Report: AFC Team to Interview Titans Assistant

After two seasons as tight ends coach, Luke Steckel is a candidate to be offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Tennessee Titans

It is nothing new for a Tennessee Titans tight coach to be hired as an offensive coordinator.

The difference in this case is that it could be with a different team.

NFL.com reported Monday that the Los Angeles Chargers will interview current Titans tight ends coach Luke Steckel in their search for a new offensive coordinator. The position is open because the Chargers fired Joe Lombardi after two years in that role.

It is unclear whether Steckel is also a candidate to replace Todd Downing as the Titans offensive coordinator. Coach Mike Vrabel has not commented specifically about any candidate.

The #Chargers will interview #Titans TE coach Luke Steckel for their offensive coordinator job this week, per sources.

Steckel is a fascinating name. He's 37, a Princeton grad, highly intelligent and widely respected by players and peers. The next Ben Johnson?

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 23, 2023

“I'm excited with the numerous people that we have been able to meet and interview,” Vrabel said last week. “That has been the bulk of my time spent doing that since the season ended. I am excited where it’s at, excited with the ideas, and nothing really new to report.”

It is worth noting that the last two times Vrabel hired an offensive coordinator he promoted his tight ends coach. That was the case when Downing replaced Arthur Smith in 2021 and when Smith replaced Matt LaFleur in 2019.

Steckel also has an obvious coaching pedigree. He is the son of Les Steckel, who was Tennessee’s offensive coordinator for three years, the last of which was the Super Bowl season of 1999. He also spent one season as Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator (2000) in a coaching career that spanned three decades.

The younger Steckel spent the last two years as tight ends coach but has worked under four different Titans head coaches. His first year with the franchise was 2013 when he served as assistant to head coach Mike Munchak. From 2014-16, he was an offensive assistant under Ken Whisenhunt and Mike Mularkey and was assistant wide receivers coach in Mularkey’s final season (2017). He returned to the role of offensive assistant in Vrabel’s first three seasons (2018-20).

His first NFL job was as assistant to Cleveland Browns head coaches Eric Mangini and Pat Shurmur from 2009-12.