Former Titans assistant lands new NFL coaching job
Former Tennessee Titans offensive line coach Keith Carter has landed on his feet, being hired by the New York Jets as the team’s offensive line coach and run-game coordinator. Carter spent five seasons as the offensive line coach in Tennessee before being let go by Mike Vrabel at the conclusion of the 2022 season. In […]
Former Tennessee Titans offensive line coach Keith Carter has landed on his feet, being hired by the New York Jets as the team’s offensive line coach and run-game coordinator.
Carter spent five seasons as the offensive line coach in Tennessee before being let go by Mike Vrabel at the conclusion of the 2022 season.
In 2022, Carter’s line allowed 49 quarterback sacks, tied for 5th most in the NFL. The team chose to roll with Dennis Daley at left tackle instead of 2021 second round draft pick Dillon Rdaunz, and ultimately, the Titans’ offensive line was their biggest weakness in 2022.
In defense of Carter, losing LT Taylor Lewan for the year to an ACL surgery didn’t help, but the Titans still failed to evaluate and develop offensive line talent over the years Carter was on staff. Something needed to change with the way this organization handles their offensive line, and Mike Vrabel chose to move away from Carter for 2023.
In the Titans' introductory press conference for GM Ran Carthon, Vrabel was asked about hiring a new offensive line coach, and hinted that Carter was not great about supporting OC Todd Downing and the rest of the team. That's something he now understands the importance of.
"You have to have an offensive line coach that that supports the offensive coordinator and supports the team," Vrabel said. "I feel a lot better where I'm at, personally. I think that was my first time hiring a staff, the first time having an offensive coordinator. The most important thing is that that person supports the coordinator. I understand that now."
The news of Carter's hiring in New York will not come as a surprise to Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan, though. Lewan predicted Carter getting another job in the NFL when he reacted live to the news of Carter being fired by the Titans on his podcast, Bussin' With the Boys.
"Keith and I have had a very up and down relationship," said Lewan of his long-time OL coach. "I think when Keith first got here, the way he came in and was trying to act towards everybody was very disrespectful, and very authoritative in a dictatorship type of way. Keith grew every single year, and he did live on the O-line with impossible standards. Sometimes you just want a pat on the back, and you never truly get that. I think Keith is a good offensive line coach that was stricken by injuries. I think he'll be able to get a job in the NFL again."
Obviously the Jets see some of the same things in Carter. The hiring was announced just moments after the news broke that former Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett was being hired by the Jets as their offensive coordinator.
Image via George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-Imagn Content Services, LLC
