Report: Titans to name Anthony Midget as new defensive backs coach

Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle is reporting that former Texans defensive backs coach Anthony Midget will be taking the same job on Mike Vrabel’s staff in Tennessee. Midget will replace Kerry Coombs, who recently went back to Ohio State as the Buckeyes new defensive coordinator after two years on the Titans staff.

The 41-year old former Virginia Tech cornerback just finished his sixth season of coaching in the NFL, all on Bill O’Brien’s staff in Houston. He coached side by side with Vrabel on the Texans staff for four years from 2014 to 2017.

Midget has been working with defensive backs at the college or pro level since 2008 when he hired on as Georgia State’s defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator. He eventually rose to defensive coordinator in 2012 before joining up with O’Brien to coach safeties at Penn State, eventually following his long time boss to the pros.

While in Houston, Midget has been a part of a coaching staff that has produced three top ten defenses in the last six years. He has been credited with playing a key role in the development of Texans safety Justin Reid and A.J. Bouye among others. One thing Titans fans should know about Houston’s secondary from matching up with them twice annually for years is that they played very physical football during Midget’s tenure in Houston.

Mike Vrabel recently talked about trusting his coaching staff and loyalty within that group being something that he looks for. This is a trust hire for him. Midget is a guy that he knows well and understands how he works and sees the game of football.

This could give us some hint about the defensive coordinator search too. Midget worked in Houston alongside Vrabel and... Titans outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen, who has already been rumored to be the likely replacement for Dean Pees.

Hiring a defensive backs coach that Bowen is already familiar with would make sense if you were planning on promoting him to defensive coordinator. I’m not saying that Bowen is absolutely the guy based on this, but it would make some sense if that turns out to be the case.

In the meantime, Midget will be trying to pick up where the highly respected Coombs left off with the Titans talented veteran secondary.