NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In an increasingly specialized league, the Titans will soon have their most specialized coach.
Defensive specialist Robert Saleh plans to hire a nickel coach to work along with cornerback coach Tony Oden and a still-unnamed safeties coach.
It will be the first time the franchise has a nickel coach and has three different coaches overseeing the secondary.
Tennessee traded nickelback Roger McCreary and a sixth-round pick to the Rams for a fifth-round pick. Rookie Marcus Harris played the spot for most of the rest of the season and is one of the few cornerbacks under contract for 2026.
The Titans didn’t hire two full-time position assistants in the secondary until 2020.
That season, Anthony Midget was Mike Vrabel’s secondary coach and Scott Booker was promoted from defensive assistant to safeties coach. After his second year as secondary coach in 2019, Kerry Combs returned to Ohio State, where he became defensive coordinator.
A few teams already have coaches who focus on the duties of the nickel – the defender who covers the slot receiver, who can sometimes be a tight end or running back.
The Bears list Cannon Matthews as defensive assistant/ nickels and Darian Thompson if the Cowboys’ secondary/ nickels coach. The Eagles used Ronell Williams as a dedicated nickel coach in 2023, though he moved to assistant linebackers and quality control the next year.
