While he was with the Cincinnati Bengals, former offensive coordinator Brian Callahan was a perfect example of a relatively unknown coach entering the building and making the most with what he had. When he was hired in 2019, Callahan was stuck with the aging pair of Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green. On his way out, he will be leaving one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL. The real question will be whether or not he brings a little of that magic to Tennessee.
Head Coach Brian Callahan will Need a New Staff
The first thing that Callahan will need to do in Tennessee will be to fill out his staff. Unfortunately for Callahan, he may suffer through what Cincinnati Head Coach Zac Taylor endured in 2019 where the majority of high-level coaches in the NFL won’t want to be a coordinator for a coach as inexperienced as Callahan. With that being the case, he is likely to follow the strategy that Taylor employed for his entire tenure: hire people that you know and trust.
The number on option to fill that prerequisite would obviously be his father Bill Callahan. The elder Callahan has been around the league including several years as a head coach of the Oakland Raiders in the early 2000s. Callahan would serve as offensive coordinator under his son while the two would employ a similar crowd sourcing approach to play calling that Taylor utilized in Cincinnati. While it may be an awkward concept for a coach to hire his father, he is likely the most experienced candidate that will even be considered on this coaching staff particularly when you consider the desperate need of Tennessee to mend the offensive line.
The defensive side of the ball is a little trickier to anticipate but upon investigation, the most likely candidate for the defensive coordinator position will be James Bettcher. Bettcher has been the linebackers coach in Cincinnati for the past two seasons but has been a defensive coordinator with the Arizona Cardinals from 2015 to 2017 and the New York Giants from 2018 to 2019. Bettcher would be able to utilize the elite defensive front of Tennessee but also return the secondary to its usual prominence. Bettcher would also be another highly respected coach inside of Callahan’s circle that could fill out the positional coaches easily.
What will be the Overall Gameplan under Callahan?
While it may be obvious for Callahan to push the passing game as the former quarterbacks coach has done for his entire career, he will likely walk into the building in Tennessee and realize that the infrastructure in place is calling desperately for a play-action scheme. Regardless of whether the team does or doesn’t keep aging superstar Derrick Henry, former head coach Mike Vrabel spent significant draft collateral on building up an offensive line over the years. Particularly because their best aerial options are aging star DeAndre Hopkins and raw talent Treylon Burks, the team will likely force the ground game to set up much easier play-action attempts for emerging talent Will Levis to make easier throws.
There is also a possibility that Callahan could use his connections to bring in one of his former teams talented free agents to play the receiver positions. Both Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are available for the highest bidder this offseason and bringing in two familiar faces could make it much easier for Callahan to build the offense that he wants. Levis certainly isn’t devoid of talent so the biggest question mark with that plan is it would put a lot of pressure on the young quarterback to play like elite quarterback Joe Burrow.
Defensively, it may be about time for Tennessee to hit the rebuild button as much of their elite defense from previous years has either aged out or left in free agency. Beetcher or whoever the team hires to command the defense will have a difficult task putting the pieces together during the draft and free agency to put a competitive defense on the field. While the defense may be struggling, they do still have elite defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to anchor the squad. If the team can bring in a pass rusher and help in the secondary, there is some potential for this defense to have a major rebound year.
While it may be the job he has always wanted, this first year certainly won’t be easy on Callahan as he learns the ropes of the top coaching position while also fighting off the clock that closes in on all new coaching hires. This obviously isn’t a Super Bowl contender because if it was, Vrabel certainly wouldn’t have been fired. While it may not be a contender straight out of the gate, there are pieces in place for Tennessee that could make this team competitive for years to come.
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