3 Coaches They Should Take A Look At
1. Ben Johnson -- Lions OC
Johnson is probably the most sought-after coordinator in the NFL, and has already been interviewing for head coaching gigs for a couple years now. The Lions had the 4th-best offense in football this year, and Johnson's long been praised for not just his originality in play-calling, but also his willingness to embrace modern football strategy. The feather in Johnson's cap is Jared Goff, who looked like he was well on his way to becoming a journeyman backup before his resurgence with the Lions. Johnson would modernize the Titans offense, clearly has a good method for coaching young QBs -- like Will Levis -- and is young enough (37) to grow on the job without sacrificing experience. It'd be about as home run a hire as you can get.
2. Bobby Slowick -- Houston OC
Fair or not, Slowick kind of feels like the consolation prize for whichever team doesn't land Johnson. Slowick's resume is more-or-less a carbon copy of Johnson's: he's a young, modern play-calling OC who's done a really impressive job with a young quarterback. It's almost like NFL teams all copy each other! This year, the Texans ranked in the top half all teams in attempts (12), yards (7), interceptions (2), and Net Yards per Attempt (8). A lot of that credit goes to CJ Stroud, who looks like the NFL's next star QB, but it'd be hard for Titans fans to complain about a coach who builds that type of offense leading Will Levis into a crucial couple of years developmentally.
3. Antonio Pierce -- Raiders interim-HC
This is a long-shot, mostly because it seems like the Raiders are getting ready to bring Pierce back without the interim tag. Pierce is beloved in that locker room, which was evident from literally the moment that they fired Josh McDaniels. But if the Raiders try something dumb, like, say, put all their eggs in the Jim Harbaugh basket, Pierce would be a great fit with the Titans. A former player who clearly knows how to coach, Pierce would come into a Titans team that is, in some ways, farther along than the Raiders team he left. And for what it's worth, the AFC South is probably a little more winnable in the near future than the AFC West.