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How the Titans landed one of the hottest assistant coaches among heavy competition

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Sam Phalen | Last updated 2/8/24

One of the critical moves of the offseason came when the Tennessee Titans landed Dennard Wilson, previously the defensive backs coach of the Baltimore Ravens, as their next defensive coordinator.

With the Titans going for an offensive minded head coach in Brian Callahan, adding one of the hottest defensive names in the coaching world to the staff in Tennessee is massive. That's exactly what the Titans are getting with Wilson.

While he has never been a defensive coordinator before, Wilson's track record with the Ravens, Eagles, and Jets in recent seasons had coaches everywhere coveting him.

During a conversation with Mike Keith on a recent episode of "The OTP: Official Titans Podcast" Titans GM Ran Carthon confirmed that multiple head coaching candidates who interviewed with the Titans had Wilson as the defensive coordinator on their prospective staff. Wilson had plenty of suitors, but chose Tennessee. So how did Callahan and GM Ran Carthon convert on bringing him to Nashville?

Wilson's history with Carthon and Callahan

According to Carthon, the Titans were able to bring in Wilson because of the relationships they already had with him.

Playing in the AFC North last season, Wilson got a chance to go up against Brian Callahan's Bengals offense twice. He became well-acquainted with the type of offense Callahan likes to run and how he is going to do things as a head coach in Tennessee.

Carthon and Wilson actually go back over 15 years. Back in 2008, Carthon and Wilson were the two finalists for a pro scouting job with the Atlanta Falcons. Wilson ended up taking an offer from the Chicago Bears, leaving Carthon the job in Atlanta that got him started on his path to becoming an NFL General Manager.

"I'm not in the National Football League as a scout if it wasn't for Dennard Wilson," said Carthon in his conversation with Mike Keith. "We both were finalists for the pro scouting job in Atlanta. At this time, I'm married, I have children, and we're making nickels. Dennard was single, fresh off the field, and I could sense that they were skewing that way"..."He took the job in Chicago which left me the job in Atlanta."

This is new #Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson back in July of 2022 when asked about the idea of being a DC someday.

Said he's been tutored by Gregg Williams and Todd Bowles over the years and "knows how to run a ship." pic.twitter.com/ZdMoITfjY7
— Sam Phalen (@Sam_Phalen) February 1, 2024

Both Carthon and Wilson spent four years as a scout before moving on and once again being reunited. In 2012, Carthon became the Director of Player Personnel for the St. Louis Rams while Wilson went down the coaching route and joined the Rams as a defensive quality control coach.

Now here we are, over a decade later, and Wilson is finally getting a deserved shot at becoming a defensive coordinator. Where better to do it than Nashville where there's an old friend as the GM and a first-year head coach you respect and can grow with?

"I'll tell you, him understanding Coach Callahan an having gone against him twice this past season and understanding who he is and the type of offense that he brings," said Carthon when asked what helped the Titans get Wilson on their staff. "Just working with a first time head coach and allowing two guys to grow together. That was a key piece. Then just the comfort of knowing me and having the relationship that we have and knowing that I'm always going to be honest and upfront with him about everything. I think that kind of helped."

Both Carthon and Callahan have been clear that they are prioritizing relationships and the culture around the organization as they head into a new era of Titans football. As they would tell you, that starts from the top and is determined by the people you bring in to help the football team.

This is a great example of how that can also be an asset to help the organization. Their relationships just landed them one of the top defensive coordinator candidates in the NFL.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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