Tony Oden was hired in 2025 as defensive passing game coordinator/cornerbacks coach. He arrived in Tennessee with 29 total years of coaching experience, including 21 seasons coaching in the NFL.

From 2021 through 2024, Oden served with the New York Jets as senior defensive assistant/cornerbacks coach. During his final season with the Jets, he helped the team rank third in the NFL in total defense (313.8 opponent yards per game) and fourth in passing defense (192.6 opponent net passing yards per game).

In each season from 2022 to 2024, the Jets defense ranked in the top five league-wide in yards allowed, and Oden helped cornerback Sauce Gardner to consecutive first-team All-Pro selection in his first two seasons (2022-23).

In 2023, while Oden coached the trio of Gardner, D.J. Reed and Michael Carter II, the Jets placed second in passing defense (168.3), third in opponent completion percentage (60.0), third in opponent passer rating (76.0) and tied for eighth in interceptions (17). Additionally, Oden helped Gardner become the first cornerback since the merger to be named first-team All-Pro in each of his first two seasons, while also being selected as a Pro Bowl starter in each of his first two seasons.

During the 2022 season, Oden helped Gardner earn NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, as Gardner became just the third rookie cornerback to start in the Pro Bowl since the merger. Additionally, Gardner became the first rookie in franchise history to receive first-team All-Pro honors. With Oden's guidance, Gardner became the only rookie in the NFL to produce at least one pass defensed in each of his first seven games and finished first in the league in passes defensed (20). Additionally, Oden guided both Reed and Carter as they set career highs. Reed finished with a career-high 12 passes defensed and 80 tackles, the seventh-best figure among all cornerbacks in the NFL, while Carter set career highs in interceptions (two) and passes defensed (nine).

In his first season with the Jets (2021), Oden's unit consisted entirely of first- and second-year players, all of which entered the league as fifth-round or later draft choices or undrafted free agents. Bryce Hall, who was a fifth-round pick in 2020, became the first Jets player to start 17 games in a regular season and finished tied for sixth in the league with 16 passes defensed, the most by a Jets since 2013. Brandin Echols, a sixth-round selection in 2021, finished tied for sixth among all rookies with nine passes defensed and earned Week 15 Rookie of the Week honors following his 20-yard interception touchdown return. Carter, drafted in the fifth round, was one of only three 2021 rookies with at least four passes defensed and at least four tackles for loss, joining Jamal Adams, Erik Coleman and Jonathan Vilma as the only Jets to do so in their first season since 2000.

Prior to his start with the Jets, Oden spent the 2020 as the defensive backs/cornerbacks coach in San Francisco. Despite using seven different starters at cornerback, the 49ers finished fourth in passing defense while also ranking in the top 10 in both completion percentage and passer rating allowed.

In Miami (2018-19), Oden helped a pair of young Dolphins defenders in Xavien Howard and Minkah Fitzpatrick. In 2018, as the defensive backs coach, Howard registered seven interceptions to tie for the league lead, earning his first Pro Bowl appearance. Additionally, Fitzpatrick finished in the top five among all rookie safeties in tackles, interceptions and passes defensed.

During his four seasons in Detroit (2014-17) as the defensive backs/cornerbacks coach, Oden helped the Lions finish with 58 interceptions, the ninth-most of that span. Under Oden, cornerback Darius Slay earned his first Pro Bowl selection (2017) after finishing the season with eight interceptions, tied for the most in the league. Additionally, Slay posted 69 passes defensed, the most in the league over that span while also finishing in the top five with 14 interceptions.

Before Detroit, Oden spent the 2013 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as secondary/cornerbacks coach, as the Buccaneers defense finished third in the league with 21 interceptions. Cornerback Darrelle Revis was selected to the Pro Bowl in his only season with the organization after finishing with a team-high 11 passes defensed, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a sack.

As the secondary coach in Jacksonville in 2012, Oden helped Jaguars cornerback Derek Cox tie a career high with four interceptions, while safety Dawan Landry finished with 100 tackles—one of just eight defensive backs with at least 100 tackles that season.

A member of the New Orleans Saints staff for six seasons (2006-11), Oden was the assistant secondary coach for five years before becoming the secondary coach in 2011. In his time with the Saints, the team won Super Bowl XLIV, finishing 2010 with the fourth-best passing defense in the NFL. In that span, safety Roman Harper earned the only two Pro Bowl selections of his 11-year career.

Beginning his NFL career in Houston, Oden served as a defensive assistant and assistant defensive backs coach for the Texans from 2004 to 2005. In 2004, the Texans registered 22 interceptions to finish fifth in the league.

Before coaching in the NFL, Oden spent eight seasons coaching in the college ranks. He served as defensive backs coach at Eastern Michigan University (2003) after spending three seasons at East Carolina University as the safeties coach (2002), secondary coach (2001) and outside linebackers coach (2000).

Prior to joining East Carolina, Oden spent two seasons as the assistant defensive backs coach at West Point (1998-99) after launching his coaching career as assistant defensive backs coach at Millersville (Pa.) University in 1996, followed by one season as a graduate assistant working with the wide receivers at Boston College (1997).

As a player, Oden was a four-year linebacker at Baldwin-Wallace College, where he earned first-team Ohio Athletic Conference honors twice and was a 1994 Division III All-American.

Oden and his wife, Amanda, have a son, Jaylen, and a daughter, Ryan.

TONY ODEN TIMELINE

COACHING

2025: Defensive Passing Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks – Tennessee Titans

2021-24: Senior Defensive Assistant/Cornerbacks – New York Jets

2020: Defensive Backs/Cornerbacks – San Francisco 49ers

2019: Safeties – Miami Dolphins

2018: Defensive Backs – Miami Dolphins

2014-17: Defensive Backs/Cornerbacks – Detroit Lions

2013: Secondary/Cornerbacks – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2012: Secondary – Jacksonville Jaguars

2011: Secondary – New Orleans Saints

2006-10: Assistant Secondary – New Orleans Saints

2004-05: Defensive Assistant/Assistant Defensive Backs – Houston Texans

2003: Defensive Backs – Eastern Michigan University

2002: Safeties – East Carolina University

2001: Secondary – East Carolina University

2000: Outside Linebackers – East Carolina University

1998-99: Assistant Defensive Backs – United States Military Academy

1997: Graduate Assistant – Boston College

1996: Assistant Defensive Backs – Millersville University