NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans are on the hunt for their next head coach after firing Mike Vrabel last week and the organization has now requested to interview 10 different candidates.

With owner Amy Adams Strunk and GM Ran Carthon claiming they are going to be "casting a wide net," the list of candidates vary in experience, background, and expertise.

Here are my full thoughts on all 10 candidates and my rankings for who I'd like to see the Titans hire.

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10. Antonio Pierce – Raiders Interim HC

Antonio Pierce is former NFL linebacker turned coach that was recently promoted to interim head coach with the Las Vegas Raiders. While Pierce performed admirably during the second half of the 2023 season, his resumé is wildly underwhelming. 

Perhaps he's the right coach for the Raiders. Seeing as star pass rusher Maxx Crosby threatened to request a trade if the Raiders didn't hire pierce full-time, I'd say the locker room is bought in on him. But Pierce is still at the very bottom of my list for the Titans.

A full look at Pierce's experience and my reasoning for labeling him "overrated" can be found here.

The most overrated candidate for the Titans head coach opening

The Titans can and should do better.

9. Aaron Glenn – Lions DC

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is a former player that was once the 12th overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft. He has spent the last 30 years around the sport and got his first job as a coordinator with the Lions in 2021 after beginning his coaching career in 2014.

According to Mike Payton of A to Z Sports Detroit, "Glenn is a players coach and there isn't a player on the Lions that doesn't respect him." The NFL Players Association also asked over 1,700 players to rate the coordinators they play for on a scale of 1-10 and Glenn was the highest rated defensive coordinator in the league. That says a lot about Glenn's leadership style and how he might transition to being a head coach.

All that being said, I think the Titans need to stay away from a defensive minded head coach. Especially one that has just three years of coordinator experience and doesn't run one of the league's elite units. The Lions are 19th in the league in yards allowed and 23rd in points allowed this season. In 2022, Detroit was dead last in yards allowed.

 I need to see more from Glenn before I can move him up my list of head coaching candidates. There are far more dominant defensive coaches being interviewed if the Titans were to choose to go in that direction.

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8. Mike Kafka – Giants OC

Of all the offensive coordinators interviewing to be the Titans' next head coach, I am by far the lowest on New York Giants OC Mike Kafka. Kafka is former professional quarterback that was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft and spent six seasons bouncing around the league during his playing days. 

After working as the quarterbacks coach (2018-2021) and passing game coordinator (2020-2021) for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, Kafka was a shoe-in to land an offensive coordinator job. He got one with the Giants under first-year head coach Brian Daboll in 2022 and earned playcalling responsibilities for the 2022 season.

The Giants went 9-7-1 and got their first postseason win in 11 years in Kafka's first season on the job. Daniel Jones had the best season of his young career by far. The Giants' offense rebounded to league average marks in scoring while tallying the fourth most rushing yards per game.

So why am I so low on him? Well, 2023 happened. The Giants were 31st in passing (169.8 yards/game) and 30th in scoring (15.6 points/game) this past season with Kafka calling the shots. Granted, injuries to Daniel Jones, Andrew Thomas, and others made life more difficult for New York's coaching staff, but the offensive struggles this season had many believing Brian Daboll was on the cusp of taking playcalling duties back.

It's easy to look good when you're a quarterbacks coach for Patrick Mahomes working under Andy Reid and Eric Bienemy. But with his own operation, Kafka has yet to figure out how to have an effective passing game. That's not someone the Titans should be turning their roster over to.

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7. Brian Johnson – Eagles OC

Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson is a former college quarterback for the Utah Utes and the 2009 Sugar Bowl MVP. Johnson had a very brief professional career before turning to coaching and returning back to Utah to be the quarterbacks coach in 2010. 

Johnson was named the offensive coordinator at Utah, his alma mater, before his 25th birthday. It's a position he held for two seasons before leaving. Over the next few years, Johnson coached at Mississippi State, Houston, and Florida working primarily as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. In 2020, Johnson was the OC for Dan Mullen in Gainesville during a season in which the Gators' offense averaged 39.8 points per game.

In 2021, Johnson was hired as the quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles by Nick Sirianni. During the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Johnson was a contributor to the development of Jalen Hurts, a second-round pick turned NFC Offensive Player of the Year and MVP runner-up. 

When Johnson was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2023 following Shane Steichen's departure, he seemed like the next in line to become a head coach around the league. But the 2023 season was a roller coaster in Philly. While the offense finished in the top eight in both points scored and total yards this season, the Eagles scored less than 20 points in five games after December 1st. That includes their 32-9 playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A total implosion on all fronts.

The Titans could certainly do worse than Johnson when it comes to hiring their next head coach, but I haven't seen enough to feel like he's ready for that leap right now. Johnson's experience working with dual-threat quarterbacks would be massive for the development of Will Levis. But what are we supposed to make of the regression from Hurts and the Eagles' offense with Johnson calling plays this season? He's only 36-year-old with one year of coordinator experience. He may need another year before he's ready.

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6. Dan Quinn – Cowboys DC

After the Dallas Cowboys surrendered 48 points and got blown out by the Green Bay Packers during Super Wild Card Weekend, there may be a number of teams reconsidering their requests to interview Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

But Quinn is one of the most prominent "second chance" names in the NFL coaching carousel for a reason. He is the only candidate the Titans requested to interview that has experience as a full-time head coach.

Read more about why I still think Quinn can win at the helm of an NFL franchise and why I've labeled him the "high floor" candidate for the Titans here.

The ‘high floor’ candidate for Titans head coach opening

Might have the highest floor of any coach being considered by the Titans.

5. Mike Macdonald – Ravens DC

Next on my list is Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald (36), who has quickly established himself as one of the most dominant defensive coordinators in the sport.

From John Harbaugh's Ravens to Jim Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverines, Macdonald has done more than enough to show me he's going to be a succesful head coach somewhere. But is there a fit with the Titans?

More on the dominance of Macdonald and why he's my favorite candidate with a defensive background here. 

Dominant defensive mind in the mix for Titans next head coach

Mike Macdonald is a defensive wizard.

4. Thomas Brown – Panthers OC

Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown is, in my opinion, the most underrated candidate on the market and someone I considered having even higher on this list. 

Now, I know what you're thinking. He's affiliated with the 2-15 Panthers and their 13.9 points per game, he can't be a good choice for Titans head coach. But I think there's a lot more to Brown than initially meets the eye. 

More on Brown's experience, why I think he's underrated, and his connection to Titans quarterback Will Levis can be found here.

The most underrated candidate to be Titans next head coach

Don’t sleep on this Titans head coach candidate.

3. Bobby Slowik – Texans OC

Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is one of the most popular names amongst Titans fans for the team's head coaching position. Anyone who has watched C.J. Stroud and the Texans play football in 2023 could tell you why. 

So why is he only number three on my list? I've got concerns about Slowik's limited experience as a coordinator and multiple games throughout the year that the Texans offense was a complete dud. 

Slowik could be boom or bust during this coaching cycle. But perhaps he's not ready to make the leap to head coach just yet. More of my thoughts here.

The biggest ‘boom or bust’ Titans head coach candidate

A popular, yet risky option for Titans next head coach.

2. Ben Johnson – Lions OC

Either of these top two candidates would be home run hires for the Titans in my opinion, but second on my list is Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. 

Johnson was a college quarterback for the North Carolina Tarheels from 2004-2007 before taking on a role as a graduate assistant and tight ends coach at Boston College. His first NFL coaching job came in 2012 with the Miami Dolphins where he would stay for seven years holding various offensive positions such as offensive assistant, assistant quarterbacks coach, tight ends coach, and wide receivers coach.

In 2019, Johnson joined the Detroit Lions as an offensive quality control coach, and then became the tight ends coach in 2020 before Matt Patricia was fired. When Dan Campbell got the head coaching job, Johnson was retained to Campbell's staff and in 2022, he was promoted to offensive coordinator.

In each of Johnson's two seasons as the Lions' offensive coordinator, Detroit has been a Top 5 unit in scoring. The Lions scored 30+ points an astonishing nine times in 2023 and quarterback Jared Goff had one of the best seasons of his career. While Campbell is still the primary play caller in Detroit, Johnson has had a significant impact on the offense.

According to Mike Payton of A to Z Sports Detroit, "Johnson rose up the ranks so fast because his creativity was shining through. Even before Johnson became the Lions offensive coordinator, he has a hand in helping Anthony Lynn and Dan Campbell draw up some pretty great plays. That's the kind of thing you'll get from Johnson. Creativity and an understanding on how to best use a player."

Johnson has found a way to get the most out of just about every skill position player on the Lions' roster. Whether that be 17 touchdowns in a season from Jamaal Williams, a career-high in receiving yards from Kalif Raymond, or immediate contributions from rookie tight end Sam LaPorta. 

What Johnson has done in Detroit feels like something that will translate wherever he lands. The main question: Can the Titans lure him away from a well-paying gig in Detroit that just gave him a significant raise last offseason?

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1. Brian Callahan – Bengals OC

My ideal candidate to be the next head coach of the Tennessee Titans is Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, a true football lifer who has been thriving as an OC since 2019.

Callahan has extensive experience working with all types of quarterbacks and helping them excel. He has also worked under some of the best head coaches in the business over his storied career. 

For a 39-year-old coordinator, Callahan's resumé is long and impressive. I think he's the perfect dance partner for Will Levis and the guy who can take the Titans' young quarterback to the next level. More on why I believe he's the man for the job can be found here. 

The ideal candidate to become the Tennessee Titans next head coach

He should be the Titans next head coach.