The Tennessee Titans and Mike Vrabel are officially parting ways. Some reports have labeled the divorce a firing, while others have suggested Vrabel and the Titans mutually agreed to separate. Either way, Tennessee is now searching for a new head coach.
The Titans are the sixth NFL team to enter the 2024 head coaching search mix. Who should be the top candidates to take over for Vrabel?
Who Will Replace Mike Vrabel as Titans HC?
Ben Johnson, OC, Detroit Lions
Every list of potential NFL head coaches begins with the same two candidates, and for good reason.
Ben Johnson has 2+ years of coordinating an electric Lions offense under his belt and is widely viewed as the No. 1 HC option on the market. Johnson worked through various injuries to Detroit’s skill-position players and offensive line while managing a unit that ranked fifth in offensive DVOA.
MORE: 2024 NFL Head Coaching Candidates
The Titans need an entirely new approach on offense, and Johnson knows how to get the ball in his playmakers’ hands.
Johnson should get the most out of QB Will Levis, RB Tyjae Spears, WR Trelyon Burks, and TE Chig Okonkwo, or have a hand in drafting and developing new offensive prospects.
Mike Macdonald, DC, Baltimore Ravens
Mike Macdonald is Candidate 1A on the 2024 HC circuit after guiding a dominant Baltimore defense this past season.
The Ravens ranked first in points and yards per play allowed and second in efficiency in 2023. They posted more sacks (60) than any other team despite featuring Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy as their primary pass rushers.
Interested clubs should value Macdonald’s creativity and schematic versatility. But he’s also well-respected in Baltimore’s locker room and can get a recommendation from the Harbaugh brothers after serving as the DC for both John and Jim.
Bobby Slowik, OC, Houston Texans
Let’s start connecting the dots. Second-year Titans general manager Ran Carthon presumably holds immense power in Tennessee following Vrabel’s ouster. Will Carthon go back to his 49ers roots?
MORE: Were Titans Right To Part Ways With Mike Vrabel?
Bobby Slowik worked in San Francisco for six seasons before becoming the Texans’ offensive coordinator in 2023, so Carthon should be familiar with the 36-year-old.
Given how fellow Kyle Shanahan acolytes DeMeco Ryans (Slowik’s boss) and Mike McDaniel have worked out as head coaches, it’s no surprise Slowik has received interview requests from the Panthers and Commanders.
Steve Wilks, DC, San Francisco 49ers
Steve Wilks only joined the 49ers’ staff this past season, so he never overlapped with Carthon in San Francisco. Still, Wilks has a year in San Francisco’s system and culture under his belt, and Carthon could be interested in bringing his experience to Tennessee.
Wilks took over as Carolina’s interim head coach early in the 2022 campaign and nearly led the club to the playoffs, posting a 6-6 mark down the stretch. A finalist for the Panthers’ full-time gig, Wilks instead kept San Francisco’s defense at an elite level this season. He never received a fair chance as the Cardinals’ HC in 2018, but Wilks deserves one now.
Raheem Morris, DC, Los Angeles Rams
Raheem Morris interviewed for two of the league’s five head coaching openings last offseason and figures to be busy again in 2023. The Panthers, Chargers, and Commanders have already requested to interview the Rams’ defensive coordinator.
MORE: Which NFL Head Coaches Have Been Fired?
Morris already has head coaching experience, has worked on both sides of the ball, and spent the last three seasons working under one of the NFL’s best head coaches in Sean McVay. His ties to McVay might also allow him to bring top-notch OC candidates wherever he ends up.
Todd Monken, OC, Baltimore Ravens
Macdonald isn’t the only Baltimore coordinator in line for head coaching interviews. Todd Monken, back in the NFL after winning two NCAA titles as Georgia’s offensive play-caller, guided Lamar Jackson to a likely MVP trophy in 2023.
Monken worked through myriad injuries on the offensive side of the ball while determining how to best deploy new additions like first-round rookie wideout Zay Flowers and veteran pass catcher Odell Beckham Jr.
The head coach at Southern Miss from 2013-15, Monken’s wide variety of experience and offensive designs have already led to interview requests from Carolina and L.A.
Brian Callahan, OC, Cincinnati Bengals
Although Brian Callahan didn’t get to coach Joe Burrow (season-ending wrist surgery) for the entire 2023 campaign, his work with backup QB Jake Browning should put him on the map.
The Bengals missed the playoffs, but Browning finished eighth in EPA per play and 10th in QBR over seven starts.
Callahan may also be able to promise the addition of his father, Bill Callahan, who just happens to be the best offensive line coach in the league. And no team needs more OL help than the Titans.
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