Jan. 10, 2026, 6:59 p.m. ET

The Washington Commanders found their offensive coordinator on Friday, promoting assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough. Now, it’s all about finding a defensive coordinator to replace Joe Whitt Jr., who was fired earlier this week.

This week, Washington has interviewed Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen. On Saturday, the Commanders added another name to the list: Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson.

Wilson, 43, is a native of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and played at the famed DeMatha Catholic. He played college football at the University of Maryland and after going undrafted in the 2004 NFL Draft, signed with the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent. He spent time on Washington’s practice squad, but was injured and never appeared in a game.

Wilson began his post-playing career as a graduate assistant at Maryland for two years before departing to become a scout with the Chicago Bears. He started his NFL coaching career in 2012 as a quality control coach for the St. Louis Rams. Wilson became a full-time coach in 2015, serving as the Rams’ secondary coach for two seasons. From there, he’d land with the New York Jets for four seasons, the first two as defensive backs coach and the final two with the additional title of defensive pass game coordinator. He joined the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 as defensive backs coach before landing his first defensive coordinator job with the Titans in 2024.

Before Tennessee played the Commanders at Northwest Stadium in 2024, Wilson reflected on growing up in the D.C. area.

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“Obviously, I love being from the East Coast, being from the Maryland/DMV area,” he said. “A majority of my family is there. I have great memories. High school was right down the road; my grandmother lived right across the street from the stadium. I grew up probably 10 minutes away from it. Being from there is a helluva thing, and I represent it well.”

Wilson’s two years with the Titans have produced mixed results. In 2025, Tennessee finished No. 21 in total defense and lower in other key metrics. However, in 2024, the Titans ranked second in total defense but finished much lower in other critical statistics, such as red-zone defense and scoring defense.

Wilson is a respected defensive coach who often had to deal with a lack of talent while with the Titans.