Pair of former Titans coordinators could make or break a Titans head coach candidate to replace Brian Callahan
Party like it’s 2023.
The Tennessee Titans are already on the hunt for who their next head coach will be in 2026. Their only competition in that market so far are the Giants, who fired Brian Daboll and put OC Mike Kafka in charge for the remainder of the year. That move put both of those coaches on the future Titans coaching radar.
One arena in which the Titans have plenty of competition right now, though, is the race for draft positioning. They’d have the 1st overall pick if the season ended today, as they’re the only one-win team left in the league. But the two-win Jets, Saints, Browns, Raiders, and Giants are hot on their heels with plenty of season left to play.
So while we monitor the Giants as both a potential feeding ground for future coaching hires and also active tanking competition for the top draft pick, it’s notable that this week their new interim coaching structure was announced. And Mike Kafka’s plan for this eight game audition of his is to essentially become a former version of Tennessee.
The Giants are turning back the clock with a pair of former Titans coordinators
Remember 2023? What a completely unremarkable season for the Titans. Head Coach Mike Vrabel was in what became his final year with the team, and his coordinators were DC Shane Bowen and OC Tim Kelly. Now two years later, those two are coordinating alongside one another again, this time in New York.
Tim Kelly joined the Giants as the new Tight Ends coach in 2024 following his dismissal from Tennessee. Now, he’s the interim OC. Shane Bowen has been the DC in New York since leaving Tennessee in 2024, and his coaching has been the target of plenty of Giants fan frustrations.
In 2023, neither coach had a fantastic Titans roster to work with. But Kelly’s offense ranked 27th in points and 28th in yards that year, and Bowen’s defense ranked 16th in points allowed and 18th in yards allowed.
Now, they’ll be Mike Kafka’s lieutenants helping to make or break his final head coaching tryout. They’ll play significant roles in whether Kafka gets considered for the Giants head coach position full-time, another head coach position around the league, or perhaps another OC job.
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