Getting to know new Titans running backs coach Justin Outten
Mike Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans filled the final vacancy on the team’s coaching staff on Tuesday night when they hired former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Justin Outten as the running backs coach and run game coordinator. Outten was the offensive coordinator in Denver working under head coach Nathaniel Hackett in 2022, but don’t let […]
Mike Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans filled the final vacancy on the team’s coaching staff on Tuesday night when they hired former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Justin Outten as the running backs coach and run game coordinator.
Outten was the offensive coordinator in Denver working under head coach Nathaniel Hackett in 2022, but don’t let the Broncos’ lackluster offense fool you. With Hackett arising from an offensive background, he maintained play calling duties as head coach. Outten was not calling plays for the team until Hackett was fired in late December.
In the final two games of the year with Outten calling the shots, the Broncos scored 24 and 31 points while taking games down to the wire with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers, two playoff teams.
In 15 games under Hackett, Denver averaged 15.4 points per game.
Coaching Roots
Outten got his start in coaching when he joined the staff at Syracuse University as a graduate assistant in 2007. A former collegiate center and three-year letterwinner with the Orange, joining the staff of his alma mater propelled Outten to a coaching job at Westfield High School in Harris County, Texas where he learned a few essential skills for coaching at the professional level.
"It really prepared me organizationally in finding creative ways for guys to learn and keep it interesting," Outten said in an interview with Broncos.com when hired by Denver in February of 2022. "That attention span at that age — there's a lot of social media and a lot of things on their mind so you've got to find ways to connect with those kids. I thought it was very beneficial."
Over eight years as an assistant coach as Westfield, 24 of the offensive linemen under Outten's tutelage received collegiate scholarships.
In 2016, Outten entered the NFL scene as coaching intern with the Atlanta Falcons, and was hired as an offensive assistant by Falcons head coach Dan Quinn one year later. While in Atlanta, center Alex Mack and tackle Jake Matthews became the first pair of Falcons offensive linemen since 1983 to be named to a Pro Bowl in the same year (2018).
From Atlanta, Outten continued his climb up the ladder by accepting a job as the tight ends coach for the Green Bay Packers (2019-2021). In 2020, former undrafted free agent Robert Tonyan posted 52 catches, 586 receiving yards, and scored 11 touchdowns. Those 11 scores broke the Packers’ all-time franchise record for single-season touchdowns by a tight end and tied Tonyan with Kansas city’s Travis Kelce for the league lead.
This versatile and impressive resume landed Outten the OC job with the Broncos at just 38 years old, and his success late in the season as play caller, despite the failures of Hackett as head coach, landed him on team’s radars for other offensive coordinator positions around the league.
Outten received a second interview from the Baltimore Ravens for the offensive coordinator opening before settling in Nashville. Much like new Titans’ passing game coordinator Charles London, many considered him to be a top candidate for numerous OC jobs.
While the Titans’ promotion of Tim Kelly to be offensive coordinator was questionable, Mike Vrabel has done a phenomenal job with the supplemental additions to the coaching staff by adding professionals that have dynamic backgrounds of demonstrated success in the NFL. Outten is really impressive addition for 2023.
Image via Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
