Tennessee Titans officially name their new offensive coordinator
The Tennessee Titans have officially named Tim Kelly as the team's next offensive coordinator in a press release on Tuesday afternoon. Kelly joined the staff last year as the team’s Passing Game Coordinator after spending eight seasons with the Houston Texans, three of them as the offensive coordinator from 2019-2021. It had been speculated for […]
The Tennessee Titans have officially named Tim Kelly as the team's next offensive coordinator in a press release on Tuesday afternoon.
Kelly joined the staff last year as the team’s Passing Game Coordinator after spending eight seasons with the Houston Texans, three of them as the offensive coordinator from 2019-2021.
It had been speculated for most of the 2022 season that Kelly had taken a backseat on the Titans' staff as the "coordinator in waiting" behind Todd Downing. That speculation is now confirmed with Kelly receiving the elevation.
Mike Vrabel told media during a recent press conference that he had been in sitting in a lot of different meetings and going through the process of finding the right fit for what the Titans need moving forward. He was looking for a leader that could connect with his coaching staff and someone who "has some level of multiplicity."
Turns out that candidate was Kelly all along, and it may be hard for Titans fans not to feel underwhelmed by this.
Elevating Downing from within proved to be a failure last season, and it was rather evident watching the Tennessee Titans' offense in 2022 that a lot needed to change with their offensive scheme and play calling. An argument can be made that their entire offensive identity needs a bit of a facelift.
The way to do that is by bringing in a coordinator from outside the organization that has their own unique set of experiences and a unique perspective on Tennessee's offensive struggles. It somehow feels hard to believe that the solution to all of Tennessee's issues was on the coaching staff all along, but taking a back seat.
Perhaps Kelly proves everyone wrong in 2023, but my initial reaction to this hire is no different than many fans out there…Why wait all this time to settle for an in-house candidate? Why not hire someone that can bring in some new, fresh, and exciting concepts to the offense?
Who knows what this means for the future of Ryan Tannehill or Tennessee's roster make up, but this is far from the jolt of optimism Titans fans needed going into 2023.
Image via George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-USA TODAY NETWORK