Early Monday morning, the Buffalo Bills made the shocking move to fire head coach Sean McDermott, per Tom Pelissero, and now the Bills are in the same boat as the Tennessee Titans; looking for a new head coach. Tennessee has already named their top three candidates in Robert Saleh, Jeff Hafley, and Matt Nagy. However, this move by the Bills should make the Titans pull back on the process just a tad bit.
Despite not being able to get over the playoff hump, McDermott brought back a ton of stability for the Bills, who were a mess before he arrived in 2017. Under him, the Bills only missed the playoffs one time, winning five consecutive AFC East titles. They made the conference title game twice, but they kept running into Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
This postseason, the Bills had a path where they didn't have to worry about Mahomes, but yet they still couldn't get over the hump. Now, McDermott is out.
Sean McDermott firing should put huge pause on Titans' head coaching search
If the Titans want a proven winner who can bring stability to an organization, then McDermott is the clear-cut answer. Yes, he has had trouble with getting over the hump in crucial moments in the playoffs but if the Titans were to get McDermott, they would instantly become a stable organization right away. His previous experience and history of winning would make him a strong figure to lead the franchise forward.
The good news for the Titans is that they already have a franchise quarterback in Cam Ward, so McDermott can focus on building the defense for Tennessee and let whoever the offensive coordinator may be to focus on the offense with Ward. That could make Tennessee's job appealing to McDermott, who will have multiple suitors.
While the three candidates the Titans have identified as finalists have their qualities that could benefit them, McDermott has now become a top head coaching candidate. Tennessee would be absolutely foolish not to at least try and talk with McDermott to see if he can be the one to lead a rebuild for the Titans.