Along with free agency and the upcoming draft in April, one big question the Tennessee Titans have to figure out is who will be the leader of this team. The Tennessee Titans started the season with Brian Callahan entering his second season. But after the Titans’ 1-5 start, Callahan was relieved of his head coaching duties and interim head coach Mike McCoy took over. The team earned a couple more wins under his tenure, but that did not diminish the need to search for a leader for this Titans team. And as of right now, the search is in full swing. A few names have been thrown out there that the Titans have requested interviews with. Some have given good feelings or fans and others have given them cause to pause. Let’s take a look at the candidates mentioned so far!
Steve Spagnuolo, Defensive Coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs
I see the fit for Spagnolo with the Titans in Tennessee. He has been the defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs and has fielded a good defense there. In Tennessee, he would have the most dominant interior defensive lineman in the NFL in Jeffery Simmons, along with a talented young linebacker in Cedric Gray, and money to upgrade the corner spots as well. But let’s not forget that he did not have the greatest success as a head coach the first time, going 10-38 with the St. Louis Rams. So, is he a good defensive coordinator but not a good head coach? Those are questions that need to be answered and is that something the Titans want him to respond to while on the job in Tennessee?
Matt Nagy, Offensive Coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs
Nagy is currently the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, where he has been a part of coaching the Chiefs to Super Bowl wins in 2023 and 2024. And along with his experience as an offensive coordinator, which some will love, he also has head coaching experience, leading the Chicago Bears for four years (2018-2021) and taking them to the playoffs twice. While the success sounds good, it's worth remembering that his record did get worse each year he was the head coach in Chicago, starting at 12-4 his first year and ending at 6-11. He also did not make a young quarterback in Mitch Trubisky better, which was something he was entrusted with when he got to Chicago. Would the Titans feel comfortable enough to bring in Nagy to help Cam Ward continue to grow and get better? That is something only the Titans can answer.
Vance Joseph, Defensive Coordinator, Denver Broncos
Vance Joseph now commands one of the best defenses in the NFL with the Denver Broncos. They are aggressive in how they cover people, going to a lot of man coverage. And they also get to the quarterback by rushing only four, and they are one of the best in the NFL at doing so. Vance has been an incredible defensive coordinator for Denver, things were not as pretty for him. He was the head coach for these same Denver Broncos for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Unfortunately, he went 11-21 over two seasons before the Broncos fired him. Not to say he cannot be successful as a head coach if given a second shot, but the first time was not exactly marked by success.
Raheem Morris, recently fired Atlanta Falcons head coach
This request came as a surprise to most who saw it. Morris has been a good assistant, helping teams win two Super Bowls, most recently as the Los Angeles Rams' defensive coordinator in 2021. But for all he has been solid as an assistant coach, he has not been as steady as a head coach. With issues like time management, inconsistent teams, and Morris never leading a team to the playoffs, there are real concerns about whether he can lead a team in the right direction. Do the Titans want to give him that chance to see if the third time is the charm?
Lou Anarumo, Defensive Coordinator, Indianapolis Colts
The vet mastermind coach is a wizard at applying pressure and making things work with what he has. He would also be a good coach for the Titans' secondary. But alas, he has no experience as a head coach, and with that in mind, it would be atypical of what the Titans said they were going to look for. Would he be someone the Titans would look past his lack of head coaching experience to hire? It will be interesting to see whether the Titans consider that.
The Titans have a big decision on their hands with this new hire, and with the candidates that have been mentioned so far, there is some good, some things that catch your attention, and other unknown things. Let the search begin for the new head coach of the Tennessee Titans.