Eight Potential Offensive Coordinator Candidates

Mike Vrabel has filled the position twice previously, and both times he promoted from within the current staff.

George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA Today Network

For many, the Tennessee Titans’ decision to fire offensive coordinator Todd Downing on Monday was a no-brainer.

Downing was a regular target for fans’ frustrations as the Titans slogged through a season in which they used three different starting quarterbacks behind an offensive line that was often a patchwork of several reserves and career backups and a wide receiver group that lacked a legitimate deep threat.

The result was a unit that never scored more than 27 points in a game and 11 times failed to put up as many as 20 points. Tennessee ranked 30th in the NFL in passing offense, 28th in scoring and 24th in yards per play.

Now, though, it is time to think about who will fill that vacancy.

This is not the first time Mike Vrabel has had to fill the position. Previously, he has not looked far and wide to do so.

When Matt LaFleur left in 2019, tight ends coach Arthur Smith was promoted to take his place. When Smith left in 2021 to become Atlanta Falcons, Downing was promoted from tight ends coach to take his place.

It seems clear that Vrabel’s preference is to stick with someone who has familiarity with the personnel and the system in place.

CURRENT STAFF MEMBERS

• Tim Kelly, passing game coordinator: He is the most obvious choice. He was the Houston Texans’ offensive coordinator for three seasons (2019-21) after having worked his way up the ranks with that organization. His addition to the staff after last season was hardly an endorsement of Downing’s performance during his first season as coordinator. It should also be noted that Kelly (pictured) worked closely with the tight ends this season, and it was in that room that Vrabel found his last two coordinators.

• Tony Dews, running backs coach: He has been in the same position since Vrabel became head coach in 2018, but this past May, Dews took part in The Accelerator, an NFL program designed to create greater opportunities for minority coaches and front office personnel. His work with Derrick Henry speaks for itself. Plus, in more than a decade as a college assistant, he coached – at various times – offensive line, tight ends and wide receivers. So, he is well-rounded in all aspects of offense.

• Pat O’Hara, quarterbacks coach: Another member of Vrabel’s staff from the beginning, O’Hara has experience as a play-caller and as head coach in arena football. It is possible that he is ready once again for a bigger role. O’Hara has helped Ryan Tannehill play the best football of his career in recent seasons. If Malik Willis is the quarterback of the future, he also has a tight bond with and a deep understanding of the 2022 third-round pick already.

OTHER CANDIDATES

• Bill O’Brien, offensive coordinator, University of Alabama: It has been clear over the past five years that Vrabel likes to work with coaches and players he knows. As head coach of the Houston Texans, O’Brien gave Vrabel his first opportunity as an NFL assistant in 2014 and promoted him to defensive coordinator in 2017. O’Brien has been a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in the NFL and in college. He spent the last two seasons as play-caller at Alabama, a position that has been a springboard for numerous coaches in recent years.

• Pep Hamilton, offensive coordinator, Houston Texans: He interviewed for the job in 2021 when Smith went to Atlanta, and indications were that the Titans were interested then. Hamilton replaced Kelly with the Texans this season and previously was offensive coordinator with the Indianapolis Colts (2013-15). He has extensive experience as a quarterbacks coach in the NFL in college, did a lot of his best work with Andrew Luck at Stanford and with the Colts and even did a brief stint as an XHL head coach in 2020. He also was associate head coach/offense for the Cleveland Browns in 2016.

• George Godsey, tight ends coach, Baltimore Ravens: Another Vrabel connection from his time with the Texans. Godsey was Houston’s offensive coordinator in 2015 and 2016 (before that franchise drafted Deshaun Watson) and the Miami Dolphins’ offensive coordinator in 2021. In both cases, he was promoted after leading a position group (quarterbacks in Houston, tight ends in Miami). He broke into the NFL coaching ranks in 2008 with New England, so there is a tie to Bill Belichick and the Patriots as well.

• Kliff Kingsbury, former head coach Arizona Cardinals: Kingsbury’s brief NFL career started in 2003 when the New England Patriots drafted him. Vrabel was a key member of the Patriots’ defense at that time. The Cardinals fired Kingsbury on Monday after four seasons in which he led that team to just one playoff appearance. Known for his modern offense, though, his teams finished among the top 10 in offense in 2019 and 2020. His work with Kyler Murray during his time with the Cardinals (before their relationship fractured this year) would make him a logical mentor for Willis with the Titans.

• Brian Hartline, passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach, Ohio State: A rising star in the coaching ranks, Hartline has been involved with coaching Ohio State wide receivers in some capacity for the past six seasons. During that time, he has helped develop a number of players who seamlessly transitioned to the NFL, most recently Chris Olave this year. Hartline had a seven-year NFL playing career during which he caught 344 passes, many of them thrown by current Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill. So, there is a built-in relationship on that front. Vrabel remains close to his alma mater, and an endorsement by current Ohio State head coach Ryan Day would carry weight.