Titans hiring 49ers assistant head coach Gus Bradley as their new defensive coordinator

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Gus Bradley is back in the DC saddle.

The Tennessee Titans are hiring Bradley as their defensive coordinator, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported Monday.

Bradley worked the past season as the San Francisco 49ers assistant head coach on defense, and he’s now following new Titans head coach Robert Saleh to provide Tennessee with some continuity in mindset on that side of the ball.

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A longtime presence on NFL sidelines, Bradley, 59, has worked as a defensive coordinator for four other squads: the Seattle Seahawks (2009-2012), Los Angeles Chargers (2017-20), Las Vegas Raiders (2021) and Indianapolis Colts (2022-24). He was also the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach from 2013-2016.

Bradley has helmed a top-10 defense in points allowed on four separate occasions and six times coordinated units that ranked top 10 in yards allowed.

Saleh has already stated during his opening news conference that he will serve as the team’s defensive play-caller, equating his time not doing so with the New York Jets as being the “timeout and red flag guy” and feeling more like a fan. However, Bradley will still be pivotal at turning around a Titans defense that appeared greatly diminished in recent years.

Tennessee finished the 2025 season 28th in points allowed and 21st in yards allowed; the year before, the unit ended up as the third-worst scoring defense despite allowing the second-fewest yards.

There are certainly players for Bradley and Saleh to build around, though, namely All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons on the interior and tackling machine Cedric Gray at linebacker.

With Saleh’s staff coming together, the hope is Bradley and Co. help Tennessee’s defense rebound to prominence — and the Titans do so right alongside it after four straight postseason misses.

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