Ben Arthur
AFC South Reporter
The Tennessee Titans’ offense was a disaster this past season, accentuated by one of the worst pass-protecting offensive lines in football. It’s been a unit in regression for three straight years, since Arthur Smith’s departure as offensive coordinator. It played a role in Mike Vrabel’s stunning firing after six seasons earlier this month.
There’s hope for the future, though. Will Levis, a second-round draft pick last spring, flashed as the team’s long-term quarterback in an abbreviated rookie season.
Now, Tennessee has the guy who appears best positioned to develop him properly.
The Titans are reportedly finalizing a deal with Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan to be the team’s next coach. It’s clear Tennessee didn’t want to waste any time after bringing in the 39-year-old assistant for an in-person interview Monday. He reportedly had second interviews scheduled with other interested teams this week.
Of the offensive-minded candidates the Titans interviewed in their coaching search — Giants’ Mike Kafka, Panthers’ Thomas Brown, Texans’ Bobby Slowik, Eagles’ Brian Johnson, former Stanford coach David Shaw were the others — none have the quarterback resume that Callahan has. He’d been in Cincinnati since Day 1 with Joe Burrow, helping to develop him into a franchise quarterback. He was a Broncos’ offensive assistant during Peyton Manning’s last three seasons in the NFL. He was Matthew Stafford’s position coach for two years in Detroit (2016-17). He was Derek Carr’s position coach with the Raiders, too (2018).
But his most impressive feat of quarterback development might have been this past season, when Burrow missed seven games due to injury. Callahan played an integral role in positioning Jake Browning for success in the year of the backup quarterback. A 2019 undrafted free agent who hadn’t played a regular-season game before 2023, Browning led…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/titans-prioritize-development-of-will-levis-offense-in-hiring-brian-callahan-as-coach
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Publish date : 2024-01-23 02:35:03
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