The Tennessee Titans have entered a new era under head coach Brian Callahan. The long-time Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator has the opportunity to put his stamp on the Titans organization. One offseason move that felt like an obvious choice was the hiring of Bill Callahan, Brian's father, to be the new offensive line coach in Tennessee. Apparently this hire almost didn't happen.
Titans head coach Brian Callahan recently appeared on The Adam Schefter Podcast. He spoke with Schefter on a variety of topics, including hiring his father Bill as an offensive line coach.
“Yeah, it was a huge hire for me,” Callahan said on hiring his father. He reportedly laid the groundwork with Bill about being Brian's offensive line coach the year prior. At the time, Brian Callahan was interviewing for head coaching vacancies in Indianapolis and Arizona.
Initially, Bill Callahan did not want to leave the Browns.
“I'm really happy here. I love working for Kevin Stefanski [and] working in Cleveland,” Bill Callahan said, according to his son.
Brian felt that his father wanted him to do things on his own, like he has his whole NFL career. The two have never worked together until they joined forces with the Titans.
Bill and Brian talked about the possibility of teaming up again during this offseason's hiring cycle, but Bill had not changed his mind.
As Brian Callahan tells it, his father wanted Brian's first head coaching hire to be his own accomplishment. He did not want to overshadow his son.
However, Brian Callahan believes that his father changed his mind after watching his introductory press conference. Bill then spoke with Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry in Cleveland and was granted the ability to leave the Browns for the Titans.
What a heartwarming father and son story just before Father's Day.
Titans will need to start the season on a hot streak if they want to compete in 2024
The Titans are facing intense pressure to make some positive strides during Callahan's first year as head coach.
Tennessee finished the 2023 season with a 6-11 record and finished in last place in the AFC South. While it was a similar record to the previous year, all three divisional opponents took massive steps forward and left the Titans in the dust.
There will likely be some growing pains in 2024. Callahan brings a new system to Tennessee, which means veterans have to learn a new playbook. Tennessee has also brought in a ton of new faces this offseason who will have to gel together under the new regime. There's a lot to like, but the Titans may not have the benefit of patience.
QB Will Levis showed flashes of brilliance in 2023, but was very inconsistent. Levis will need to seriously elevate his game in 2024 for the Titans offense to function at a high level.
Tennessee's schedule introduces a unique challenge for the team. They only play four games (at Chicago, vs. New York Jets, vs. Packers, at Dolphins) before their Week 5 bye. The Titans will need to pick up at least a couple of wins in that early stretch to position themselves well in the AFC South standings.
Following their bye, the Titans play three important games in a row against the Colts, Bills, and Lions. If they don't, they could dig themselves a serious hole.
Success for the Titans in 2024 may more realistically be playing competitive football and establishing a new identity under Callahan and Levis.
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