By Joe Rexrode, Paul Dehner Jr. and Mark Pullio
The Tennessee Titans are finalizing a deal to hire Brian Callahan as their next coach, a team source said. The athletics. Callahan joins the Titans after spending the past five years as the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator.
Callahan was in Nashville for a second interview on Monday and the Titans confirmed they had worked out a deal before he left for what they see as their top coaching target.
Callahan joined Zeke Taylor in Cincinnati and helped rebuild the Bengals from a cellar-dwelling team to three consecutive winning seasons and an appearance in Super Bowl LVI.
The Titans job was vacant after Mike Vrabel was fired Jan. 9 after six seasons with the team. Vrabel went 42-24 during his tenure, but the team slipped to 6-11 in 2023.
What Tennessee is getting in Callahan.
Callahan comes with the pedigree of an offensive and quarterback guru. Growing up in the shadow of his father, former NFL coach Bill Callahan, he spent his life in the game, but he really grew up in the shadow of Peyton Manning. As an emerging offensive assistant in Denver, he learned to truly understand his position at a high level. He went on to work with Matthew Stafford, Derek Carr and eventually Joe Burrow. But what sets Callahan apart are the lessons he helped install and saw in the building culture that changed the Bengals’ franchise.
He’s been Taylor’s right-hand man for every decision over the past five years in Cincinnati going from the punchline to back-to-back AFC Championship games. Building around Buro is fully controlled to shape a developed offense. He brings a style that is in many ways the opposite of Vrabel’s, as he leans toward a simple, player-friendly season and prefers to lean toward the passing game. His writing style with Taylor has changed from year to year, and even month to month in recent years, but it hasn’t been rigid. – Paul Dehner Jr., Bengals beat writer
The Titans went the right way for Will Lewis
It made sense for the Titans to cast a wide net and not limit their search to offensive coaches because you never know where an interview will lead, but landing on one always makes more sense. This is currently O.C. It’s a crowded league, especially when it comes to anyone with a Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay connection, and Taylor comes from that tree — along with some of Callahan’s early NFL experience coming under former West Coast disciple Gary in Denver. Kubiak
Callahan didn’t call the plays in Cincinnati, but he obviously worked closely with Burrows and found success for Jake Browning this season. He was a quarterbacks coach in previous stops in Oakland and Detroit, and what Will Levis needs now is a steady partner in his development. Hiring an offensive coach means the man who is the foundation of everything Levis does can’t be hired by another team. – Joe Rexrode, Titans Conquer author
Another key offensive staff hire now appears to be a lock
The Titans had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL last season, and while that’s more about personnel than coaching, a top offensive line coach is sorely needed in Nashville. It stands to reason that Callahan will bring his father to that end.
Callahan was Cleveland’s offensive line coach for the past four seasons and has extensive experience with head coaching stints with the Oakland Raiders and Nebraska Cornhuskers. Callahan in 2010 After leaving the base at Wisconsin in 1990 under Barry Alvarez, he helped the offensive line dominate. As far as offensive coordinator, two obvious names are the Carolina Panthers’ OC. Thomas Brown — who interviewed for the Titans job — and Kentucky Wildcats OC Liam Coyne, who coached Levis in 2021. – Rexrod
It is necessary to read
(Photo: Dylan Buell/Getty Images)