MOBILE, Alabama (AP) Terrell Williams, the Tennessee Titans’ defensive line coach, and Jeff Ulbrich, the New York Jets’ defensive coordinator, will serve as head coaches in the Senior Bowl.
The Senior Bowl, a weeklong showcase for NFL prospects, unveiled the coaching staffs for the Feb. 3 game on Thursday.
Williams, the Titans’ assistant head coach, will oversee the American team. Ulbrich will coach the national team.
The Titans have the seventh overall draft pick, while the Jets control the tenth.
This is the second year that the Senior Bowl has used coordinators and assistant coaches in higher or different roles. Williams and Ulbrich were chosen from a list of names given by head coaches and general managers of non-playoff and Wild Card teams.
They were picked by league office officials and members of the General Managers Advisory Committee. The Senior Bowl staffs included at least one coach from each of the 18 teams that submitted nominations.
The American team’s coaching staff comprises Troy Brown (offensive coordinator) of the New England Patriots, Ephraim Banda (defensive coordinator) of the Cleveland Browns, and Mike Adams (special teams coordinator) of the New York Giants.
Shea Tierney, the quarterbacks coach for the New York Giants, will lead the national offense. Daronte James, the Minnesota Vikings’ pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach, will lead the defense, with Phil Galiano, the New Orleans Saints’ assistant special teams coach, serving as special teams coordinator.
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Derrick Henry says Titans almost traded him to a playoff club at the deadline: ‘It was close’
Derrick Henry delivered a pair of epic postseason games as the Titans made a stunning run to the AFC Championship Game in 2020. How close was he to getting another opportunity this year?
The former Offensive Player of the Year did not make the playoffs with the Titans, but he revealed on the “Bussin’ with the Boys” podcast that a trade to a playoff contender was almost completed at the deadline.
“One of them, I thought it was quite close. A lot happened between… that little incident with the trade,” Henry explained, noting that three teams were pursuing him, two of which made the playoffs. “It was close.” It was close, boys. “It was close.”
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Titans never publicly looked to be on the verge of dealing Henry, and the team informed their star days before the October deadline that it had no plans to trade him. Nonetheless, the 30-year-old running back believes the deal was closer than anyone realized.
Tennessee eventually hung onto Henry after winning in quarterback Will Levis’ NFL debut to improve to 3-4 two days before the deadline. The Titans finished 3-7 and fired head coach Mike Vrabel immediately after the season ended, indicating a probable reconstruction going forward.
Derrick Henry’s free agency
While Titans general manager Ran Carthon hinted at a potential Henry return earlier in January, the four-time Pro Bowler bid goodbye to fans following Tennessee’s final game of the season and stated on the podcast that winning is his first objective as he enters free agency.
“I want to be somewhere that, whatever happens, that gives me the best shot of winning the Super Bowl,” he stated. That is most likely not what the Titans can give right now, thus a break after eight seasons is likely.
Who would be interested? While Henry is in his ninth season, he was nonetheless productive in 2023 despite a tiny supporting cast in Tennessee. The NFC East could be a division to watch after the Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs, and Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown stated last summer that he would welcome a Henry trade.
