Tennessee Titans assistant coaching search tracker: News, rumors, coordinator candidates, interviews

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Tennessee Titans assistant coaching search tracker: News, rumors, coordinator candidates, interviews

Nick Suss, Nashville Tennessean · The Tennessean

Mon, Jan 26, 2026 ·

12 min read

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Now that the Tennessee Titans have chosen Robert Saleh as their next coach, Saleh's first order of business will be assembling his staff of coordinators and assistants.

Saleh and the Titans made their partnership official on Jan. 22 . Now Saleh's tasked with assembling a coaching staff. Saleh's first head coaching stint , leading the New York Jets from 2021-24, ended prematurely in large part because of his team's offensive shortcomings , so the defensive-minded Saleh's offensive hires will be particularly scrutinized as he takes over a franchise built on quarterback Cam Ward 's continued development.

As Saleh constructs his Tennessee Titans coaching staff, questions will also circulate about what happens to Brian Callahan and his former Titans coaching staff, most of whom are still listed as Tennessee Titans employees. Callahan and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson have interviewed for vacancies already this cycle. Former offensive line coach Bill Callahan has been hired for the same position in Atlanta under new coach Kevin Stefanski, and several other Titans assistants could be sought-after commodities as the franchise cycles through this year's search.

Keep up with all the latest news, updates and rumors about the Titans' assistant coaching search below.

Titans coaching search updates: Offensive coordinator candidates, Robert Saleh's first Titans staff

Brian Daboll: Titans offensive coordinator (officially)

The Titans announced the official signing of Daboll as offensive coordinator on Tuesday evening, ending the search for Robert Saleh's top offensive deputy. Daboll is a five-time Super Bowl winner as an assistant coach who led the New York Giants to the playoffs once and was enamored of Titans quarterback Cam Ward in the pre-draft process last offseason.

Brian Daboll: Titans offensive coordinator (almost)

Per a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Tennessee Titans are "now set" to hire Brian Daboll as their offensive coordinator contingent on Daboll not being offered the head coaching job in Las Vegas . Daboll previously interviewed for the Titans' head coaching vacancy this offseason and recently interviewed for the Raiders job. Daboll, the former head coach of the New York Giants who also worked as offensive coordinator in places like Buffalo , Kansas City, Miami and Cleveland as well as at the University of Alabama, is among the most experienced offensive minds in the league.

Joe Brady to the Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills have promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to their head coaching job per multiple national reports. Notably for the Titans, this frees up Brian Daboll, a top offensive coordinator candidate who was thought to be in the running for the Bills job. Daboll has still interviewed for openings that haven't been filled yet like the one in Las Vegas, but if he can fall into the Titans' lap, that's a huge win.

One Titans assistant has been hired for certain

The Tennessean can confirm that the Titans have hired a new defensive line coach in Aaron Whitecotton. Whitecotton, a former Saleh assistant who spent 2021-24 with the Jets before heading over to Dallas in 2025, was the Cowboys ' defensive line coach. Whitecotton also overlapped with Saleh in San Francisco for one season and in Jacksonville for two seasons.

Mike McDaniel is official in Los Angeles . Let's catch up on OC hires across the NFL.

The Los Angeles Chargers have made official their hire of former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel as their next offensive coordinator. This isn't a surprise, but McDaniel was a fan favorite among Titans faithful.

With that hire in place, here's a look at which OC jobs have been filled this offseason, and which are still open.

Atlanta Falcons : HIREDTommy Rees
Arizona Cardinals : VACANT
Cleveland Browns : VACANT
Detroit Lions : HIREDDrew Petzing
Kansas City Chiefs : HIREDEric Bieniemy
Las Vegas Raiders: VACANT
Los Angeles Chargers: HIREDMike McDaniel
Miami Dolphins : HIREDBobby Slowik
Philadelphia Eagles : VACANT
Pittsburgh Steelers : VACANT
Tampa Bay Buccaneers : HIREDZac Robinson
Tennessee Titans: VACANT
Washington Commanders : HIRED David Blough

Reported Titans coordinator candidates

According to various national media reports from sources such as ESPN and NFL Network, candidates who the Titans intend to interview for offensive coordinator include names like Brian Daboll, Kliff Kingsbury and Adam Stenavich. Daboll and Kingsbury are former NFL head coaches, the former of which is considered to be a contender for the Buffalo Bills' head coaching vacancy. Stenavich is the sitting offensive coordinator in Green Bay , where Saleh worked as a consultant in 2024 after he was fired by the Jets.

Candidates for the defensive coordinator vacancy include former Saleh assistants and on-the-rise defensive minds such as Al Harris, Aaron Whitecotton, Dino Vasso and Mike Rutenberg.

Dennard Wilson finds work

Former Titans defensive coordinator has reportedly been hired as the next defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, re-teaming Wilson with John Harbaugh, with whom he worked in Baltimore before joining the Titans. Wilson was the Titans' defensive coordinator for two seasons, guiding the defense through a tough transitional period. His unit put up good numbers in 2024 but regressed in 2025 with injuries and trades severely hurting the depth of his squad.

Arthur Smith goes to college

News broke on Saturday night that Arthur Smith, the former Titans offensive coordinator who was thought to be in the mix for the position again in 2026, will take on the role of offensive coordinator at Ohio State instead. The Titans interviewed Smith for their head coaching vacancy, but Smith didn't advance to the finalists round. The former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Smith worked as the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive coordinator the last two seasons.

Dennard Wilson interviews with Chargers

Former Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson has interviewed with the Los Angeles Chargers for their defensive coordinator vacancy, the team announced on Friday. This is the second DC job Wilson's interviewed for this offseason; he also interviewed with his hometown Washington Commanders.

Arthur Smith back on the menu

Per a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Titans have spoken to former Falcons coach Arthur Smith about their offensive coordinator vacancy. Smith worked for the Titans from 2011-20, and was the offensive coordinator for two seasons in 2019-20, coinciding with some of the best offensive seasons in Titans history. Most recently, Smith was the offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh.

Smith interviewed for the Titans' head coaching vacancy but did not make it to the finalists round.

Titans DC options, per reports

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the Titans have requested to interview Cowboys defensive line coach and former Saleh assistant Aaron Whitecotton for Robert Saleh's defensive coordinator opening. Josina Anderson also reported the Titans plan to interview Bears defensive backs coach Al Harris for the vacancy.

Titans OC options, per report

Per a report from NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Titans are working through offensive coordinator options, with candidates such as Brian Daboll, Kliff Kingsbury, Arthur Smith, Adam Stenavich and Bobby Slowik in the mix. Daboll, Kingsbury and Smith are former NFL head coaches, while Stenavich is the offensive coordinator for the Packers and Slowik is the former offensive coordinator in Houston .

Brian Callahan back out of the mix

ESPN and NFL Network reported on Jan. 22 that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to hire former Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson for their OC vacancy. This comes on the same day that Callahan was supposed to interview for a second time for the vacancy.

Gus Bradley following Robert Saleh to Titans? Maybe not

Former NFL head coach and longtime defensive assistant Gus Bradley is one of Saleh's mentors as a defensive coach dating back to their time together in Seattle and Jacksonville. He and Saleh linked back up in San Francisco in 2025, and Bradley made sense on the short list of candidates for Saleh's potential defensive coordinator in 2026.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan listed Bradley as the favorite and likeliest internal candidate to replace Saleh with the 49ers. So, that seems like it's less of a likely option in Nashville.

Tommy Rees to Atlanta Falcons 'looking good'

Tommy Rees, the former offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns , appears to be following former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski to the Atlanta Falcons, per reports from Sports Illustrated and ESPN. That's another high-profile offensive coordinator coming off the market, albeit not one who was particularly connected to the Titans' opening.

What's up with Matt Nagy?

Two days ago, Nagy was seen as the clear frontrunner to land the Titans' head coaching gig. Now... not so much. Per a report from NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Nagy is "exploring a few offensive coordinator options," and that includes an interview with the Philadelphia Eagles that was reportedly conducted Wednesday. Nagy worked as an assistant in Philadelphia early in his career before following Andy Reid to Kansas City.

Brian Daboll and the Titans, per report

The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported on Tuesday morning that the Titans are expected to be the frontrunners to land Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator, assuming Daboll doesn't land the head coaching job in Buffalo. Daboll, the former head coach of the New York Giants, was Buffalo's offensive coordinator prior to heading to New York and grew up in the Buffalo suburbs.

Mike McDaniel, off to Los Angeles?

Saleh and former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel have a long history together. They worked side-by-side as analysts in Houston at the beginning of their careers, and they were both integral figures on Kyle Shanahan's first 49ers staffs, with Saleh as defensive coordinator and McDaniel as run game coordinator.

Plenty of speculation linked McDaniel to Saleh's offensive coordinator vacancy in Nashville, not the least of which because McDaniel also interviewed with the Titans for the head coaching job. But as several media outlets including USA TODAY reported on Jan. 20, McDaniel is expected to accept the job as offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Chargers providing he doesn't get offered the head coaching jobs in Baltimore or Las Vegas.

McDaniel was also in the mix to be the head coach in Cleveland, but he reportedly turned down the opportunity to sit for a second interview.

Is Brian Callahan bound for Tampa Bay?

Per reports on Jan. 21, the former Titans coach will take a second interview with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their offensive coordinator job. Callahan also interviewed with the Chargers for their OC job. Before Callahan coached the Titans, he was offensive coordinator in Cincinnati , working with Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow .

Titans offensive coordinator candidates

Some of the top candidates for the Titans' OC position include: Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, former Giants coach Brian Daboll, Packers senior assistant Luke Getsy, former Giants coach Mike Kafka , 49ers QB coach Mick Lombardi, former Dolphins OC Frank Smith, former Chiefs OC Matt Nagy and former Dolphins pass game specialist Bobby Slowik.

Who were on Robert Saleh's staffs with New York Jets?

Saleh's offensive coordinators in New York were Mike LaFleur (now the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams ) and Nathaniel Hackett (now an analyst for the Green Bay Packers). His defensive coordinator for all four seasons was Jeff Ulbrich, who's being retained as the Atlanta Falcons' defensive coordinator for 2026. Other prominent assistants included quarterbacks coach Rob Calabrese (now with the Rams), pass game coordinator Todd Downing (formerly with the Titans, now in New England ) and senior defensive assistant Tony Oden (who worked with the Titans in 2025).

Which Titans assistants could be retained or go elsewhere?

Special teams coordinator John Fassel is the most prominent and most important name on the Titans' coaching staff, and retaining him has to be a top priority for Saleh. Other key names on the Titans' staff who've drawn interest elsewhere in the past or who've been talked about highly within Nashville include quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree, who has a strong relationship with Ward, and tight ends coach Luke Stocker .

Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson interviewed for the DC vacancy with the Washington Commanders earlier in the offseason, and several of the veterans on his staff including Oden, Tracy Rocker and Frank Bush could draw consideration.

Who is Robert Saleh?

The Titans hired Saleh, 46, after a year spent in his second stint as San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator. Saleh was the Jets' head coach for more than three seasons, leading the franchise to a 20-36 record before being fired five games into his fourth campaign. Saleh's teams are known for dominant defenses, both in San Francisco and New York, but his Jets tenure was also defined by putrid offensive showings and lackluster development at positions like quarterback and offensive line.

Titans coaching candidates: Who else did Titans interview?

Saleh was one of 16 candidates who the Titans interviewed for their head coaching vacancy. The other finalists for the job were Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. The Atlanta Falcons hired Stefanski and the Miami Dolphins hired Hafley before the Titans could conduct finalist interviews with them.

Other candidates who the Titans interviewed include: former Dallas coach Mike McCarthy, L.A. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, former Miami coach Mike McDaniel, Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and former New York Giants coach Brian Daboll.

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: Titans coordinator search tracker: News, rumors, candidates, interviews

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