ESPN: 5 star-set to join Titans.
NASHVILLE — Another NFL coaching domino has dropped, and it’s good news for the Tennessee Titans.
The Chicago Bears are reportedly working on a deal to hire former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron to be their next OC. Chicago retained head coach Matt Eberflus this offseason but parted ways with play caller Luke Getsy.
So, how does the hiring of Waldron impact things in Tennessee? It leaves candidates available for the Titans to hire as an OC in the future.
Liam Coen and Thomas Brown
Two of the other coaches being considered by the Bears for their offensive coordinator job were Liam Coen and Thomas Brown. Both had interviews with the Bears but now remain available.
Coen is the former offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams and current offensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky. He was Will Levis’ playcaller in college during Levis’ junior season. When Coen left for the NFL in 2022, production for both Levis and the Wildcats offense dropped off. Even if the Titans were to hire an offensive minded head coach that called offensive plays, there may not be an offensive coordinator that knows Levis better than Coen.
Thomas Brown had a virtual interview with the Titans for the team’s head coach position and is advancing to the second round of interviews this week. But Brown has also been receiving interest from team’s looking for offensive coordinators. As I previously mentioned, Brown was interviewed by the Bears for their OC job. Because the Panthers fired Frank Reich during the season and are currently looking for a new head coach, Brown is free to join any team as a coordinator.
Last week, my article detailed why Thomas Brown was an underrated candidate for the Titans’ head coaching job. For all those same reasons, I’d like him as an offensive coordinator too. Brown worked under Sean McVay with the Rams in an offense that prioritized taking shots down the field and marrying the run gam with the pass game. It’s an offense that Brown knows well and Will Levis, similar to Matthew Stafford in LA, would thrive in.
Having both Brown and Coen still available and in the mix for the Titans is really good news. Once Brown has his in-person interview with the organization, the Titans will have satisfied The Rooney Rule and will be able to make a hire at any point. Once that head coach is hired, candidates for the offensive coordinator job and interviews should be expected to trickle out.
