Smith on the Rise as a Head Coach Candidate

Titans offensive coordinator seen as one of the next wave of coaches who will receive consideration for openings as soon as 2021.

Arthur Smith might not be at the top of anybody’s list of NFL head coaching candidates right now.

But it might not be long.

Conor Orr, staff writer for SI.com and MMQB, put together a comprehensive list last week of those he expects will be mentioned and/or considered for head coach openings following the 2020 NFL season, which kicked off with Kansas City’s victory over Houston on Thursday.

Orr’s lineup consists of 25 coaches broken into three categories, the top candidates, second-chance candidates with upside and the young guns. Smith was included in the latter.

Orr’s take:

Smith’s modern interpretation of the throwback wide-zone rushing scheme powered the Titans and Derrick Henry deep into the playoffs last year. Smith’s emergence, from Oh bummer we didn’t get Ryan Day to rising head coaching candidate has been fast but well-deserved. Another strong showing from the Titans will earn Smith, who has been with the Titans in various capacities since 2011, some broader attention.

Smith has been with the Titans since 2011 and has worked under four different head coaches. He became offensive coordinator in 2019 after three seasons as tight ends coach, the first two under former coach Mike Mularkey and the third under current boss Mike Vrabel. He was assistant tight ends coach in 2014-15 under Ken Whisenhunt (he actually finished the 2015 season as tight ends coach after Whisenhunt was fired and Mularkey was named interim head coach).

He came to Tennessee as a defensive assistant/quality control in Mike Munchak’s first season. The next year he was an offensive assistant/quality control and in 2013 he was an offensive line/tight end assistant.

That is six different jobs in nine seasons under four coaches, and now he is one step from the top of an organization.

“It’s all about your mindset,” Smith said last week about his professional philosophy. “I take kind of a neutral approach when you’re in this thing. … The way I look at it, win or lose you’ve got to take a neutral mindset. A lot of times when you win, it’s not that everything went right for you either. You’re just kind of building week to week.

“I think it’s a very toxic mindset to have, [when] all of a sudden you think something is catastrophic. The season’s too long. … Things change week to week.”

For him to change jobs again, he likely will have to change organizations.