Making sense of the Tennessee Titans coaching search

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi sat at the table in front of reporters earlier this month for his first end-of-season news conference, ready to address the team’s search for its next coach. A few minutes later the power went out and he found himself sitting in the dark.

Borgonzi’s silhouette against the light blue LED background foreshadowed how he is positioned to lead Tennessee’s pursuit of the franchise’s next chapter. Titans controlling owner Amy Adams-Strunk released a letter to fans outlining a front office restructuring that put Borgonzi in charge of both the coaching search and construction of the 53-player roster.

The second-year general manager will lead a committee consisting of president of football operations Chad Brinker, assistant general manager Dave Ziegler, vice president/football advisor Reggie McKenzie and director of player personnel Jon Salge.

Borgonzi pledged to cast a wide net when searching for candidates for the position. The roster now has around 20 players, ranging from newcomers to recently fired head coaches.

For some, the position is attractive because of the salary cap space (over $100 million), the No. 4 pick in the upcoming draft, and Cam Ward – a young franchise quarterback in the making.

“We have a lot of good young building blocks on this team,” Borgonzi said. “We have one of the best defensive players in the league in Jeff Simmons. We have a young quarterback who has faced a lot of adversity this year, and he has continued to improve.”

The Titans find themselves looking for a head coach for the second time in three years. The next coach will be tasked with trying to maximize Ward’s potential by helping orchestrate his development.

Ward explained what he would like to see in the next hire.

“Someone who can really do everything from top to bottom, and it’s both sides of the issue,” Ward said in October. “The offense, the defense, they know the system inside and out. And I think the most important thing is how the coach is going to behave with the players. How is he going to behave as a comrade in the locker room? You all have different types of personalities in our locker room. And whoever we find, I know he will be the right hire.

Borgonzi, who left the Kansas City Chiefs last January, has seen what it means to have a central leader in place. That’s what longtime coach Andy Reid has been for the Chiefs, leading to three Super Bowl victories in the last six seasons. Although Borgonzi vowed not to let his “Kansas City bias” dictate who he chooses as the Titans’ coach, he is applying some of the things he learned during his 16 years there.

“You have to have a clear vision, have standards for what you do,” Borgonzi said. “And then having that person not be afraid of conflict in a negative way, but be able to hold people accountable, that’s the most important thing, in the whole building.

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“Ultimately, that person also has to connect everyone in the building. So you have to find a balance between being demanding, connecting people in the building and just bringing people together. So those are the big things that we’re really looking for. Obviously, they have to have a strategic vision in terms of philosophy and X’s and O’s as well.”

San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh seems to fit the type of leader described by Borgonzi. Saleh’s first stint as head coach with the New York Jets did not go well, resulting in him going 20-36 before returning to San Francisco in the role of defensive coordinator. But Saleh learned lessons from this experience. Even though he’s focused on defense, Saleh has worked to better connect with the 49ers team as a whole.

Saleh’s defense was a key factor in the 49ers’ run to the divisional playoffs despite significant injuries to Pro Bowl linebacker Fred Warner and passer Nick Bosa. It is therefore clear that it is correct from a schematic point of view. Imagine Saleh devising ways to harass opposing offenses with Simmons and a young, ascending linebacker in Cedric Gray.

Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy also appears to be a strong candidate for the job, given his ties to Borgonzi and his contribution to the development of future Hall of Fame quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Nagy learned directly from Reid in all but three of the 18 seasons he worked in the NFL. His stint as coach of the Chicago Bears began with an NFC North division title and Coach of the Year honors in 2018, but after 8-8 consecutive seasons and a 6-11 record in 2021, he was fired.

Schematically, Nagy is a perfect fit for Ward. Nagy incorporated many of the West Coast offensive concepts he learned from Reid. But he added his own twist to incorporate pass rush options (RPOs) that allow the quarterback to make decisions based on how the defense reacts. Nagy also used zone and gap blocking schemes to set up deep play passes.

Nagy also adopted Hall of Fame coach Don Coryell’s emphasis on vertical passing, movement and mismatch creation that was once orchestrated by Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts – who passed for over 4,000 yards in three straight seasons (1979-1981).

These are all concepts that Ward had great success with while in college.

“I have a great relationship with (Nagy),” Borgonzi said. “I’ve worked with him for years. I thought he did some good things in Chicago, and he did a lot of good things when he came back to Kansas City.”

The list of coaching candidates continued to grow as the hiring cycle deepened – however, they had to take John Harbaugh off the list after he agreed to take the opening for the New York Giants. Tennessee has already met the requirements of the Rooney Rule by conducting in-person interviews with two minority candidates, former Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris and former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel.

The hiring timeline is uncertain, but given the possibility that candidates such as Saleh, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula are still alive in the postseason, things could drag on.

Even though time is running out, Borgonzi and the Titans are in no rush to make a decision.

“There is no timetable,” Borgonzi said. “I think we have to make the best decision for this team. So it will take us as much time as we need to find the best person.”