Scott Fuchs - Pro Football Rumors

Titans Part Ways With Bill Callahan; Bo Hardegree To Remain Play-Caller

October 14th, 2025 at 1:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Expected to resign after the Titans fired Brian Callahan, offensive line coach Bill Callahan — Brian’s father — is indeed out in Tennessee. The Titans and the elder Callahan are going their separate ways, interim HC Mike McCoy announced Tuesday.

The Titans will split O-line coaching duties between Scott Fuchs and Matt Jones. Fuchs had been Bill Callahan’s assistant O-line coach, while Jones resides as an offensive assistant on the Titans’ staff. The Bill Callahan split was certainly anticipated given his son’s exit after just 23 games, and other teams are expected to pursue the well-regarded O-line coach.

Although Mike McCoy has an extensive history calling plays and is now in a position to reinstall himself in that role, the veteran coach will keep quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree as the play-caller, McCoy said (via Titans.com’s Jim Wyatt). Brian Callahan gave Hardegree — the Raiders’ interim OC in 2023 — the call sheet ahead of Week 4.

McCoy served as the Chargers’ play-caller during his four-year run in San Diego, landing that job after calling plays for an explosive 2012 Broncos attack (in Peyton Manning‘s first year with the team). McCoy was also at the controls when the Broncos pivoted to a more Tim Tebow-friendly offense midseason in 2011, but the experienced staffer will work as a CEO HC to start his interim Titans run.

Bill Callahan, 69, has been in coaching since 1978. While his highest-profile jobs have come as the head coach of the Raiders (2002-03) and Nebraska (2004-07), he has settled in as one of this era’s top offensive line coaches. Helming a top-tier O-line in Cleveland earlier this decade, Callahan also worked with the Cowboys when Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin helped DeMarco Murray to the 2014 rushing title. He was on Jay Gruden‘s Washington staff from 2015-19, eventually taking over as interim HC when Gruden was fired early in te 2019 season.

The Titans reunited the Callahans, marking their first run as coaches on the same staff. It did not go well. A bizarre Cardinals collapse gave the Titans their only win this season, and the team ranks 31st in scoring and 32nd in yardage through six games. Pro Football Focus ranks Tennessee’s O-line — one housing three former first-round picks (Peter Skoronski, Kevin Zeitler, JC Latham) to go with high-priced free agents Dan Moore Jr. and Lloyd Cushenberry) — 26th in Bill Callahan’s second season. Fuchs, who joined the Titans last year after three seasons at Kansas, will join Jones — a Mike Vrabel holdover who previously spent four seasons as Tennessee-Martin’s O-line coach — in attempting to improve the unit.

McCoy did not mention other staff changes. The Titans plan to give their new interim HC “every opportunity,” per president of football ops Chad Brinker (via ESPN.com’s Turron Davenport) to stick as head coach. This has become an extraordinarily rare route for teams to take. Only the Raiders have made this move over the past seven years, and their decision to elevate Antonio Pierce to full-time HC backfired. Prior to Pierce’s ascent, Doug Marrone (Jaguars) was the most recent staffer to move from interim coach to the full-time leader. He did so in 2017.

McCoy, 53, went 27-37 as Chargers HC. The team made the playoffs in his 2013 debut, which featured a Philip Rivers Comeback Player of the Year season despite the QB not being injured previously, but did not return over his final three seasons. McCoy returned to Denver for an OC one-off (2017) and was a Cardinals OC one-and-done during Steve Wilks‘ short stint leading the way. After spending three years out of the NFL, McCoy resurfaced with the 2022 Jags under Doug Pederson. Brian Callahan hired him in March.

Coaching Notes: Lombardi, 49ers, Shula, Bills, Broncos, Titans, Saints, Wilkins

March 8th, 2024 at 11:33am CST by Sam Robinson

Mick Lombardi will resurface in San Francisco. The 49ers are hiring the former Raiders offensive coordinator, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. This marks a return trip for the second-generation NFL staffer. Lombardi worked on the 49ers’ staff from 2013-16, rising up to the quality control level during his first NFL gig. This came before Kyle Shanahan‘s arrival. Lombardi, 35, worked under Josh McDaniels in New England before being brought to Las Vegas as OC. Hours after the Raiders fired McDaniels, they canned Lombardi at the midseason point. Lombardi, who coached wide receivers and QBs in New England, does not have a specific title yet in San Francisco.

Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:

The Bills are not retaining Mike Shula for their 2024 staff. The veteran coach’s contract expired, per WGR 550’s Sal Capaccio, who adds the Bills will not renew the deal. Shula had served as a senior offensive assistant on the past two Buffalo staffs. Shula, 58, had previously served as OC for the Panthers and Giants. The Carolina OC years overlapped with Cam Newton‘s MVP season and the team’s Super Bowl 50 trek. Son of Don Shula, Mike has been an NFL assistant since 1988. Prior to coming to Buffalo, he was in Denver for two seasons as QBs coach under Pat Shurmur.
On the subject of the Broncos, they will replace defensive line coach Marcus Dixon with an in-house promotion. Denver will bump Jamar Cain up to D-line coach. A former college and high school staffer, Cain worked as a pass rush specialist last season, joining the team shortly after the Sean Payton trade.
The Titans have a special teams coordinator in place now. Colt Anderson is in place here. A former Eagles, Colts and Bills special-teamer in the 2010s, Anderson previously coached with Brian Callahan in Cincinnati, serving most recently as the Bengals’ assistant ST coach. The Titans also hired Scott Fuchs as assistant O-line coach and Steve Donatell as a defensive assistant. Donatell spent last season in Miami under Vic Fangio, who had worked with Steve’s father (Ed) for many years. Fuchs comes up from the college ranks, having spent 31 seasons at that level. He spent the past three years at Kansas, serving as the Jayhawks’ O-line coach.
The Saints promoted Jordan Traylor to assistant quarterbacks coach and have hired Keith Williams to coach wide receivers. Despite the Saints hiring Klint Kubiak as OC, they will retain a previous staffer in Traylor for this role. Traylor, 30, was a Payton hire who has been with the team five years. Williams spent the past three seasons with the Ravens, his first NFL gig.
Kevin Wilkins, whom the Giants fired just before the simmering Don Martindale-Brian Daboll feud boiled over, is following the former New York DC to Michigan, 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz tweets. Brothers Kevin and Drew Wilkins each worked under Martindale with the Giants and Ravens. Drew landed a job with the Patriots last month; Kevin will work as a defensive analyst at Michigan.