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Grading every major Tennessee Titans coaching candidate before new year
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- Grading every major Tennessee Titans coaching candidate before new year
In just about one week, the Tennessee Titans and any other NFL teams with coaching vacancies will be free to request and interview candidates to lead their franchises.
Rumors continue to swirl about which offensive and defensive coordinators are on the rise , as well as which former coaches and college coaches figure to be top candidates. Because the Titans' job has been vacant the longest, it's the one that potential candidates have had the most time to consider, for better or worse.
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As candidates consider the Titans, and Titans brass narrow the list of candidates , let's take one last look at the broad list of just about every candidate who has earned a little bit of traction this coaching cycle and grade them based on how strong their cases are for the Titans in particular.
Grading Tennessee Titans coaching candidates
A-grade candidates: Brian Flores, Marcus Freeman, Jeff Hafley, Klint Kubiak, Robert Saleh
A lot of defensive-minded coaches here, led by former head NFL coaches Saleh and Flores. Freeman, the Notre Dame coach, and Hafley, the Green Bay defensive coordinator who formerly led Boston College 's program, have college head man experience. Kubiak is the only offensive mind on the list, and figures to be the top offensive candidate available in 2026.
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Whether Flores — the former Miami Dolphins coach who is currently the Vikings ' defensive coordinator — is a viable option remains to be seen, given his pending lawsuit against the NFL . But based purely on résumé and on-field results, these figure to be the best coaches hypothetically available.
B-grade candidates: Mike McCarthy, Jesse Minter, Matt Nagy, Chris Shula, Arthur Smith
Three more former head coaches, with McCarthy being most notable as a former Super Bowl winner. Nagy's ties to Titans GM Mike Borgonzi carry some weight, as do Smith's ties to the Titans in general. Minter and Shula are two of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL who have learned under two of the most respected coaches in the league.
C-grade candidates: Joe Brady, Matt Burke, Jim Bob Cooter, Ejiro Evero, Vance Joseph, Mike Kafka , Todd Monken, Jim Schwartz, Anthony Weaver
The big, muddled middle. It's a list of some up-and-comers who might not have as much shine on their names as previously expected (Brady, Cooter, Kafka); some retreads probably deserving of second chances that might not rile folks up with excitement (Joseph, Schwartz); and some usual suspects whose names almost always come up this time of year (Evero, Monken, Weaver). None should be thought of as bad candidates, but there's an argument that hiring any of these folks would be viewed as settling.
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D-grade candidates: Lou Anarumo, Anthony Campanile, Kliff Kingsbury, Steve Spagnuolo
Campanile might be a little too inexperienced to merit too much discussion. Anarumo, Spagnuolo and Kingsbury would be difficult PR hires, with none of their units coming off particularly great seasons. Anarumo might be a particularly tough sell given his association with former Titans coach Brian Callahan. And while Spagnuolo and Kingsbury have head coaching experience, neither tenure screamed "this guy should get a second chance at this."
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com . Follow Nick on X @nicksuss . Subscribe to the Talkin' Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Grading 23 significant Tennessee Titans coaching search candidates
