More interviews are rolling in amidst the Los Angeles Chargers‘ search for a new defensive coordinator, and the latest news has them looking in Tennessee.
After he had been fired by the Titans‘ brand new head coach Robert Saleh, Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson has now been interviewed for the position.
Wilson is one of the most well-regarded defensive coaches in the league, having coached for over 14 seasons. He had just been recently named as the Titans defensive coordinator and with a spate of injury problems, managed to lead a unit that was among the best in all of football.
In fact, in his first year as their DC, Wilson had the Titans ranked second in the league in total defense, only allowing 311.2 yards per game. That was the team’s highest ever ranking in that statistic since they led the league in 2000. They also finished second in total passing defense, and tied for the fifth fewest first downs allowed per game and opponent yards per play.
Wilson’s Resume Goes Well Beyond Tennessee
However, Wilson’s experience extends far beyond the Titans as well. Much like the man he is trying to replace in Jesse Minter, Wilson also comes from the Harbaugh tree, working under John Harbaugh with the Ravens in 2023 as the defensive backs coach. Other stints around the league include various jobs with the Eagles, Jets and the Rams. His most infamous role came with the 2022 Super Bowl champion Eagles though, where he was passing game coordinator and DBs coach.
Wilson’s experience with the Titans presents as a mixed bag however. While his team’s numbers looked impressive, they allowed a lot of points as well, giving up 28.1 per game, which ranked 28th in the league. Another potential roadblock could be that many believe Harbaugh will just elevate someone within his own staff, probably current defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale.
Most importantly, Wilson is the first official interview that the Chargers have had concerning the position, as they have requested interviews with Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr and Rams assistant head coach Aubrey Pleasant.
Is Familiarity Enough to Win the Job?
For the Chargers, this could be the lesser of two evils. After all, what with the announcement of Zach Orr and Dennard Wilson as potential options, they aren’t necessarily the most appealing of candidates. Orr’s defenses with the Ravens weren’t much better than Wilson’s, as Baltimore were just 24th in yards allowed and 18th in points allowed, giving up 30 or more points five times.
Finding a replacement for minter will be easier said than done. The appeal for someone like Wilson could be that he stems from the Harbaugh tree and he runs a scheme that is Harbaugh friendly as a result. Add in the fact that he has accomplished a lot with limited resources in Tennessee and that makes his potential status for the role intriguing.
There could be upwards of 8-10 candidates for the role, all somewhat associated with the Harbaugh tree. While Wilson may not necessarily be the sexy option going forward, he certainly has what it takes in terms of scheme familiarity.
Christopher Sheppard Christopher Sheppard is a passionate and knowledgeable sports journalist based in Englewood, NJ pursuing a role in the sports media industry. He covers the NFL for Heavy Sports, focusing on the Dolphins, Chargers, and Buccanneers. More about Christopher Sheppard
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