NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Titans are sitting at 0-3 and staring at a schedule that has them on the road for the next three games. It is getting late early for the 2025 season.
That is why Brian Callahan announced Monday that he was evaluating everything about the team following Sunday’s 41-20 loss to the Colts. If a turnaround is in the cards, it has to start now.
On Tuesday, Callahan announced that he is handing over his offensive playcalling duties to quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree so he can have more time to focus on all three phases of the football team. The move comes just two days after yet another questionable in-game management decision by the second-year coach as Callahan’s indecision on a late first-half fourth-and-one cost the Titans a field goal, then a delay of game penalty and, ultimately, a missed 62-yard field goal.
Later in the afternoon on Tuesday, the Titans announced they had traded cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. to the Jets in a deal that also includes a seventh-round pick in exchange for a sixth-round pick in next year’s NFL Draft. It was a surprising move for a team that is thin at the cornerback spot to trade a second-year player who has held a starting role since early last season.
The are different reasons for each of the changes, but together a clear message is being sent. This team is not good enough, and more changes are coming.
Callahan was likely trying to get in front of that with his decision to give up playcalling; a duty he has described as his favorite part of the job. But he’s now coaching for that job with fans turning on him for the 3-17 record, a struggling offense and the growing list of in-game mistakes.
But the decision, whether it came from Callahan himself or was a directive from above, feels like making a move just to make a move. After all, Callahan was hired first and foremost because of his offensive mind and his track record working with successful NFL quarterbacks. His ability to call plays as the head coach was supposed to be a selling point.
Now the Titans have tossed that belief to the side in the hope that the 41-year-old Hardegree can jumpstart the offense on Sundays. Callahan said he gave the playcalling role to Hardegree over offensive coordinator Nick Holz because of his previous experience as an NFL playcaller, but that all of the offensive staff will maintain their current responsibilities when it comes to devising a gameplan.
Hardegree served as the Raiders' interim offensive coordinator and playcaller for the final nine games of the 2023 season and helped an offense led by rookie Aidan O’Connell increase its scoring production by a touchdown per game. Maybe he can have the same impact here in Tennessee. Either way, it does not bode well for Callahan’s future.
The biggest concern about what lies ahead is the impact any offensive changes have on the development of No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward. The rookie quarterback is already on to his second playcaller just four games into his career, and could very well be facing a coaching change and the installation of a new offense after the season. The Titans have tried that before with promising young QBs, and it has not panned out well. Will this time be any different?
The trade of Brownlee Jr. suggests the personnel department does not expect a major turnaround this season. If they did, they would not trade away a promising young player on a rookie contract for just a late-round pick swap.
The 0-3 start called for a shake-up. It is doubtful these moves will be the last changes we’ll see this year.
