Tennessee Titans DL Coach Terrell Williams Serving as Acting Head Coach for Chicago Bears Matchup

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel will be passing his role over to defensive line coach and assistant head coach Terrell Williams for the first preseason game of 2023 against the Chicago Bears.

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans will have a new head coach for their first preseason game of the year against the Chicago Bears on Saturday night. No, current head coach Mike Vrabel isn't fired or unwell, he is simply doing a great thing and letting a deserving assistant practice for a future role.

Enter Titans' assistant head coach and defensive line coach Terrell Williams. According to Vrabel, it is Williams who will serve in the head coaching role on Saturday night. Vrabel talked about the decision and why he made the move.

"Terrell Williams will act as the head coach for Chicago starting on Friday," Vrabel declared. "I think this is a great opportunity for him and for us and for everybody involved. Big T(Williams) will handle that and Clint(McMillan, defensive assistant) will handle the defensive line. That will start on Friday."

Vrabel also went into some detail on what all Williams will be focused on during this weekend's duties.

"I think that him dealing with and talking to the trainer, and again we will have a lot of conversations between now and Friday, but just handling things with the roster and discussing those things with the assistant coaches," Vrabel explained. "How we want to play the game, let him make those decisions in the game. We'll go into the game with things we think we need to try and get done and I'll help him where need be. I think it will be a great opportunity. Well deserved. Something that I wanted to do." 

Williams is incredibly deserving. He has been on the staff with Vrabel since Vrabel was hired in 2018. He has been loyal and has been excellent at his job. Williams has improved nearly every player he has gotten his hands on.

Jeffery Simmons has blossomed into one of the best players in the NFL under Williams' guidance. We have seen multiple undrafted players like Isaiah Mack, Teair Tart and Naquon Jones have good moments as undrafted free agents with Jayden Peevy looking like he could see similar success this upcoming year.

We have even seen some veterans have a resurgence under Williams like DeMarcus Walker or Mario Edwards last year. You may not be able to call it a resurgence per se, but Denico Autry has also kept his excellent play up under Williams. 

This is an uncommon practice in the NFL, but one Vrabel makes with a ton of foresight. It is clear that Vrabel wants to make the Titans a place where talented coaches not only can come, but can leave for career advancement purposes.

This started in 2018 when Vrabel hired Matt LaFleur as offensive coordinator while being almost completely positive that LaFleur would leave in a year to be a head coach. Which he did, going to the Green Bay Packers.

Williams isn't the only loyal soldier that Vrabel is trying to help either. Tony Dews was moved from running back coach to tight end coach in order to get Dews more involved in the game planning for the passing game and running game. Vrabel said the move was about helping Dews grow his career. It isn't just Vrabel's returning coaches either.

Now, Vrabel has brought on Charles London as his quarterback coach and passing game coordinator and Chris Harris as his defensive back coach and defensive passing game coordinator. Both highly-regarded coaches who are prime candidates to take bigger jobs elsewhere after the season.

Vrabel wants to make Nashville a great place where the most talented coaches in the league can come and not be held back. It's a method that will attract some of the best minds in the sport. It will benefit the team by having great coaching, but also allow Vrabel to pick the minds and learn from some of the best in the game as well.

Vrabel has done something really interesting here and it has the chance to be a stroke of genius. It will all come down to how the team and Williams perform when they are asked to do their job this weekend. Either way, the first preseason game of the year just got that much more exciting.

Titans Training Camp Stories

• OL Steps Up: The Tennessee Titans' offensive line has caused it's fair share of concern through the early stages of training camp, but on Friday we saw the offensive line finally have some good moments. CLICK HERE
• Titans Add OL Depth: The Tennessee Titans' efforts to rebuild their offensive line are ongoing, with the biggest concern at right tackle. The latest move to help there is signing veteran offensive lineman Justin Murray. CLICK HERE
• Fulton's Strong Start: The Tennessee Titans' cornerback is going into his fourth season and despite injury issues in the past, Fulton looks to be in the best shape of his career and is making plays at training camp. CLICK HERE