Having started the year 0-3, the Titans are making a notable change on offense. Head coach Brian Callahan has ceded playing-calling duties. 
When speaking to the media on Monday, the second-year head coach made it known he was considering a number of moves, including delegating his role as play-caller. Today, such a change officially took place. Quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree will call plays for the rest of the season.
The news is interesting on a number of fronts, including the fact play-calling responsibilities will now be handled by neither Callahan nor offensive coordinator Nick Holz. The latter does not have experience calling plays, whereas Hardegree does based on his nine-game run as interim OC of the Raiders in 2023. This in-season decision marks a noteworthy call on Callahan’s part given his inability to generate success on offense, something which was expected of him upon being hired.
“I’ve had zero disappointment in my play-calling,” the 41-year-old said of the move (via veteran reporter Paul Kuharsky). “I got hired to be the head coach. Part of that process was being involved on offense, but my job is to be the head coach of the football team and I think that this allows me to do that job a little bit better, pay more attention to some things that might require my attention and be more present.”
When going into further detail about today’s changes, Callahan specified (via Kuharsky) how duties will be divvied up amongst his staff. Holz will remain in charge of the Titans’ base offense, while Hardegree will oversee preparations for third downs. Red zone work will be handled by receivers coach Tyke Tolbert as well as Mike McCoy, while running backs coach Randy Jordan will be heavily involved with the screen game.
After five years with the Bengals as an offensive coordinator who did not call plays, Callahan’s first head coaching opportunity came about in Tennessee. He was tasked with replacing Mike Vrabel and helping develop quarterback Will Levis, a process which did not go as planned. The Titans finished last season 3-14 and used the top pick in April’s draft on Cam Ward. So far, the 23-year-old has posted a passer rating of 71.4 while taking a league-leading 15 sacks.
Overall, the Titans sit just 28th in scoring after checking in at No. 27 in that department last year. Plenty of time remains for Ward to improve and for the team’s showings on offense to do the same as a result. If that is to happen, though, it will not be with Callahan at the helm.
DEI hire
I guess this is less embarrassing than if they made him hand play-calling duties off to his dad.
Somebody’s seat is getting warm!
It amazes me that fans continue to get hoodwinked into thinking offensive play calling is some mysterious mystical science. If you want to win you get the ball into the hands of your best player(s) as much as possible. It’s not rocket science.
That might be true but when you are the Titans, finding your best player can be a mysterious mystical science.
The best play callers in the league have a good deal of creativity in how they do that, though.
As a Raider fan, I’m sorry titans fans. Y’all are cooked, Bo was so bad lol
This should fix everything…
I wasn’t really as enamored with Cam Ward as most others, but I don’t see how another new voice is going to help him adjust to an NFL scheme as a rookie (while still adjusting to the pros in general). I guess, if Callahan actually doing this to focus on the defense (the Bownlee trade could support that idea), it will allow him to do so, but Ward is going to have to learn to adjust quickly to a new voice calling his plays.
So why does he “cede” play calling duties? Was there a postwar treaty being negotiated?