Titans DC Applying Pressure

New Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator wants more aggression.

Outside linebacker Harold Landry III takes a water break during the Tennessee Titans mandatory mini-camp at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, June 4, 2024. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA

NASHVILLE — First-year Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson demonstrated clear and concise communication during Wednesday's press conference before the Titans' second mandatory minicamp practice at the team facility.

Wilson wants more aggression and pressure as a defense against opponents this season. This shift in strategy comes after a season where the Titans' defense struggled to stop opponents from scoring, highlighting the need for a more aggressive approach.

“Aggressiveness is a mindset. It’s the way you go about your life on a daily business," Wilson said. "Guys that are aggressive normally don’t fear failure. I learned this a long time ago. If I don’t fear failure and I can line up and play and read my keys and look at the right thing, I’m going to be aggressive in what I do.”

Wilson is poised to change the team's defensive strategy by emphasizing more press coverage with the cornerbacks. This strategic defensive tactic, often used by aggressive teams, aims to disrupt the receivers' routes and timing, introducing a new dimension to the Titans' defense.

"From day one, we press everything,” Wilson said. "Period. “I believe press or less effective. I want them to line up and I want them to be in front of receivers and challenge the receivers. Ultimately, in this game, if you give free access, it’s easy for the quarterbacks to complete passes. So I want to create hesitation at the line of scrimmage and make them earn it the hard way. Make them throw the 50-50 ball. But everything else? We’re going to challenge.”

L'Jarius Sneed, Chidobe Awuzie, and Roger McCreary, three of the league's top press corners, are poised to provide formidable matchups for opposing wide receivers in the NFL. With Awuzie and Sneed on the boundary and McCreary in the mix, the Titans' secondary has potential.

“To me, it’s not about the DBs or players having fear of doing it, it’s about what you emphasize. And players do what you emphasize," Wilson said. "It’s what you want from a scheme standpoint. And then teaching the techniques and letting the corners understand the leverage and where’s their help. When they thoroughly understand where their help is they can play to certain leverages and take certain routes away.”

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