Report: Tennessee Titans working to hire Cincinnati Bengals OC Brian Callahan as head coach

The Tennessee Titans are finalizing a deal to hire Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan as their next head coach, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network had reported Sunday that Callahan was emerging as a hot head coaching candidate, and after interviewing for a second time Monday, the Titans decided to make him the man to succeed Mike Vrabel.

Callahan, 39, has spent the last five seasons in Cincinnati under head coach Zac Taylor. The Bengals owned one of the league’s best offenses in 2021 and ’22 with quarterback Joe Burrow leading the way. The offense took a step back in 2023 with Burrow missing seven games due to injury, but still finished in the top half of the NFL in points per game (21.5).

“I’ve learned a lot in the role,” Callahan said last year of being an offensive coordinator. “You do oversee the offensive staff, the entire offense, the players. You interact with all of the different players. Having to build relationships with the receivers, tight ends, the linemen. Then the administrative part of being a coordinator, how you manage the roster spots, the draft process, there’s a management part of being in the coordinator role that you don’t get that experience as a position coach.”

Brian Callahan tasked with turning things around in Tennessee

Callahan inherits a Titans team which went 6-11 this season and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Tennessee’s offense spent much of the season stuck in neutral, with veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill eventually taking a backseat to Will Levis, the 2023 second-round pick out of Kentucky.

Levis started nine games, throwing for 1,808 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions on 58.4% passing. Despite going 3-6 in his starts, Levis showed plenty of promise and would appear to be one of the building blocks for Tennessee under Callahan.

It also remains to be seen if Callahan will want veteran running back Derrick Henry to stick around. Henry, 30, will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024. In 17 games this season, he rushed for 1,167 yards on 4.2 yards per carry and 12 touchdowns. He added 28 receptions for 214 yards through the air. Henry saved his best for the final game of the season, rushing for a season-high 153 yards and helping lead the Titans to a 28-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars to cost them a second straight AFC South title.

General manager Ran Carthon hasn’t ruled out a return, saying he’d have a conversation with the new head coach.

“That will be the new head coach and I having a conversation,” Carthon said last week. “I had a really good conversation with Derrick yesterday on the way out. We had our conversation, which I’ll keep between he and I, but the door is never closed.”