The Tennessee Titans' defense is going to have an attacking identity in 2024, according to defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. Here are a few ways to make that happen.

Wilson inherits a defense that ranked middle-of-the-pack in yards and points allowed last season but was inconsistent at rushing the passer and downright bad at forcing turnovers. If the bend-don't-break, play-your-best-in-the-red-zone philosophy is giving way to more of an aggressive, downhill defense, the roster might need a little bit of a revamp.

Here's a seven-step plan for reconfiguring the Titans' defense to fit a new philosophy.

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(To see The Tennessean's seven-step plan for fixing the Titans' offense, click here.)

Load up on cornerbacks in the draft

Take a cue from the Super Bowl champions here. The Kansas City Chiefs used five picks in the 2022 NFL Draft on defensive backs. Sometimes rebuilding a room means betting on as many horses as possible. Let Kristian Fulton and Sean Murphy-Bunting walk. Keep Roger McCreary in the slot and hold on to 2023 rookie Eric Garror in hopes he can develop into a nice rotational piece.

From there, invest young. If that means drafting three or four corners to try on the outside, so be it. Wilson and defensive pass game coordinator Chris Harris are both renowned DBs coaches by trade. Let them do their jobs to develop talent and minimize growing pains so this group can grow organically instead of signing a new veteran every year to paper over the hole.

Cash in relationship for one veteran CB, though

Best-case scenario, the Titans pay big money for a bona fide No. 1 corner like Washington's Kendall Fuller. Fuller played for Harris from 2020 to 2022, which could give the Titans a leg up in pursuing one of the best corners on the market. But Fuller is the kind of talent who could command upward of $12 million to $15 million per year. If the Titans want to spread their money in other directions, they can add a veteran like Rock Ya-Sin or Arthur Maulet, who played for Wilson in Baltimore last season.

Re-sign DE/OLB Denico Autry

At this stage of his career, Autry's interests might be elsewhere. But the Titans still should try to bring back one of the most underrated edge defenders in the NFL. Even if it's on a short-term deal, keeping the 33-year-old in the room gives Wilson flexibility to mix-and-match personnel packages with the way he can play inside and outside.

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Go back to the San Francisco well

GM Ran Carthon's time in San Francisco led to the Titans signing free agents Azeez Al-Shaair, Arden Key and Daniel Brunskill last offseason. This year, that relationship sets the Titans up to give former first-round pick Javon Kinlaw a second chance. The Niners declined to pick up Kinlaw's fifth-year option in 2023, and he followed that with career-highs in sacks, tackles for loss and quarterback hits. Pair him with Jeffery Simmons, and the Titans have one of the most fearsome interiors in football.

Why not take a chance on Chase Young?

Speaking of former first-rounders in San Francisco. . . . Young hasn't exactly lived up to his potential since being picked second overall in 2020. But the former rookie of the year is still just 24, he showed flashes of brilliance last season and he has a relationship with Harris from their Washington days. No move would typify a defense trying to get more aggressive than taking a one-year gamble on a boom-or-bust talent to improve the pass rush.

Re-sign safety K'Von Wallace (and keep an eye on the sentimental)

Wallace signed with the Titans midseason last year and played well, plus he knows Wilson from their days in Philadelphia. With so many other needs on both sides of the ball, bringing back Wallace for cheap at safety makes sense. But keep this in mind, too: Philadelphia stands to save nearly $14 million against the salary cap if they cut Kevin Byard this offseason. There are 100 reasons Byard may not want to come back to Tennessee after the way his tenure ended. But home is home, and no fan base is going to treat Byard how Titans fans will.

Reimagine the inside linebacker room

Save for 2023 undrafted rookie Otis Reese, the Titans have virtually zero returning production at linebacker. Bringing back Al-Shaair makes sense. Letting him walk does, too. Either way, this offseason is a chance for the new defensive staff to restructure this room to fit a new identity.

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Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Improving the Tennessee Titans defense with 7 offseason moves