Titans Defense Needs More Turnovers

The Tennessee Titans struggled to force turnovers in 2023, and that will have to change this season.

Tennessee Titans cornerback Elijah Molden (24) runs back an interception for a touchdown against the Houston Texans during their game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA

The Tennessee Titans defense is in flux after a lot of changes that took place during the offseason, but adding Dennard Wilson as the team's defensive coordinator should help.

"This is kind of a fun hire. Wilson served as the Ravens defensive backs coach in 2023. He’s coming to a Titans team that had just 14 takeaways in 2023; the only team that was worse was Carolina. And that, my friends, is not a list you want to be a part of," NFL.com contributor Adam Rank writes. "Tennessee did add some talent, including cornerbacks L’Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie. And because I don’t want to be so dour, so here’s a fun fact: Wilson started his NFL coaching career in 2012 with the St. Louis Rams, who were led by former Titans coach Jeff Fisher."

The Titans should hopefully be able to address that concern with Wilson slotted in to lead the defense. Sneed had three takeaways last season with the Chiefs, while Awuzie forced and recovered one fumble, so there's potential for those guys to be part of the solution. However, a lot of the turnovers will come due to the philosophy change that the Titans look to make.

Wilson is expected to doctor the defense similar to how the Ravens operated, and that should help the Titans tremendously. The Ravens led the NFL in takeaways last season with 31, so if there is a concerted emphasis towards taking the ball away from the other team, it should lead to more turnovers.

The Titans will have to deal with the losses of Azeez Al-Shaair and Denico Autry, two of the top tacklers on last year's defense. It will likely take a committee to help replace the output those two had, but with the effort from linebacker Jack Gibbens and rookie defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat, the Titans have young players looking to lead the charge in that department.

Turnovers don't always translate to success as only six of the top 11 teams in the statistic made the playoffs last season, but it certainly goes a long way in helping win football games.

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