Titans GM Ran Carthon Took Part In A New ESPN Special

Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon is one of three general managers who took part in a new ESPN special.

George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

NASHVILLE - When Ran Carthon was hired as the new general manager of the Tennessee Titans in January of this year, he became the first African-American general manager in the team's history. 

In the NFL, Carthon joined the ranks of current African-American general managers, Cleveland's Andrew Bell and Minnesota's Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. 

Those three men all sat down recently with ESPN as part of a special to reflect on their journeys to their current positions and to discuss the importance of diversity in the front office.       

Carthon, who is very approachable, friendly, and personable, has quickly become a favorite of the local Nashville media because of his willingness to joke, laugh and interact personally. 

During the final minicamp practice, he even shared fashion tips on Lululemon pants with other media members and me as we stood and watched the quarterbacks throw the football.    

As part of the special, Carthon said this about his arrival in Nashville as the team's new general manager. 

"Looking up and seeing all those people (as he entered the building after being hired0, feeling the applause, that motivated me," said Carthon in the opening segment of the show.  

In 2003 the NFL adopted The Rooney Rule, named after former Pittsburgh owner Art. The policy requires teams with a head coaching vacancy to interview one or more "diverse" candidates before hiring. The league amended that rule to include the general manager in 2009.   

As part of the interview, Carthon, who entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie running back from the University of Florida, shared his path to the front office. 

"I played three years out of college, kind of bounced around, you know, five teams in three years," said Carthon. "(I) quickly knew what I wanted to do, which was get into personnel."

"I got hired by the Falcons. Worked there for four years, and when Les Sneed was hired by the Rams, he brought me over as director of pro (player personnel)," continued Carthon. "I worked under Les for five years and spent the last six under John Lynch and Kyle Shannahan in San Francisco before I got this opportunity with the Titans.    

Now six months into his tenure with the Titans, Carthon has begun restructuring the front office with the additions of Chad Brinker and Anthony Robinson as assistant general managers and rebuilding a roster that required improvement. 

It's too early to say that his tenure is a success. Still, given the roster issues, the financial constraints he inherited, and a depleted roster of draft picks in his first draft in this position, things are beginning to take place. The plan, however, distance is coming into focus. 

Time will tell how history will remember Carthon's Titans tenure, but it seems he has gotten off on the right foot, and I can't wait for the next round of fishing tips he has for us during training camp. 

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