Browns 2024 OL performance sans Bill Callahan one to watch for Titans

New Tennessee Titans offensive line coach Bill Callahan could be a game-changer for this franchise, and that isn't overselling it.

As long as Brian Callahan is the head coach, Titans fans can feel confident that his father will be on the staff to help find and develop offensive line talent at a high level. The only way that Bill Callahan wouldn't be on his son's staff is if he decides to retire.

While it isn't fair to say that the older Callahan has an eye on retirement, he has been in the game so long that he was awarded a lifetime achievement award last month. There isn't much left he can accomplish in this game.

Life after Callahan isn't an enticing proposition, but the Titans don't have to deal with that right now. A team that does have to deal with it is the Cleveland Browns, and they are going to be an excellent test case for the Titans.

The Browns were very professional and gracious as they allowed the Titans to hire Callahan to be their offensive line coach. Since then, they have hired Andy Dickerson to replace him, who has been an assistant offensive line coach until a few seasons ago when he got the big title with the Seattle Seahawks.

I'm not sure that was the perfect plan for the Browns, but it had to be something that they knew could have been coming this season. Common sense says that they probably had an idea that Dickerson would be their guy as soon as Pete Carroll parted ways with the Seahawks.

Hiring a younger position coach who only has three years of experience as an NFL offensive line coach is a 180 from what the Browns had in Bill Callahan, who had been a prominent offensive line coach or head coach for 45 years.

Perhaps the Browns will be fine without Callahan. After all, they have a talented offensive line, with starters such as Wyatt Teller, Jack Conklin, and Jedrick Wills Jr.

Titans fans should keep an eye on whether or not that talented offensive line looks a little bit less impressive this year without Bill Callahan in the room.

Did Callahan give those linemen the tools to thrive after he was gone, or was he finding ways to help them win their matchups in real time? The answer is going to be important to the likes of J.C. Latham, Peter Skoronski, Nicholas Petit-Frere, and others, when discussing their future outlook.

Even though it shouldn't happen in the immediate future, the Titans should be preparing like every year could be Callahan's last season. They had to do something similar with former defensive coordinator Dean Pees, who was working on a year-to-year basis.

The Titans may have braced themselves for this eventuality by hiring Scott Fuchs to be the assistant offensive line coach.

Fuchs has been an offensive line coach for decades, so he has already shown that can handle the job. Working under/with Callahan will only make him better prepared for future opportunities. His resume screams overqualified to be an assistant, which immediately raised eyebrows.

If the Browns offensive line has a big dropoff, the addition (and retention) of Fuchs is going to be something to keep an eye on as this team develops. The good news is, that this is just the beginning of a new era of offensive line coaching for the Titans, and we all know what to expect from Bill Callahan.

How the Browns perform without him may indicate just how prepared the Titans have to be.