Tennessee Titans Coordinator Dennard Wilson Raves About New Cornerbacks, Says Defense Has the Talent to Compete

Tennessee Titans coordinator Dennard Wilson on his defense: "It's a passing game, but it's all about matchups. With offensive coordinators, when they put together a scheme, the first thing is, 'Where's the matchup? Who can I exploit?' We have the guys. We have the talent."

Kevin McGeever | Apr 10, 2024

Tennessee Titans Defensive Coordinator Dennard Wilson, left, fields questions with Head Coach Brian / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA

In this story:

Tennessee Titans

NASHVILLE — Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson has a gift for distilling the Tennessee Titans project: "We are in the business of developing players."

After league-leading success in Philadelphia and Baltimore as a defensive backfield coach, Wilson spoke Wednesday at length about the current state of the renovation of the Titans defense.

He raved about general manager Ran Carthon's free-agent acquisitions, specifically cornerbacks L'Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie. He emphasized players rather than schemes. He dismissed the new NFL tackling rule as something outside of his control.

Here are the highlights from his press conference:

'11 vs. the ball'

"I don't focus on what other teams have. To me, they're nameless faces. It's 11 versus 11. And in terms of the defense, it's 11 against one, it's 11 versus the ball. So, you can get a whole lotta receivers, a whole lotta weapons, but there's only one ball. It's our job to surround the football and take it away."

On passing-league era

"It's a passing game, but it's all about matchups. With offensive coordinators, when they put together a scheme, the first thing is, 'Where's the matchup? Who can I exploit?' We have the guys. We have the talent."

On new cornerbacks L'Jarius Sneed, Chidobe Awuzie

"See the smile on my face? During free agency, when you get a good player like (Sneed), you're always gonna be happy. He's a guy who been consistent throughout his career with the opportunities he's been presented. He's had success. And when you are consistent and have success, you bring extreme value to a football team.

"Chido as well. The way Chido plays the game of football, how tough he is, the athleticism, his ability to do multiple things, it allows you as a defense to line up and cover guys. Because this is a passing league these days and the wide receiver talent is getting vastly good at a great speed. For us to have guys who can compete, that aren't scared of the competition, that are gonna line up and challenge guys, that makes you a better defense."

Players outrank scheme

"We have to see these guys perform. It's not about scheme, it's about the players. We're gonna put them in those positions to allow them to play to their strengths.

"It's all predicated on what they do well, how fast they jell, how can we put it together, and then we can add pieces. Right now, you're building a foundation on small things. You're stacking days, stacking concepts, teaching so they understand the big picture. And the more they can do, the more information you throw at them."

'Pass rush and coverage go hand in hand'

"Look, I've been trained. I used to be a former scout. We have great DBs (Sneed, Awuzie, Roger McCreary). But the game is won in the trenches. Right? Offensive line, defensive line. The way you win in the National Football league is you do what? You stop the run and you affect the quarterback.

"Now, is it (pass rush and pass coverage) married? Yes. Because when you can have corners where they can get physical against receivers, and when that quarterback's back foot hits and those receivers (and defensive backs) are connected, it causes a hesitation. It's a tick of time. And with the hesitation, the d-linemen put him down. (And) when you have guys like Jeffrey Simmons and Arden Key and Weave (Rashad Weaver) ... beat their one-on-ones, the ball has to come out."

On the green dot vs. cutting Kenneth Murray loose

Can new inside linebacker Kenneth Murray wear the green dot on his helmet as the defensive leader taking play calls from the coaches?

"We're not focused on the green dot right now. I think that's up to guys getting out there and performing. Seeing how much information they can retain first and foremost.

"The thing with Kenneth is, just like when he came out of college, he's a big man. He's athletic, he's smart, he can make all the plays. For us, our thought process is to put him in a position to allow him to play free, to cut it loose. So he doesn't have to think as much right now. And as we start to let him go out there and cut it loose and he plays fast and physical ... then you give him the other responsibilities. But right now, it's about him being the best version of himself."

On Sebastian Joseph-Day's versatility

"(Free-agent acquisition) Sebastian can play every position on the line of scrimmage. I watched him extremely close when he was with the Rams, what he was able to do up and down the line of scrimmage. He can give you some flexibility just like Jeff (Simmons) and line up at end. We're gonna have multiple packages and we're gonna put him in positions where he can have success."

On new tackling rules

"Look, I don't worry about the rule changes (banning the swivel hip-drop tackle). In everything we do in life, there's rules. And there's consequences and repercussions to the rules. They change rules, we adapt. We line up and play football.

"When you look at it, people don't teach the hip drop. We're not gonna teach our players to be dirty. Most coaches don't teach their players to be dirty. We're continue doing what we do, but we will police the hip drop 'cause, at the end of the day, we're gonna live on the edge, we're gonna play on the edge, but we can't hurt the team."