Tennessee Titans' decision to fire Brian Callahan was long overdue

Tennessee Titans' decision to fire Brian Callahan was long overdue originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Tennessee Titans fell to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6 in ugly fashion. 

The Titans gained just 225 total yards of offense and turned the ball over three times in a 20-10 loss. Not only was it a bad loss that dropped the Titans to 1-5, but the team just wasn't all that competitive .

Now, on Monday, the Titans have finally announced the firing of head coach Brian Callahan. President of Football Operations Chad Brinker released a statement thanking Callahan while also acknowledging that the team has not "demonstrated sufficient growth."

Why was Callahan fired? 

Saying the Titans have not "demonstrated sufficient growth" may be the understatement of the year. Instead, the Titans have gotten significantly worse in almost every category since Callahan took over ahead of the 2024 season. 

In 2024, Callahan's first season as a head coach, the Titans finished with a 3-14 record and earned the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. You can forgive a coach for having a bad first season, but you'd at least like to see some positive signs. 

Instead, the Titans finished 26th in yards per game, 27th in points per game, and 26th in sacks allowed per game in 2024. Callahan was touted as an "offensive guru," but his offense was worse in almost every metric than previous head coach Mike Vrabel's. 

But still, it's not like the Titans had a great roster. The offensive line was bad, quarterback play was bad, and the pass-catcher group left much to be desired. 

That's why there was hope that the 2025 offense would be much better. Cam Ward replaced Will Levis at quarterback, Kevin Zeitler and Dan Moore Jr. were added to the offensive line, and Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson were added to the receiver room. 

Instead? Even with on a better roster on paper, the Titans' offense has been even worse in 25. The team is 32nd in yards per game, 22nd in yards allowed per game, 31st in rushing yards per game, and 31st in passing yards per game. 

The Titans have scored less than 20 points in four of their six games this season. You have to really dig deep to find any semblance of positivity around this team. Even a change in play-callers didn't do much of anything to help 

After losing again on Sunday, Callahan fell to 4-19 as the head coach of the Titans. For reference, Ken Whisenhunt was fired as the team's head coach back in 2016 after going 3-20. Callahan got one more win over a 23-game stretch than Whisenhunt, but his offense is rated worse than Whisenhunt's 2015 unit. 

What's next?

The Titans just used the No, 1 pick in the 2025 draft on Cam Ward. Developing the quarterback is the most important thing for the Titans to do, and it's clear Ward wasn't improving under Callahan. 

Through six games, Ward has thrown for 1,101 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions. The rookie has also fumbled four times while completing just 55.0% of his passes. 

Callahan was a young, offensive-minded coach when the Titans hired him. It would be surprising to see the team go a similar route with the next coach. I would expect the Titans to go with an experienced head coach who has a track record of developing young quarterbacks. 

The next game for the Titans is in Week 7 against the New England Patriots and former head coach Mike Vrabel. Many expected Callahan to be fire after losing to Vrabel, but clearly, Amy Adams Strunk felt like enough was enough before even getting to the game against the Patriots.