Tennessee Titans conduct head coaching interview with Panthers OC Thomas Brown
The Tennessee Titans completed an interview with Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown on Thursday, their sixth completed interview to fill the vacancy left after firing former coach Mike Vrabel.
The Titans have also completed interviews with Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. They've reportedly requested interviews with as many as 10 candidates, though many will not be available to speak to the Titans for another couple days.
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Get to know Thomas Brown
A sixth-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, Brown spent three seasons as an NFL running back after starring in college at the University of Georgia from 2004-07. Injuries derailed Brown's pro career, as he never logged a carry in a regular season game.
He quickly made the transition to coaching. He spent one year apiece as running backs coach at Chattanooga, Marshall, Wisconsin and Georgia before getting the job as offensive coordinator at Miami in 2016, a post he held for three seasons. Miami went 19-7 in Brown's first two years as offensive coordinator, finishing ranked in the top 25 each year.
Brown made the transition to the NFL in 2020, joining Sean McVay's staff with the Los Angeles Rams as running backs coach. Within a year, Brown was promoted to assistant head coach of a team that went on to win a Super Bowl.
Brown got his first crack at being an offensive coordinator in 2023 with the Panthers. The year didn't go as planned, with the Panthers finishing last in the NFL in total offense, yards gained per play, passing offense and scoring. Brown was given play-calling responsibilities for three games in the middle of the season, but former Panthers head coach Frank Reich took the job back for himself for a couple games before he was fired midseason.
This isn't Brown's first time interviewing for a head coaching job. Brown interviewed for the Houston Texans job last season before it ultimately went to DeMeco Ryans.
About the Tennessee Titans open head coach job
Per NFL rules, the Titans may only conduct virtual interviews with all coaching candidates employed by another organization until the end of the second round of the NFL playoffs. The Titans are free to interview any candidate not currently employed by an NFL organization at any time and have been able to conduct virtual interviews with employees of teams that missed the postseason since three days after the completion of the regular season. The team will be allowed to conduct virtual interviews with coaches on teams that made the playoffs three days after their first playoff game ends.
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This is the Titans' first coaching search in six years. Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk dismissed Vrabel on Tuesday citing a want for the franchise to improve its collaboration and alignment between ownership, the front office and the coaching staff.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Thomas Brown: Panthers OC interviews for Tennessee Titans coach job
