Titans head coach Robert Saleh can't stop acquiring his former Jets defenders

Former New York Jets coach Robert Saleh, after taking a year to coordinate the defense in San Francisco, is back in the saddle as an NFL head coach. This time, with the Tennessee Titans.

Things are different this time around. He plans on maintaining defensive playcalling duties and has an experienced offensive coordinator (not named Nathaniel Hackett) taking care of the offense in former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll.

Some other things, though, aren't so different. Saleh has brought a lot of familiar faces with him to Tennessee, including players and coaches.

Despite his team's struggles in New York, Saleh clearly believes that he had the foundation for something good with the Jets and is looking to prove that with the Titans.

Robert Saleh getting the old Jets band back together in Nashville

It started with the coaching staff, when Saleh assembled a wide range of names Jets fans should be all too familiar with. Defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton, safeties coach Marquand Manuel, and cornerbacks coach Tony Oden are all back and serving in the same roles they were in New York under Saleh.

Even Hard Knocks star Tanzel Smart, who was a veteran defensive lineman with the Jets from 2020 to 2023, is serving as the assistant defensive line coach.

But that's just the former Jets who have followed Saleh to the Titans to join his coaching staff. He's bringing in a lot of his former players, too; in fact, he's practically recreating the Jets' 2022 defensive line.

Jermaine Johnson, one of the Jets' three first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, is now a Titan, after the late February trade that swapped him out for nose tackle T'Vondre Sweat.

On Day 1 of the legal tampering period, Tennessee targeted former Jets defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers to a three-year, $63 million deal, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Franklin-Myers was a staple of the Jets' front from 2020 to 2023, before Joe Douglas traded him away for cost-cutting purposes ahead of the 2024 season. He flourished in Saleh's scheme.

On Wednesday evening, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Titans were swapping seventh-round picks with the Dallas Cowboys to obtain defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. The former No. 3 overall pick has been a Saleh favorite since his days with the 49ers and is a great veteran locker room presence. He was with the Jets from 2022 to 2024.

And finally, on Wednesday morning, NFL insider Jordan Schultz broke the news that Tennessee was signing edge rusher Jacob Martin to a two-year, $11 million deal. Martin only played about half a season for the Jets in 2022 before he was traded to open up more playing time for Johnson, who was a rookie at the time.

The defensive line was getting a little too crowded with former Jets, so Saleh had to dip into former New York defensive backs as well. ESPN's Rich Cimini reported Wednesday evening that the Titans would be signing former safety Tony Adams to a one-year contract, bringing the total number of former Jets defenders to five so far this offseason.

All that's left is for Saleh to pull former linebacker C.J. Mosley out of retirement, and he'll really have the full band back together again.