessee is bringing Marquand Manuel on board to coach safeties. "Titans working fast now," Breer noted.

Bradley's hire made immediate waves for being yet another experienced addition to a renewed Titans staff that appears thoroughly and purposefully built upon that value.

Titans working fast now—Bringing Marquand Manuel aboard to coach safeties. https://t.co/2gsYldKuwb
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 3, 2026

Manuel is no different, further indicating a Tennessee restructuring focused more on long-term consistency than short-term risk-taking.

Another Experienced Addition

Manuel began his NFL coaching career with the Seattle Seahawks all the way back in 2012. The Titans' new safeties maestro has been working as an assistant in multiple roles for well over a decade in the league.

His most notable experience with safeties specifically came with the New York Jets from 2021-24, under none other than Robert Saleh. The HC has cast a wide net for the majority of Tennessee's openings - especially on offense - but for Saleh to bring an old friend back for a role, especially given the Jets' skyrocketing success on defense at the time, more than validates the move.

Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Outstanding player additions (and likely subtractions) are much harder to question in the light of Saleh and the staff's seemingly unending positive signings. The Titans have put together a group boasting decades of experience coaching on the professional level.

For a roster full of young talent and led by a rookie, in quarterback Cam Ward, the team couldn't ask for a better situation. The Saleh regime is off to a promising start, and the most fruitful opportunities remain on the horizon still.

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