NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans have hired Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan as their head coach, tasked with trying to turn them back into winners and groom Will Levis into their franchise quarterback.
The Titans announced Wednesday their hiring of the first of 10 candidates that they interviewed.
They moved quickly Monday when the NFL window opened for second in-person interviews of current coaches after the divisional playoff round, making him the first coach hired from outside a team’s organization this month.
“Brian has a track record of success and a range of experience that has prepared him for this opportunity,” Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement. “His football knowledge and his enthusiasm for the game really stand out, and beyond that, we think his ability to lead will make him the ideal fit for our franchise.”
He will be introduced at a news conference Thursday.
The Titans interviewed Callahan, 39, on Monday and quickly worked to finalize a contract before he could leave town for interviews with other teams. He replaces Mike Vrabel, fired on Jan. 9 after six seasons with losses in 18 of his final 24 games.
Callahan will be the franchise’s sixth different coach since leaving Texas for Tennessee in 1997. He also is the third coach hired since the NFL regular season ended Jan. 7.
New England promoted Jerod Mayo to replace Bill Belichick, and the Raiders elevated their interim coach, Antonio Pierce. Carolina, the Los Angeles Chargers, Atlanta, Seattle and Washington are still looking for coaches.
Dolphins, Fangio part ways
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio have mutually agreed to part ways after just one season, the team announced Wednesday.
Fangio, 65, replaced Josh Boyer as Miami’s defensive coordinator last offseason and led the Dolphins’ defense to a No. 10 finish in 2023, allowing 318.3 yards per game. It was the first time Miami finished a season with a top-10 defense since 2010.
Fangio served as a consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles for the last half of the 2022 season and is expected to be a top candidate for their vacant defensive coordinator position.
Falcons, Evero talk again
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Carolina defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero met again with the Atlanta Falcons to discuss their head coaching vacancy, joining Rams assistant Raheem Morris and former Patriots coach Bill Belichick in receiving second interviews.
The in-person interviews with Morris, the Rams defensive coordinator and former Atlanta assistant, and Evero mean the Falcons have met the NFL’s Rooney Rule requirement of having face-to-face interviews with at least two minority candidates.
Before joining the Carolina staff, Evero served as defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos in 2022 and was an assistant with the Rams for five seasons and with Green Bay for one season.
Packers dump DC Berry
Joe Barry is out as the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator after a turbulent third season on the job that ended with a loss in the NFC divisional round of the playoffs.
Green Bay ranked 10th in points allowed per game (20.6), 17th in yards allowed per game (335.1) and 23rd in yards allowed per play (5.4) during the regular season with a defense featuring eight former first-round draft picks. That included a brutal three-game stretch late in the season as the Packers allowed 29.3 points per game while going 1-2 against the New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers.
Lions Ertz Football
Former Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz practiced Wednesday with the Detroit Lions and could possible play in Sunday’s NFC Championship.