NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans have completed a virtual interview with a handful of candidates for the team's head coach position and are expected to have another series of interviews in the coming days.

So far, Tennessee has expressed interest in 10 different coaches, each with a unique background and skillset. There may not be a more popular name in consideration than Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.

Here's everything you need to know about Slowik's coaching career and my thoughts on his boom or bust potential.

---

Bobby Slowik – Texans Offensive Coordinator

Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, 36, is one of the most popular names amongst Titans fans for the team's head coach opening. Spend one Sunday watching the Texans play football and you'll understand why. But who is Slowik and why is he only my third choice for Tennessee?

Slowik got his start in coaching as a defensive assistant under Mike Shanahan with the Washington Redskins in 2011. When Shanahan was fired following the 2013 season, Slowik was not retained and spent the next three years working as an analyst for Pro Football Focus.

When Kyle Shanahan, son of the aforementioned Mike Shanahan, was hired by the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, Slowik joined him as a defensive quality control coach and returned to the NFL coaching world. In 2019, Slowik made the switch to the offensive side of the ball and worked his way up to becoming the offensive passing game coordinator for San Francisco during the 2022 season.

Slowik unsurprisingly became one of the hottest offensive names around the NFL, and was quickly hired by first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans to be the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.

In 2023, Stroud has been a revelation. He threw for over 4,000 yards in 15 starts and the Texans made the playoffs one season after finishing 3-13-1. Stroud is the overwhelming favorite for the NFL Offensive Rookie Of The Year and his early success has pushed Slowik's name to the forefront of every head coaching conversation. He has given teams plenty of reason to believe he can coordinate an explosive and modernized passing attack which gets the best out of a young quarterback. That's music to the Titans ears.

But is there anything to be worried about with Slowik? For starters, the limited experience is worth noting. Not only does Slowik only have one year of playcalling experience under his belt, he's only been coaching on the offensive side of the ball since 2019. He's never even been a position coach before. You absolutely have to wonder how much of the Texans' offensive success was on Slowik and how much had to do with a generational talent at quarterback in Stroud.

There were multiple games throughout the year that the Texans offense was a complete dud. They scored 13 points in a loss to the Panthers, 9 points in a loss to the Ravens, and 6 points in a loss to the New York Jets. Stroud started all three of those games.

It goes without saying that being an NFL head coach is a completely different and more complex challenge than being an NFL coordinator. There are variables that are hard to account for, and sometimes more experience is the only thing that fully prepares a coach to make the delicate transition. We have seen plenty of analytics gurus thrive as coordinators in the league and flop as head coaches (i.e. Brandon Staley). Given the sample size we have of him as a coordinator, there is a real boom or bust potential that exists with Slowik.

Slowik would be an overall good hire for the Titans that would get the fanbase excited. His offense with the Texans threw on first down more often than any other team in the NFL. That modernized approach to offense would be welcomed with open arms in Tennessee. But when I size him up to the other top candidates of this cycle, I think he'd be better off with one more year of experience as a coordinator. Hiring him now comes with a lot of risk.

Ranking all 10 Tennessee Titans head coach candidates

Every Titans head coach candidate ranked 1-10.