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Why did Robert Saleh's Jets tenure go haywire, why Titans fans expect any different
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- Why did Robert Saleh's Jets tenure go haywire, why Titans fans expect any different
In Robert Saleh , the Tennessee Titans are hiring a coach with a career 20-36 record as an NFL head coach.
That's a winning percentage of .357. Jim Schwartz has a better winning percentage. Josh McDaniels has a better winning percentage. Mike McCoy has a better winning percentage.
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So now that the Titans have agreed to terms with Saleh to make the San Francisco defensive coordinator the next full-time head coach in Nashville, as The Tennessean reported on Jan. 19, Saleh brings all that baggage with him . His tenure with the New York Jets from 2021 to 2024 was an unquestioned failure, one characterized by crummy offenses and a whole lot of unfulfilled hype. His defenses were characteristically awesome, but that didn't result in any playoff appearances, any winning seasons or ― obviously ― Saleh holding on to his job.
As Saleh steers into his second chance , let's look back at his first. Here's a brief examination into what went wrong for him and the Jets, what he needs to do to make sure his Titans tenure goes differently and what indications are in place that the infrastructure around Saleh might already be different enough to be encouraged about the future.
Robert Saleh and the New York Jets: What went wrong?
Here's the short version: Defense good, offense bad.
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In 2022, Saleh's second year, the Jets owned the NFL's No. 4 total defense and scoring defense and No. 2 defense per play, but ranked 29th in scoring offense and 25th in total offense. In 2023, the Jets ranked No. 3 in total defense and No. 1 in defense per play, but 31st in total offense and 29th in scoring offense.
In the five games before Saleh was fired in 2024, the Jets put together performances on defense that would've ranked No. 1 at the end of the season by scoring and yardage, but offensive performances that would've ranked 31st in yardage and 26th in scoring.
The defensive success was mostly homegrown. First-round picks Sauce Gardner , Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald IV elevated the unit alongside Pro Bowlers like Quinnen Williams , Quincy Williams and C.J. Mosley . And the success came via Saleh's patience-over-chaos approach; the 2022 Jets fielded the lowest blitz rate in the NFL, the 2023 team ranked 31st in blitz rate. Eleven Jets players logged at least 10 pressures in 2022, and nine had multiple pass breakups in 2023. Saleh rotates. Saleh puts players in position to make plays. And the defense thrives.
Meanwhile the offense . . . didn't. Zach Wilson never developed at quarterback. Aaron Rodgers got hurt in 2023, and started slowly in 2024. The O-line never developed, ranking in the bottom 10 in pressure rate all three of Saleh's full seasons, including 31st in 2023. That team also led the NFL in penalties committed and ranked third in turnovers. As The Athletic reported in the days following Saleh's firing, players on defense had started to grow frustrated with the lack of accountability on offense.
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Robert Saleh's second chance: What needs to be different with Titans
Saleh's first order of business has to be getting the offensive coordinator hire right. His two Jets coordinators, Mike LaFleur and Nathaniel Hackett, didn't pan out. Hackett's tenure went so badly that the 2023 Jets posted the worst EPA/play and the second-worst success rate of any team of the past four seasons.
Offensive line development also has to be better. Saleh's Jets used five draft picks in the first four rounds on offensive linemen across his tenure, none of whom developed into reliable starters under his watch.
The Cam Ward factor: Why is Titans' job different?
Early indications point toward Cam Ward being better suited to thrive as a pro than Wilson ever was. There are no guarantees, obviously, but the Titans' optimism about Ward's future changes the fears with Saleh. So what if he never had a quarterback in New York if he has already got one in Nashville? The same goes for the offensive line in a way; the Titans have invested so many resources in linemen in the past few years that Saleh's staff won't have to go out and find five new bodies.
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The Titans' roster is still a mess, and it's on general manager Mike Borgonzi and the front office to get players in place to build depth and continuity in all phases. But Saleh's chief strength tends to be designing sturdy pass defenses. That lines up with the Titans' biggest weakness for 2026.
In a way, the Titans' few strengths align with the areas where Saleh's old teams struggled, and the major areas of need align with areas Saleh has built well in the past. That's by no means a guarantee of success, but it's at least an indicator that things can be different in Nashville if Saleh builds on what worked in New York while correcting the major, obvious shortcomings.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com . Follow Nick on X @nicksuss . Subscribe to the Talkin' Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What went wrong with Robert Saleh's Jets, and should Titans fans expect different
