Dream Titans coaching Staff!
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The Tennessee Titans’ head coaching search is heating up, as the team has narrowed down its head coach search to three finalists: Matt Nagy, Robert Saleh, and Jeff Hafley.
With Tennessee’s hunt for a head coach intensifying, I’m gonna reveal my dream coaching staff for the Titans! Despite striking out on John Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski, and likely Mike McCarthy, there are still a ton of intriguing candidates on the market.
TITANS DREAM COACHING STAFF (HC, OC, DC)
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Head coach: Robert Saleh
Don’t let his 20-37 record with the New York Jets fool you: Saleh is a defensive mastermind who has the potential to be a fantastic head coach and stabilizer.
During his tenure in New York, Saleh led the Jets’ defense to two top-ten scoring finishes and kept the franchise somewhat competitive. New York has looked considerably worse since they fired Saleh in October 2024.
In 2025, back as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator, Saleh was able to catapult San Francisco’s defense to a top-13 ranking despite injuries to star players, such as Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.
If Saleh can bring along a capable offensive coordinator (we’ll get to that soon), he would be a solid hire by the Titans.
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Offensive coordinator: Mike McDaniel
Have to start by saying that this is unlikely, but it’s still a possibility.
McDaniel will likely land a head coaching job from someone in this year’s cycle, and even if he doesn’t, the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, and Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive coordinator jobs would give the former Miami Dolphins head coach a higher chance of coaching meaningful football, and all three teams currently possess more offensive talent than the Titans.
However, McDaniel and Saleh have a very close relationship, dating back to their days in San Francisco. There’s a chance McDaniel follows Saleh to Tennessee to coach Cam Ward, who could be the NFL’s next supersat quarterback and just needs the correct coaching around him.
McDaniel made Tua Tagovailoa look competent for a few years and did a splendid job with the 49ers as the offensive coordinator in 2021, working alongside Kyle Shanahan.
There wouldn’t be a better offensive coordinator for Ward than McDaniel, but as I stated above, I just don’t see this happening.
If the Titans can’t land McDaniel, Los Angeles Chargers QB coach Shane Day, Miami Dolphins senior passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik, Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, and 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak are other potential OC candidates. All four have worked with Saleh at some point.
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Defensive Coordinator: Kris Kocurek
Kocurek has served as the 49ers’ defensive line coach since 2019, and San Francisco’s defense has ranked in the top ten in sacks three of the six seasons with Kocurek leading the D-line, though the last two years have been tough.
Kocurek has coached many great defensive linemen in his career, including Ndamukong Suh, Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa, DeForest Buckner, and others. If he took the DC job with the Titans, it would make Jeffery Simmons and the rest of the defensive line very happy.
I would be shocked if Saleh brings someone he hasn’t worked with to be the defensive coordinator, as it will likely be more of a collaborative effort between the HC and DC, compared to the offensive coordinator.
Kocurek fits that bill, as he’s been on the same staff with Saleh in San Francisco for three seasons and their track record shows they work well together.
Other potential defensive coordinator options include 49ers Assistant Head Coach of Defense Gus Bradley and New York Giants defensive backs coach Marquand Manuel.
Written by Dharya Sharma
Founder/Owner of SharmSports. NFL contributor at The Sporting News