The current Tennessee offense will be entirely unfamiliar to the former Bengals offensive coordinator.
Former offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, who was with the Cincinnati Bengals, was a prime example of a relatively unknown coach walking into the facility and making the most of his resources. Callahan was forced to work with the aging duo of wide receiver A.J. Green and Andy Dalton when he was hired in 2019. He is departing one of the NFL’s most powerful offenses as he heads out. Whether or not he brings some of that charm to Tennessee will be the true question.
Staffing up will be Callahan’s first priority upon arriving in Tennessee. Sadly, Callahan might go through what Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor went through in 2019—that is, most NFL high-level coaches won’t want to be a coordinator for a coach with Callahan’s degree of inexperience. Given that, he will probably adopt the tactic that Taylor used over his whole tenure, which is to hire individuals you know and trust.
The most likely candidate to meet that requirement would undoubtedly be his father, Bill Callahan. The older Callahan has experience in the league, having led the Oakland Raiders as head coach for a number of years in the early 2000s. Under his son, Callahan would take on the role of offensive coordinator, and the two would play call using a same crowd sourcing method that Taylor had used in Cincinnati. Even while it would seem strange for a coach to hire his father, he is perhaps the most seasoned applicant that will even be taken into consideration for this coaching staff, especially in light of Tennessee’s urgent need to repair the offensive line.
Although it can be more difficult to predict the defensive side of the ball, James Bettcher appears to be the most likely choice to take on the role of defensive coordinator after some research. Previously, Bettcher worked as a defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals from 2015 to 2017 and the New York Giants from 2018 to 2019. He has been Cincinnati’s linebackers coach for the last two seasons. In addition to making use of Tennessee’s outstanding defensive front, Bettcher may elevate the secondary back to its customary position of importance. Within Callahan’s inner circle, Bettcher is another well-respected coach who could easily fill in for the positional coaches.
What will Callahan’s overall strategy be?
Even while it might be evident to Callahan, as the former quarterbacks coach has done throughout his career, to emphasize the passing game, he will probably enter the building in Tennessee and notice how much the infrastructure there begs for a play-action plan. Whether the team decides to retain aging superstar Derrick Henry or not, previous head coach Mike Vrabel invested a large amount of draft capital in developing an offensive line over the years. Especially with Treylon Burks and aging star DeAndre Hopkins as their greatest aerial options, the team will probably force the ground game to provide much easier play-action opportunities for rookie Will Levis to make easier throws.
Additionally, Callahan might use his connections to sign a talented free agent from his last team to fill the receiving position. This offseason, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are also up for grabs, and Callahan may find it much simpler to assemble the offensive line he desires with two well-known players on board. The main concern with that strategy is that, although Levis is undoubtedly talented, it would put a lot of pressure on the rookie quarterback to perform like all-star quarterback Joe Burrow.
Since a large portion of Tennessee’s stellar defense from prior seasons has either aged out or left via free agency, it might be time for them to start rebuilding defensively. Putting up a competitive defense during the draft and free agency will be a challenging challenge for Beetcher or whoever the organization chooses to lead the defense. Even if the defense isn’t playing well, they still have outstanding defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to lead the group. There is a chance that this defense may have a huge recovery year if the team can get a pass rusher and secondary support.
Callahan may have always wanted the job, but this first year will undoubtedly be difficult as he gets the hang of being the top coach and battles the clock that runs out for all new hires. Clearly, this isn’t a Super Bowl contender because Vrabel wouldn’t have been let go if it was. Tennessee has elements in place that might keep this team competitive for years to come, even though it might not be a contender right away.
