Tennessee Titans fans are unhappy about Brian Callahan's start to the 2025 season. Naturally, overreactions arrived in full force after Callahan coached a poor game in Sunday's Week 1 defeat to the Denver Broncos.
At this point, it will take nothing short of a streak of wins to even put a damper on any "Fire Callahan" buzz coming out of Nashville. However, Titans fans aren't completely unreasonable, and there is a way that Callahan can turn this whole mess around. Unsurprisingly, it will all come down to rookie quarterback Cam Ward.
Ward played very well in Week 1, and it isn't hyperbole to say that he was one of the three best players in a Titans uniform despite it being his first NFL game. While he will certainly have his ups and downs, he has started off strong and looks like he is in complete command of the offense.
Titans QB Cam Ward could save Brian Callahan's job
Look no further than Monday's press conference when Callahan made sure to emphasize that Ward was properly changing protections and calling audibles at the line of scrimmage.
Despite the crowd noise in Denver making communication nearly impossible, Ward was able to hear plays and relay instructions to the offensive line and skill players. That occurred despite the challenges posed by the Broncos defense.
You might be asking, "How will that save Callahan's job?" The answer is that as Ward becomes more comfortable with the playbook, he will have a better sense of what to change in different situations. Right now, Callahan said Ward's job isn't to call plays from scratch, rather to get them out of play-calls that are doomed to fail.
For example, if there are defenders lined up in both A-gaps, he would be smart to audible from any inside runs they might have called. As his expertise in the offense grows, he can evolve from checking from "plays that won't fail", to checking to plays that will take advantage of defensive looks.
You might think that sounds like taking power away from Callahan as the head coach and play caller. The fact is, good quarterbacks take power away from their coaches because they become part of the play-calling process. Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow all have input on what they like and want on offense, and the bigger their voice gets, the smaller the voice of their coach gets.
How quickly the Titans can get to that point remains up for debate. As does how much Ward can do with the talent around him once he gains full control. Those will be the determining factors on whether it will be enough to save Callahan's job or if it will be too little, too late.
Remember, the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Ward has already said that he wants to be in an offense that has continuity. Bringing in a new coach could stunt his growth as a quarterback, and it could send the team spiraling, so be very careful what you wish for.