New Titans coach Brian Callahan’s 2021 NFL Draft with Bengals hints at 2024 plans

With the hiring of Brian Callahan, a former offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, as the seventh head coach of the Tennessee Titans since the team’s 1997 relocation from Houston to Nashville, a new era in Titans football began. Given that the Titans have the seventh pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, it makes sense that Callahan is the team’s seventh coach. Regardless of the Titans’ free agency plans, Tennessee’s decision on that pick will be the first crucial decision made under the Callahan administration. Callahan’s tenure with the Cincinnati Bengals may also help us predict the player the Titans will choose with the seventh overall choice in the draft.

The Bengals held the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, just a year after selecting Joe Burrow with the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Two players would ultimately determine their choice, and both were logical choices considering the Bengals’ requirements. Penei Sewell, an offensive tackle from the University of Oregon who is highly regarded, or Ja’Marr Chase, an LSU wide receiver who is one of Joe Burrow’s best weapons, would be the choice.

In order to strengthen an offensive line that had let Burrow take a lot of hits during his rookie season—a season that was cut short when Burrow tore his ACL on a play when he was sacked in the pocket—the league community as a whole agreed that the Bengals would be wise to select Sewell. Rather of zigging, the Bengals added Chase to a receiving group that already included Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins. Callahan had the following comment when questioned about the choice to go with Chase over Sewell following the draft.

“I believe that the difficulty of holding the ball is evident throughout the league. That applies to every team in the league. Nobody takes a seat back, leans back, and clings to the ball for an extended period of time because those men on the opposite side are freak shows. For many teams, life is difficult with those defensive linemen and the blitz packages they see. Additionally, it helps when players win quickly when you have the opportunity to get players who can win on the outside. We are confident in the players we have who can go win matchups and catch balls.

“I think it’s just an arms race to whoever can get the most explosive players,” Callahan said as he concluded his tirade.