Feb. 13, 2026, 1:27 p.m. ET

It seems the dust has finally settled in Nashville, Tennessee. The chaos that comes with hiring a new head coach is winding down as Robert Saleh and the Tennessee Titans finalize their 2026 coaching staff. In addition to Saleh, the Titans have brought in 14 new coaches while retaining eight coaches from 2025.

With the coaching staff finalized, we’re going to take a look at the Titans’ special teams staff. Only one coach was released from the special teams unit (Tom Jones), and one was added, but we’ll peek at the returning coaches, their 2025 performance, and what to expect in 2026.

Special teams coordinator: John Fassel

On top of returning as special teams coordinator, Bones has been given the added title of Assistant Head Coach. He is the only returning coordinator from the 2025 season, and that’s largely because the special teams unit outperformed every other facet of the game in 2025. The unit is one of six teams to score two touchdowns on punt returns, and the bulk of Chimere Dike’s all-purpose yards came on special teams.

Before he was hired, Bones was considered one of the best special teams coordinators in the league. He has a way of motivating guys who feel like they’ve been demoted into still giving 100% effort on the field. And that ability is what fueled an ailing Titans team to keep playing hard through all 17 games.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.

In 2026, we can expect more of the same from Fassel. Dike will continue to be an integral part of the unit, although how many offensive snaps he takes could limit him on special teams if Cam Ward needs him more on offense. Joey Slye, Johnny Hekker, and Morgan Cox are all impending free agents, and it will be interesting to see who (if anyone) the Titans decide to keep. No matter which players end up on the Titans’ special teams unit, Fassel will whip them into shape in no time.

Assistant special teams coach: Rayna Stewart

Stewart is also returning to the Titans for the second consecutive season, although it actually marks his fourth season with the team after he was the defensive quality control coach in 2009-2010. Prior to his return to Tennessee, Stewart served for three seasons as special teams assistant with the Dallas Cowboys, and also spent time with the Green Bay Packers in 2019-2021.

Stewart and Fassel coached together in Dallas, and rejoined each other last season in Tennessee. The two clearly have some magic juju between them to keep the special teams unit rolling when the rest of the team was falling apart. His familiarity with the organization certainly doesn’t hurt anything. Stewart, a former pro safety, was drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1996 and was a member of the team when it moved to Tennessee.

His familiarity with the team, with the special teams unit as a player, and how well Stewart and Fassel work together means that the 2026 season should be equally as good as the 2025 season for the unit.

Chief of Staff: Rob Dadona

This is a new position in 2026. Former head coach Brian Callahan did not have a Chief of Staff, but Robert Saleh is employing one this season in Tennessee. Dadona is in his eighth season in the NFL. A former NCAA baseball player at Seton Hall University, he began his NFL career as a football operations intern with the New York Jets in 2019-2021 and was named assistant to the head coach for 2022-2023. From there, he joined the Atlanta Falcons staff and spent two years as the manager of coaching operations before joining Saleh’s staff in Tennessee in 2026.

Dadona isn’t truly part of any unit, more of an overseer of all units, but he had to go somewhere. The only unit that returned its core coaches now houses the guy in charge of making sure communication runs smoothly and efficiently within the organization, which feels fitting since the special teams unit was so efficient in 2025.