Jason Wolf

USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

When Jon Robinson was hired as the Titans general manager in January, his former boss, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht, advised him to find his own Jon Robinson. In other words, a right-hand man.

In the days following the NFL draft, Robinson has done just that. The Titans are hiring longtime Panthers scout Ryan Cowden as the team’s director of player personnel, a league source confirmed to The Tennessean on Tuesday. The Charlotte Observer first reported the news. The Titans did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The job title — director of player personnel —​ did not previously exist in the Titans front office. Cowden, 38, has been with the Panthers since 2000, when the former Wofford safety broke into the NFL as a college scouting assistant. He was promoted to national scout/senior college scout in 2012 and spent the last two seasons as the team’s assistant college scouting director.

How the Titans' draft could impact these five positions

Blake Beddingfield just completed his 18th season with the Titans and fifth as the team's director of college scouting. Brian Gardner, with 25 seasons of NFL experience, has spent the last three seasons as the director of pro scouting.

Cowden will oversee both of those roles, rather than replace them.

On Monday, the Titans dismissed scouts Mike Yowarsky and Marv Sunderland.

Additional front office changes are inevitable as Robinson shifts his attention from reshaping the roster to his staff.

Reach Jason Wolf at jwolf@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter at @JasonWolf and on Instagram and Snapchat at TitansBeat.

Titans general manager Jon Robinson