The Titans bolstered the back end of its defense by bringing in Quandre Diggs midway through training camp.
Dennard Wilson's presence in Tennessee was apparently a deciding factor for the three-time Pro Bowl safety.
“I’ve got friends around the league that he has coached that spoke highly of him,” Diggs said of the first-year Titans defensive coordinator Wednesday, via the Associated Press. “He really wanted me here, and I wanted to be here also.”
Wilson, a former NFL player, has been around highly successful defenses along his 12-year coaching career, particularly in the last two seasons. The 41-year-old was the defensive backs coach in Baltimore last year and held the same title on an Eagles team that dominated its way toward an appearance in Super Bowl LVII. Each of those defenses respectively led the league in sacks with Wilson's unit dutifully covering the back end.
Upon his arrival this offseason, Wilson detailed his plan to cultivate an "aggressive defense" in Tennessee, and Diggs' ball-hawking talents fit that strategy.
Diggs spent the past four-plus seasons in Seattle, where he saw the greatest success of a nine-year career. He started all 50 games from 2020 to 2023, accumulating 14 interceptions and 24 pass break-ups during that span while earning three consecutive Pro Bowl trips.
In addition to wanting to play for Wilson, Diggs also acknowledged interest in joining Jamal Adams in Tennessee.
“I think Jamal was 16 or 17 when we first met,” Diggs said of Adams. “It played a good part, but he also gave me my own space and let me make my own decision.”
The safety tandem spent the past four seasons in Seattle, and the veteran's familiarity might play a key role integrating a revamped Titans secondary that includes cornerbacks L'Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie.
After experiencing a down year in terms of play-making (one INT) last season, which preceded his cost-cutting release from the Seahawks, Diggs' patience throughout free agency might have paid off in the form of a mutual understanding.