When Brian Callahan was hired as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, fans were sold on his offensive background and the coaching tree he came from. One of the people from that coaching tree that Callahan is closest to is Zac Taylor, who was his boss with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Callahan stays in touch with Taylor, which is great news for Titans fans, as they should hope that this team has a similar trajectory to the Bengals. Like Callahan, Taylor had to take over a long rebuild project. His path with the Bengals has gone like this:
Year 1: NFL's worst record, drafted Joe Burrow with the top pick (29th in points per game)
Year 2: Burrow's rookie season, still only won four games (29th in points per game)
Year 3: 10-win season, lost the Super Bowl (7th in points per game)
It took patience, but Taylor showed he could stay focused on the big picture. Now, Callahan is trying to prove he can do the same with the Titans, and he would be wise to follow in his friend and mentor's footsteps.
Titans HC Brian Callahan should copy Bengals' preseason plan
Callahan's first year looked eerily similar to Taylor's. His team had the NFL's worst record, and they both had bottom-five offenses in points per game. They followed those seasons up by drafting an experienced quarterback prospect who had a meteoric rise during his final season of college football.
Now that the Titans have their potential franchise quarterback, and Callahan is reminiscing on his shared days with Taylor to recall how they helped Burrow become successful.
The Titans play their first preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday. Each NFL team must decide how much to play their starters during the exhibition. Taylor gave us his answer on Tuesday, announcing that his starters would see a lot of action in the preseason in an effort to "start fast" this year.
#Bengals coach Zac Taylor tells reporters that QB Joe Burrow and other big name players will play several series on Thursday night and more in game two against the #Commanders. New way of doing it, with eyes on starting fast.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 5, 2025
Considering the Titans' offense hasn't been sharp in training camp, Callahan should use every means he can to get Ward ready for the NFL as quickly as possible. Remember, the Titans' toughest month of football will be in September when they face the Denver Broncos on the road, the Los Angeles Rams at home, and then divisional rivals (Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans) in back-to-back games.
Ward needs to be NFL-ready before he is thrown to the wolves, which means the Titans need to ask him to do a lot in August. Callahan should follow Taylor's lead and give Ward and the first-team offense as many reps as they want in the preseason, because this team's start could make or break their 2025 season.