Titans begin search for next OC after departure by Smith
Mike Vrabel is looking for his third offensive coordinator shortly after finishing his third season as Tennessee Titans coach.
On the bright side, the first two did well enough to leave for head coaching jobs. Matt Lafleur became the Packers head coach after serving as Titans offensive coordinator in 2018. And now Arthur Smith has become the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach after calling plays for Tennessee the past two seasons.
Expect Vrabel to look in the NFL and college ranks, as well as his own Titans staff. Here are a few coaches he may consider in the search for the next offensive coordinator (in alphabetical order):
Darrell Bevell, Lions interim coach
Darrell Bevell has gotten a brief look as Detroit Lions head coach, but he likely will be looking for a job soon. He is a very experienced offensive coordinator, calling plays for the Lions (2019-20), Seahawks (2011-17) and Vikings (200610) over the past 15 seasons. He coached in back-to-back Super Bowls with Seattle. Before that, he coached quarterbacks for the Packers. Pairing Bevell with Ryan Tannehill would be intriguing. He tutored Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson and Brett Favre
Keith Carter, Titans offensive line coach
Among a few options as internal promotions, Keith Carter is an intriguing one. He served as Titans offensive line coach under Lafleur and Smith, making a smooth transition to help pave the way for Tannehill’s breakout season and Derrick Henry’s back-to-back rushing titles. Carter coached offensive line and running backs for the Falcons (2015-16) and served as offensive quality control assistant with the Seahawks (2012-13), coaching in a Super Bowl with both franchises. Interestingly, Carter is the grandson of Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Gino Marchetti.
Todd Downing, Titans tight ends coach
Todd Downing is a 20-year NFL assistant coach who replaced Arthur Smith as tight ends coach in 2019. So he would seem like a natural option to keep continuity in the system. Downing also has experience calling plays in the NFL, serving as Raiders offensive coordinator in 2017. His other stops have been with the Vikings (2001-05, 2018), Bills (2014), Lions (2009-13) and Rams (2006-08).
Tony Elliott, Clemson offensive coordinator
Tony Elliott, a longtime Dabo Swinney assistant, has popped up on NFL radars recently. He reportedly has been sought after for offensive coordinator jobs with the Seahawks and Dolphins this offseason and the Cowboys a year ago. But others have reported that Elliott said he wanted to stay at Clemson. He has only coached in college, guiding Clemson’s offense to two national titles. If he wants a college head coaching job, the 41-year-old Elliott should have plenty of options. But don’t fault the Titans for trying.
Pep Hamilton, Chargers offensive coordinator
Pep Hamilton has been a popular candidate for jobs, including Dolphins offensive coordinator. He became available after Chargers coach Anthony Lynn was fired. Hamilton was Andrew Luck’s offensive coordinator with the Colts from 2013-15. Before that, he was Luck’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks at Stanford. Outside of that, Hamilton coached at Howard and Michigan in college and the Jets (2003-05), 49ers (2006), Bears (2007-09) and Browns (2016) in the NFL. In 2020, Hamilton was an XFL head coach for the D.C. Defenders.
Tom Herman, former Texas head coach
Tom Herman has never coached in the NFL. So why would he be considered for this job? Vrabel values trust among coaches, and he knows Herman well. Herman was the offensive coordinator at Ohio State when Vrabel was on the Buckeyes’ staff, and they’ve stayed in touch over the years. Last offseason, Vrabel was the keynote speaker for Herman’s coaching clinic at Texas. And after Herman was fired as Texas coach, maybe he wants a change of pace in his coaching career.
Ben Mcadoo,
Jaguars quarterbacks coach
Ben Mcadoo quietly served as Jaguars quarterbacks coach this season, but Urban Meyer’s arrival in Jacksonville likely puts him on the open market. Mcadoo is best known as Giants head coach who got to the playoffs in his first season (2016) and then went 2-10 in his second season (2017), awkwardly benched Eli Manning and then was fired. But before that, Mcadoo was an up-and-coming assistant as Giants offensive coordinator and Packers quarterbacks coach for a Super Bowl title. He was endorsed by Aaron Rodgers, an efficient passer and sneaky mobile quarterback that compares well to Tannehill.
Pat O’hara, Titans quarterbacks coach
Like Carter, Pat O’hara coached during the Lafleur and Smith tenures. He tutored Tannehill to a 2019 Pro Bowl season, reviving his career as an NFL starter. O’hara worked with Vrabel with the Texans, mostly as Watson’s quarterbacks coach, and served three years with Houston. But O’hara, a former Southern Cal quarterback, has an eclectic coaching career, including three head coaching stints in the Arena Football League and eight years as a high school coach. Interestingly, O’hara has served as a consultant on football movies such as “The Longest Yard,” “Invincible,” “We Are Marshall” and “The Game Plan.” He appeared on screen in “The Waterboy,” “Any Given Sunday,” and “The Game Plan.”
Sean Ryan, Lions quarterbacks coach
Ryan worked with Vrabel as quarterbacks coach on the Texans staff in 2017. He’s mostly coached quarterbacks, including Matthew Stafford with the Lions (2019-20) and Deshaun Watson with the Texans (2016-18). Ryan won two Super Bowls during his nine seasons with Giants (2007-15), rising from offensive quality assistant coach to wide receivers coach and quarterbacks coach. He should be available with the Lions searching for a new head coach.
Reach Adam Sparks at asparks@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Adamsparks.