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Tennessee Titans News & Rumors

Titans’ Coaching Staff Growing Uneasy?

October 2nd, 2025 at 10:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Titans have nosedived since their 2021 divisional-round appearance brought nine Joe Burrow sacks but a Bengals win. Since, the team has finished 7-10, 6-11 and 3-14. This season shows no signs of that trend reversing, as Tennessee is 0-4 and coming off a shutout loss.

Houston blanked its division rival in a 26-0 Week 4 result, and Tennessee has lost three of its four games by at least 14 points. The Titans rank 32nd in offense and 28th defensively. Finding bright spots is difficult here, leading to natural speculation Brian Callahan is coaching for his job. Some internal buzz further points to that.

Entering Week 5, moderate concerns exist among the Titans’ coaching staff the front office may not be as patient as initially believed, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes. Although Titans brass came into the season confident Callahan could turn the ship around and did not set a win-loss benchmark for its coach to keep his job, per Fowler, team brass obviously wants to see an improving squad. That has not happened, and Fowler indicates the feeling around the league points to the temperature rising here.

Deck chairs are already being rearranged. Callahan benched himself as play-caller, going around his OC (Nick Holz) to give the duty to QBs coach Bo Hardegree. This reminds of an ill-conceived 2022 Broncos setup, when Nathaniel Hackett turned to QBs coach Klint Kubiak over OC Justin Outten due to the former’s play-calling experience. (Denver fired Hackett after Week 16; Outten was in Tennessee weeks later.) Holz’s lack of play-calling experience compared to Hardegree, the Raiders’ interim OC during the second half of the 2023 season, influenced Callahan’s call.

Hardegree’s debut with the call sheet did not go well, and Cam Ward then criticized his play and the performance of the team as a whole postgame. The Titans’ minus-69 point differential is the league’s worst, and a defense that ranked second in yardage in Dennard Wilson‘s debut (as Will Levis‘ poor play contributed to the team’s 30th-place scoring defense ranking) now sits 25th.

Callahan is also in the interesting position of being a second-year coach for a team that made another power-structure shift this offseason. Ran Carthon hired Callahan last year, but Amy Adams Strunk fired Ran Carthon in January, promoting assistant GM Chad Brinker to president of football operations. Brinker was in Nashville when Callahan was hired, but he had been operating as Carthon’s top lieutenant at the time. Brinker being promoted to control the Titans’ roster was somewhat eyebrow-raising after a 3-14 season, but he and new GM Mike Borgonzi are not tied to Callahan in the way Carthon was.

In a normal circumstance, offensive line coach Bill Callahan‘s past as a head coach (with the Raiders and at Nebraska) would make him a candidate as an interim option. Bill Callahan served in that capacity after Washington fired Jay Gruden in 2019. Bill being Brian’s father would certainly make it shocking if he stuck around, however, leaving an experience void for the Titans were they to can the younger Callahan (and likely lose Bill from the staff as well).

Neither Wilson nor Holz has conducted a head coaching interview previously. Senior offensive assistant Mike McCoy served as Chargers HC for four years; he could be an emergency option.

Even if Brian Callahan shows some improvement, he is certainly a long-odds candidate to be given a third season. Game management issues have cropped up during the former Bengals OC’s tenure as well, and Ward would need to show major improvement to convince Adams Strunk — who has acted rather impulsively in the past, with the Mike Vrabel and Jon Robinson firings preceding Carthon’s two-and-done stint — to stay the course beyond 2025.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/2/25

October 2nd, 2025 at 8:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: CB Keenan Garber

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tennessee Titans

The Chargers added a familiar face in Sam Mustipher today. A former UDFA, the offensive lineman started 40 of his 43 appearances with the Bears to begin his career, playing the majority of his snaps at center. He got into nine games with the Ravens in 2023 before appearing in 12 contests with the Chargers in 2024. Mustipher also has the ability to play guard, although the Chargers are especially needy at OT with Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater sidelined.

Dante Pettis will also be reuniting with a recent team, as the wideout spent the 2024 season in New Orleans. The former second-round pick has failed to live up to his draft billing, with the majority of his career production coming during a rookie campaign where he collected 27 receptions for 467 yards and five touchdowns. He’s bounced around the league a bit since his 49ers tenure came to an end. After not getting into a game in 2023, he resurfaced with the Saints in 2024, where he added 12 more catches to his resume. He was among the team’s final preseason cuts in 2025.

A former fifth-round running back, Avery Williams has made a name for himself as a returner. He spent four years in Atlanta, returning 54 kickoffs for 1211 yards (22.4-yard average). He missed the 2023 campaign with a torn ACL. The Jets returners have struggled in 2025, with both Xavier Gipson and Isaiah Williams fumbling on special teams.

NFL Minor Transactions: 10/1/25

October 1st, 2025 at 7:56pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the first minor transactions of October:

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Titans Open Tyjae Spears’ Practice Window

October 1st, 2025 at 3:49pm CST by Connor Byrne

The Titans designated running back Tyjae Spears to return to practice on Wednesday, according to Jim Wyatt of the team’s website. They’ll have 21 days to activate Spears from injured reserve after opening his practice window.

Spears has been unavailable at the outset of his third season after succumbing to a high ankle sprain in August. The 24-year-old previously missed five games in 2024 with multiple injuries. Since the Titans took him in the third round of the 2023 draft, the former Tulane star has appeared in 29 games and rushed for 765 yards on 184 attempts (4.2 YPC), adding six touchdowns on the ground. He has also been a useful option in the passing game, having racked up 82 catches for 609 yards and two scores.

If he returns this year, Spears should again work behind starter Tony Pollard, who’s seeking his fourth straight 1,000-yard campaign. Pollard’s on pace to achieve that feat, having amassed 265 yards on 68 carries, though he has averaged a career-low 3.8 per rush.

Unfortunately for the Spears-less Titans, they haven’t found a viable backup to Pollard during an 0-4 start. That’s among the reasons they’ve tallied the league’s fourth-fewest rushing yards. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, ranks second on the team with just nine rushing attempts. Fourth-year RB Julius Chestnut has recorded a paltry five carries for 28 yards, while rookie sixth-rounder Kalel Mullings didn’t play an offensive snap in either of his first two games before landing on injured reserve last week.

Because the Titans applied a summer return designation on Spears upon setting their initial 53-man roster, he already counts toward their eight regular-season activations. Seven remain for the winless team.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/29/25

September 29th, 2025 at 10:27pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the NFL’s practice squad transactions immediately following Week 4.

Arizona Cardinals

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: OT Logan Brown

Tennessee Titans

The Broncos wanted to re-sign Watson to their practice squad, per Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette, but they would have had to wait until Week 7 after a previous injury settlement with the second-year running back. Watson is now healthy and preferred to sign with a new team as soon as possible.

AFC South Rumors: Caserio, Callahan, McNair

September 28th, 2025 at 10:11pm CST by Ely Allen

The Texans enjoyed a nice run of success with playoff appearances and wins in each of the past two seasons led by head coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud. Year 3 with the duo has been less than ideal with a 1-3 start making a postseason run a daunting task, but some blame seems to be falling on general manager Nick Caserio, according to ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime.

The biggest weakness of last year’s team was an offensive line that gave up the third-most sacks in the league in 2024. This year’s biggest weakness, per Bien-Aime, is still the offensive line. Aside from right tackle Tytus Howard, the entire starting five across the line is different this year from last. This required Caserio and Co. to sign left tackle Cam Robinson and left guard Laken Tomlinson in free agency, trade for Ed Ingram, and draft Aireontae Ersery in the second round of the draft, while also trading away Laremy Tunsil, whom Caserio extended shortly after his arrival.

The lack of improvement along the line could be the result of several factors, but Bien-Aime suggests that Caserio’s inability to build a better line for his quarterback could have him on the hot seat. Bien-Aime points at another failed offseason move — the trade for (and eventual release) of veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson — as another strike against the third-year exec. The recent evidence does seem to show evidence of some poor personnel decisions, but it will be interesting to see if Caserio continues to receive blame for the team’s lack of growth in Year 3.

Here are a couple other staff rumors from around the AFC South:

  • In the same ESPN article, other contributors were putting another AFC South staffer on the hot seat. Turron Davenport and Seth Walder each made comments concerning the job security of Titans head coach Brian Callahan. There’s no debate that Callahan’s team lacked elite talent in Year 1, but a slew of penalties added on to the team’s struggles to give them the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The undisciplined penalties have continued heavily in Year 2, and just this week, Callahan relinquished play-calling duties in an effort to open up the offense more for his rookie quarterback. Davenport suggests that controlling owner Amy Adams-Strunk has made impulsive decisions in the past — pointing to the departure of former head coach Mike Vrabel, as an example — and suggests further that a loss to Vrabel in Week 7 could mean the end for Callahan’s tenure in Tennessee. Walder agrees that “questions of whether he’s the right coach will only get louder with each successive loss.”
  • Lastly, going back to Houston, Cary McNair, son of the late Texans founder Robert McNair and brother of team owner Cal McNair, is reportedly accusing the NFL and his brother of engineering his “ouster” from the Texans and other McNair family business interests, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports. Cary’s representative, Tony Buzbee, became well-known for representing clients against Deshaun Watson. Buzbee claims that Cary began “asking pointed questions that potentially implicated the NFL and its personnel.” The questions pertained to both the Texans’ and the league’s handling of the Watson scandal and their handling of the sexual assault scandal of Texans minority owner Javier Loya, as well. Cary levies a number of other allegations, asserting that the NFL and his brother pushed him out for challenging their acceptance and tolerance for alleged abhorrent behavior. He’s seeking more than $60MM in direct financial losses.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/27/25

September 27th, 2025 at 6:34pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Saturday’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

With Colts cornerback Kenny Moore presumed to potentially miss a few weeks, the recent signee, Hilton, will get his opportunity to supplement the team’s secondary. He may be able to earn an official spot on the 53-man roster with an impactful game. Similarly, Cropper may be able to get into his first NFL game since going undrafted in 2023 as he gets elevated to a receiving corps that will sorely miss CeeDee Lamb.

Morris is getting called up for the third time for Jacksonville. If the Jaguars intend for him to appear in another game after this week, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/26/25

September 26th, 2025 at 6:49pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s only minor moves:

Houston Texans

Tennessee Titans

Johnson’s time on the active roster was short-lived. After getting called up as a standard gameday practice squad elevation in the first two weeks of the season, Johnson was officially signed to the 53-man roster this past weekend. A hamstring injury will remove him from the active roster as he’ll require at least four weeks to recover.

It’s an ankle injury that will land the Titans’ sixth-round pick on injured reserve. Though they used the open roster spot on the offensive line, Turron Davenport of ESPN claims one of their two gameday practice squad elevations will be used to bring up taxi squad rusher Jordan Mims, who was also called up in Week 2.

As a struggling offensive line in Tennessee continues to deal with injury, Crenshaw-Dickson finds his way back to the 53-man roster. The undrafted rookie out of Florida — after four years at San Diego State — started games at both tackle spots throughout college. The majority of his starts came on the right side of the line, though, so his addition to the active roster provides some depth at the right tackle spot as JC Latham is set to miss another game with his hip injury.

Poll: Which 0-3 Team Has Best Chance Of Reaching Playoffs?

September 25th, 2025 at 10:49pm CST by Adam La Rose

Six teams currently find themselves at 0-3 to begin the year. Managing to rebound from that mark and reach the playoffs has proven to be an extremely difficult task over the years.

Only four times has a team reached the postseason after starting 0-3 since 1990. Crucially, none have achieved the feat since the playoffs were expanded from six to seven teams in each conference in 2021. Whether or not that continues this season will be interesting to see.

Chances are slim for any of the league’s winless teams to rally into the postseason, but there is of course variance with respect to their prospects of doing so. There is an argument to be made the Texans represent the likeliest candidate to pull off such a comeback, based largely on their defensive success to date. Houston ranks fifth in the NFL in points allowed (17 per game on average) and the team’s losses have come by a combined margin of 13 points.

Improvement on offense could thus help turn things around in short order, but the Texans’ offseason renovations up front have not gone as planned so far. Third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud has not been able to return to the form shown during his stellar rookie campaign, and a number of new pass-catchers are in the process of acclimating to an offense lacking a strong ground game. Catching the undefeated Colts for top spot in the AFC South would be a surprise at this point, but a wild-card berth could very much still be within reach if Nick Caley‘s unit can turn things around.

Houston will take on the Titans in Week 4 in a clash of teams seeking their first win. Tennessee entered the year with far lower expectations, but the team’s performance to date has still left plenty to be desired. The Titans lead the league in penalties (31) and rookie quarterback Cam Ward has been sacked an NFL-high 15 times. Second-year head coach Brian Callahan sports a record of 3-17 at this point, and it remains to be seen if he will be entrusted with overseeing Ward’s development over the long term.

Callahan relinquished offensive play-calling duties this week, and he will now look to increase his involvement in other aspects of the team. Finding success in that regard would no doubt help his job security. It would also, presumably, allow for Tennessee to improve on last season’s 3-14 showing and offer signs of progress from Ward and a supporting cast in need of improvements moving forward.

Another intra-divisional Week 4 game will see the Dolphins take on the Jets. The first half of the upcoming Monday Night Football doubleheader will be key in determining both teams’ immediate futures. Miami was seen as a disappointment given how the 2024 campaign played out. Head coach Mike McDaniel has certainly not helped his standing in the organization so far this season, although a concerted effort to improve the Dolphins’ culture could help stave off a firing for he and general manager Chris Grier.

Finding a rhythm on offense has proven to be highly challenging in 2025, even with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa managing to avoid any injuries to date. Stronger play on both sides of the ball will be needed if Miami is to reach the playoffs for the third time in McDaniel’s fourth season at the helm. Winning a postseason contest will become a major objective in that event, but for now quieting the rumors about major organizational changes will be the goal.

By contrast, 2025 marks another new beginning for the Jets. Rookie head coach Aaron Glenn and first-year general manager Darren Mougey are seeking to provide the team with long-term stability in addition to ending a playoff drought which dates back to 2010. That effort has not gone according to plan so far, but a key element will be the evaluation of new quarterback Justin Fields. The former first-rounder is back at practice, and he will return to starting duties upon being cleared from concussion protocol.

Fields is under contract through 2026, but helping lead the Jets to the playoffs would greatly increase his chances of landing a long-term accord. It would also help Glenn and Mougey’s standing, although at this point their job securities are of course not in question. Still, a strong first campaign in New York (something which could be attained without a postseason berth, at least in theory) would be welcomed by the duo; a quick rebound from the way things have started would suffice, and it would be less surprising than one from some of the league’s other winless outfits.

New York’s NFC squad is in a state of flux in no small part due to another unwanted beginning to a campaign. Giants head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen managed to remain in place this offseason, but aside from a high-scoring output against the Cowboys things have not gone according to plan. The decision has been made to replace quarterback Russell Wilson with first-round rookie Jaxson Dart, and the outcome of that move (beginning with a debut against the 3-0 Chargers) will be critical on a number of fronts.

Daboll and Schoen are known to be on the hot seat, and showing potential for a turnaround with Dart in place would go a long way in helping ensure they remain in place. Owner John Mara made clear his mandate for a step forward compared to 2024 (3-14), and plenty of work remains given how things have gone early in the current campaign. If the Giants are to at least contend for a wild-card spot this season, Dart will no doubt be a key figure in the process.

Joining the Jets as a team led by a rookie head coach encountering early struggles are the Saints. New Orleans underwent a number of offseason changes, with Kellen Moore‘s hire being the most noteworthy. The longtime NFL OC was a central figure in the decision to draft Tyler Shough, but instead of the second-rounder handling starting duties it has been Spencer Rattler at the helm so far.

The Saints’ QB setup raised eyebrows amongst some of their players, but Rattler has improved upon his output from last season’s late spell in the starter’s role. Two of New Orleans’ losses, meanwhile, came about in one-score games. A postseason berth was not expected from the team, with many pointing to the 2026 draft as the point where a new franchise quarterback would arrive. Rattler (or potentially Shough, depending on how things play out) could earn an extended look in the QB1 role, however. A quick recovery toward postseason contention would come as a surprise, but at a minimum a bounce-back from last week’s lopsided loss in Seattle will be sought out. Doing so against the undefeated Bills will of course be a tall task.

Only once since 1990 has a team started 0-4 but managed to reach the playoffs. By contrast, moving to 1-3 has been more beneficial (with 35 teams doing so in that same span). The success of this year’s group in recording a first win this weekend and generating momentum beyond that point will make for an interesting storyline.

Out of this group of winless teams, which do you feel will have the best chance of rebounding and qualifying for the postseason in 2025? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and have your say in the comments section below.

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