Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith could be a name thrown around for a head coaching vacancy during the offseason.
The Tennessee Titans have had an offensive coordinator carousel the last handful of years, whether it be because of firings or another team poaching one away. We saw the latter happen during the 2019 offseason when the Green Bay Packers hired Matt LaFleur.
The 2020 offseason could present the same situation, as offensive coordinator Arthur Smith might be a consideration for some teams looking for its next head coach.
According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, Smith is someone who could emerge as a candidate for a vacancy around the league.
"In his ninth season with the Titans, Smith was an obscure name until Mike Vrabel promoted him from tight ends coach after last season. He has taken advantage, impressing with his even-keeled demeanor and work with a revitalized Ryan Tannehill."
I’m sorry, I laugh at the “even-keeled demeanor” part when I think of Smith chest-bumping wide receiver Kalif Raymond into another zip code. Smith gets a little more fired up than some give him credit for, which I personally love.
But I digress…
The reason for potential interest in Smith is obvious.
After a horrid start to the 2019 season in which the Titans averaged 16.3 points per game over the first six, Tennessee has come roaring back to life with 29.9 points per contest since Week 7, one of the best marks in the NFL in that span.
Of course, that also coincides with the switch to Ryan Tannehill at quarterback, but Smith definitely deserves credit for the bump that has saved the Titans’ season.
The good news for Tennessee is that there isn’t likely to be as many openings as there were last season, and between other offensive coordinators, former NFL head coaches and college head coaches, there will be a lot of competition.
In fact, Rapoport and Pelissero name over 50 potential candidates for head coaching jobs, some with more experience than others.
Based on that and the limited amount of openings, I’d say Smith is pretty safe to return to Nashville in 2020.