5 coaches Titans should target for defensive coordinator position

After the Tennessee Titans didn’t name a defensive coordinator in 2020 and went on to have a terrible season on defense, it’s time for this team to hire someone for the position.

Granted, outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen handled all of the duties of a defensive coordinator without the title, but he was a rookie play-caller and didn’t have much success in the role. As a result, it’s time for change.

As we turn to the 2021 offseason, it appears that the Titans are actively looking to fill the role after Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on Thursday that the team had interviewed Pittsburgh Steelers defensive assistant and secondary coach Teryl Austin for the job.

Now that we know Tennessee is planning on filling the vacancy for this season, we thought we’d take a look at five coaches the Titans should consider for the job. In making this list, we also considered the fact that familiarity is something that is important to head coach Mike Vrabel.

Teryl Austin

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Austin makes this list by default because the Titans have reportedly already interviewed him for their defensive coordinator vacancy. https://twitter.com/gerrydulac/status/1349836297016369154 Austin, who has been a coach since the early 90's, served as the Pittsburgh Steelers' senior defensive assistant and secondary coach for the past two seasons, and he is well-respected as a defensive mind. He also has experience as a defensive coordinator, serving as the Detroit Lions' from 2014-17, where he had some success, and then as the Cincinnati Bengals' for nine games in 2018.

Wade Phillips

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Phillips is one of the more experienced coaches on this list, as his coaching career dates back all the way to the 70's. Phillips has served nine different stints as a defensive coordinator and has had plenty of success, and he has been a head coach and an interim head coach on several occasions. The 73-year-old retired after the 2019 season, but he recently tweeted out that he's ready to come out of retirement. He should be near the top of the list for Tennessee in their search. https://twitter.com/sonofbum/status/1350086607156744194

Romeo Crennel

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Like Phillips, Crennel has a wealth of experience and a history of success as a defensive coordinator. He's also had some stints as a head coach, both full time and on an interim basis. In 2020, Crennel served as an assistant head coach for the Houston Texans, and then he took the interim tag once Bill O'Brien was fired. While the Texans didn't turn things around under him this past season, it's important to note that O'Brien left a dumpster fire upon his exit that no coach could have overcome. Familiarity is often important for Vrabel, and he has that with Crennel, as the Titans' head coach both played under him with the New England Patriots and worked with the 73-year-old while on the Texans' coaching staff.

Raheem Morris

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It remains to be seen if Morris will be retained after the Atlanta Falcons hire a new head coach, but if not the 44-year-old will almost certainly draw plenty of interest as a defensive coordinator candidate. Morris' coaching career started in the late 90's, and since then he has worked as both a defensive coordinator and head coach, both full time and on an interim basis. Morris has worked on the Falcons' coaching staff since 2015 and served as a defensive assistant, secondary coach, wide receivers coach, and then defensive coordinator and interim head coach in 2020. Granted, the Falcons' defense was nothing to write home about last season, but Morris was dealt a pretty tough hand with Atlanta's defense dealing with several key injuries and lackluster personnel. After the Falcons started out 0-5 this past season, Morris led them to a 4-7 record the rest of the way. The team was still competitive, though, as five of those losses were by five points or less. Atlanta was clearly a better team with Morris temporarily at the helm. Morris' experience coaching on both sides of the ball would bring an interesting perspective to the Titans' defense.

Kerry Coombs

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When Dean Pees retired following the 2019 season, Coombs, who oversaw an impressive secondary during his two-year tenure in Nashville, should have been the No. 1 candidate to become the defensive coordinator. Instead, Tennessee let him leave to Ohio St., where he became the program's defensive coordinator. That wrong can be righted in 2021, though. Of course, it remains to be seen if Coombs if willing to leave Ohio St. after just the one season, but if so he should be a target. Coombs has been coaching since the early 80's and brings a ton of experience at both levels with him. Adding to that, he's already familiar with Vrabel and many of the players on Tennessee's defense, and his background as a successful college coach will help in his developing and evaluation of younger players.