The Tennessee Titans are among seven different NFL franchises that will be led by a new head coach this season.
As is the case with new regimes, several questions sprout up before players and coaches report to camp. And with Tennessee welcoming in Brian Callahan, it will be no different.
Unanswered Questions Ahead of Tennessee Titans Training Camp
Callahan is taking over for Mike Vrabel, who leaves Nashville producing one run to the AFC Championship Game in the 2019 season while additionally fielding four playoff teams. Vrabel, though, wasn’t welcomed back following the Titans’ 6-11 campaign in 2023.
The arrival of the former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator sparks our first of five questions facing the Titans.
What Will Coach Callahan’s Offense Look Like?
Fans watching Titans camp will wonder if a more explosive system is getting installed.
Callahan collaborated with Cincy head coach Zac Taylor to produce one of the league’s most potent air attacks. The Bengals ranked seventh and fifth in passing yards in 2021 and 2022, respectively, helping engineer two runs to the AFC title game.
Callahan even assisted in keeping the Bengals’ aerial assault going without All-Pro quarterback Joe Burrow last year. Despite losing Burrow to a wrist ligament tear on Nov. 16, the Bengals still ranked 15th in passing yards.
Outside of Burrow, this offense turned Ja’Marr Chase into a perennial Pro Bowler at wide receiver. The ground game wasn’t ignored either, as Joe Mixon produced two 1,000-yard seasons and a ’21 Pro Bowl nomination with Callahan as the offensive coordinator.
From what it appears, Titans fans won’t see the ground-and-pound approach Vrabel favored while having Derrick Henry in his backfield. Callahan’s offense has the makings of opening up even more.
Does Will Levis Take a Year 2 Jump?
Outside of inserting a brand-new offensive attack, this system will fire on all cylinders if quarterback Will Levis takes steps forward.
The second-round draft find of 2023 proved he’s the future of the franchise in supplanting Ryan Tannehill as QB1. Levis took the reins in Week 7 and started in nine total contests, going on to lead the team with 1,808 passing yards, eight touchdowns, four interceptions, and he produced an 84.2 QB rating.
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However, it’s not the stats that Levis needs to build on ahead of 2023. He’ll need to improve his 3-6 mark as a starter if he wants to solidify his stance as the Titans’ QB for years to come.
Callahan bringing in an offense that turned Burrow into a playoff QB has got to energize the incoming second-year passer. Many spectators at Titans camp will be watching how much time Levis spends with his new head coach on the field.
How Do Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears Split Reps?
This new era of Titans football is also pivoting away from “King Henry,” as the iconic Tennessee running back is off to the Baltimore Ravens.
While Callahan’s offense promises to be more passer-friendly, the new head coach has two options to hand off to on non-passing plays.
Tony Pollard comes over as a former Pro Bowler. But the former Dallas Cowboys starter isn’t guaranteed to shoulder all of the load, as Tyjae Spears returns for his second season. Spears managed to lead the Tennessee RBs by averaging 4.5 yards per carry, which was more than Henry’s 4.2 average. Spears is built more as a “lightning” back who relies on speed to zip past defenses.
Don’t expect both men to become limited in this offense. Pollard also gives Callahan a reliable receiver out of the backfield. He snatched a career-best 55 catches last year in Dallas. Don’t be surprised if both men are in the same personnel grouping with Pollard lining up as a receiver while Spears is behind Levis.
Can Calvin Ridley Put Up Career Numbers in This Offense?
Pollard isn’t the only prized offensive addition coming to Nashville. The Titans managed to sign away a former AFC South rival in Calvin Ridley to a blockbuster $92 million deal.
He’s now soon to learn the same route concepts and motions that created countless mismatches for Chase and Tee Higgins. This could mean new career marks for the two-time 1,000-yard WR.
Of course, a lot depends on if Ridley can play a full season (2023 was the only time he started every game), and how soon he builds chemistry with Levis. But he’s got a chance to either produce his first back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns or surpass his previous bests in receptions, yards, and touchdowns.
How Will the Defense Suit L’Jarius Sneed?
We’ve finally reached the Titans’ defense, where our focus is on the third and final significant newcomer L’Jarius Sneed.
He’s bringing more than just two Super Bowl rings with him. Sneed comes to Tennessee after breaking up a career-high 14 passes while with the Kansas City Chiefs last year. His strong usage of his hands and sticky coverage helped the Chiefs finish with the No. 2 overall ranking for defenses.
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Sneed now gets to play for incoming defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. The former NFL safety has witnessed top 10 defenses before, most recently with the Ravens in 2023 when they ranked first in points allowed at 16.5. Wilson also oversaw Baltimore safety Kyle Hamilton’s Pro Bowl campaign of ’23.
But outside of his Baltimore work as defensive backs coach, Wilson helped get the Philadelphia Eagles to rank first against the pass during their 2022 run to the NFC title. And that unit was led by a Pro Bowl CB duo in James Bradberry and Darius Slay.
Sneed has a chance to ascend and join Bradberry, Slay, and Hamilton as Pro Bowlers who developed under Wilson’s watch.