NASHVILLE — The more this hire settles in, the less it makes sense.
The Tennessee Titans’ decision to name Rob Saleh their next head coach feels increasingly misaligned with where the franchise actually is — and what it actually needs. What initially looked like a safe, defensible move now reads more like a missed opportunity.
Saleh arrives with credibility as a longtime San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator and a former New York Jets head coach, where he once scraped together an eight-win season despite organizational dysfunction. That alone keeps this from being an outright disaster. But context matters — and so does direction.
Tennessee doesn’t need a tone-setter. It needs a problem-solver.
Saleh is a defense-first coach in a league increasingly dominated by offensive innovation. His units have been solid, occasionally very good, but rarely elite on their own. More importantly, Saleh brings little direct value to the offensive side of the ball, where the Titans’ biggest questions live. Quarterback development, schematic clarity and offensive identity remain unresolved — and Saleh does not naturally address any of them.
That’s why Matt Nagy made more sense.
Nagy was widely expected to land this job, and in hindsight, he would have graded far better. Not perfect — but logical. Given his head coaching experience in Chicago, quarterback background and continued exposure to elite offenses around the league, Nagy would have been a B hire. He fit the moment. Tennessee passed anyway.
Trusted NFL analyst Joe A, respected across league circles for quarterback evaluation, summed it up cleanly: this hire is puzzling. Tennessee continues to favor coaches who look the part over those who actually solve the franchise’s most pressing issues. Saleh fits the visual. He does not fit the need.
If the Titans are serious about building around a young quarterback — particularly one who still requires refinement — this pairing raises immediate red flags. Saleh must hit on his offensive coordinator hire immediately, because his own résumé does nothing to elevate the offense. That’s a dangerous dependency for a team already searching for answers.
This isn’t the worst hire the NFL has seen. Saleh has won games, commanded a locker room and survived one of the league’s most unforgiving markets. But that’s not the standard Tennessee should be chasing.
The Titans had better options. Multiple ones. And choosing Saleh over them feels like settling.
Final grade: D+
Matt Nagy would have been a solid B. Tennessee went another direction — and the more you sit with it, the more it feels like a mistake that will put this job back on the market sooner rather than later.
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