When the Tennessee Titans search for their next head coach, a lot will be made about whether he falls into the "offensive guru" category or if he is a "defensive mastermind." Either way, one of that coach's future assistants should already be on the franchise's payroll.
John "Bones" Fassel has been widely regarded as one of the best special teams coordinators in the NFL for over a decade now. For a franchise as horrendous on special teams as the Titans, hearing that the team had signed him this offseason was like manna from heaven.
There was some trepidation about whether or not his addition would make that big of an impact. The year before, the Titans hired one of the NFL's best offensive line coaches in Bill Callahan, only to watch the offensive line struggle mightily again and to have him stand on the table for J.C. Latham over Olu Fashanu.
Titans next head coach must retain current special teams coordinator John "Bones" Fassel
Unlike Callahan, Fassel lived up to his reputation and made no excuses as he turned the team's special teams into one of the best groups in the NFL. Just look at some of the standout players from his phase of the game.
Chimere Dike is one of the best rookies in the NFL and should be adding an All-Pro honor next to his name shortly. He leads the NFL in yards per punt return by a whopping 9.5 yards, and he is top-10 in kick return average.
Everyone knows that his two punt return touchdowns are tops in the NFL, but they forget that he had a punt return touchdown called back for a very questionable call earlier this season. Dike is a good referee crew away from chasing the NFL's single-season record for most punt return touchdowns, and it is only Week 13.
While Dike is a big part of the equation, he isn't the only special teams standout. Joey Slye is one of four kickers who have made seven or more 50+ yard field goals this year. Had it not been for a tough stretch in early October, people would be much higher on the kicker with a cannon for a leg.
It is also worth mentioning that despite constant turnover on special teams, the unit has shown improvement each week. Heading into their home matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Fassel noted that the team was now on their 10th gunner.
.@Titans ST coordinator John Fassel: We're up to 9-10 different guys who've played gunner for us. It's a challenge, and impressive to see guys execute
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) November 25, 2025
Each week, Fassel manages to take a banged-up group of backup NFL players on a one-win football team and convinces them to play out of their minds on special teams. The next head coach of the Titans can earn a lot of goodwill with the players and fan base by keeping Fassel on the staff instead of bringing in one of his own guys.