Brian Callahan gives up play-calling duties as Titans look to dig out of 0-3 hole

Perhaps no NFL head coach sits on a hotter seat than Brian Callahan of the Tennessee Titans, and he made a major change ahead of the team's Week 4 matchup against the Houston Texans. Callahan announced Tuesday that he handed over play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree. 

Callahan said that the offensive game plan will remain in place, and that it is still a "collaborative process." He also said that this will allow him to pay more attention to the team as a whole. 

"I've had zero disappointment in my play-calling," Callahan said. "I don't have any disappointment in that at all. But it's just more so I can see the rest of it -- see the big picture better."

Hardegree likely gets the nod over offensive coordinator Nick Holz since he has called plays in the NFL before. The former quarterbacks coach for the Las Vegas Raiders was promoted to interim offensive coordinator in 2023 when coach Josh McDaniels and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi were fired midseason, and called plays for Antonio Pierce. 

The Titans offense averages 222.3 total yards per game, which ranks No. 31 in the NFL. Tennessee's 17 points per game ranks No. 28. The Callahan era in Nashville has been a disappointing one, as he just became the fifth head coach since 2000 to start 3-17 or worse in a coach's first 20 games. The Titans finished with a 3-14 record in 2024, which led to them acquiring the No. 1 overall pick, which Tennessee used on quarterback Cameron Ward. 

This change comes on the heels of a 41-20 blowout loss to the rival Indianapolis Colts. One of the lowlights from this contest was an embarrassing sequence at the end of the first half.

Facing a fourth-and-1 from the Colts' 39-yard line with 42 seconds remaining before halftime, the Colts called timeout. Callahan was unsure whether he was going to keep his offense on the field, so he ended up calling a timeout following the Colts' timeout. 

The Titans then sent out kicker Joey Slye to attempt a 57-yard field goal, but the "K-Ball" was not substituted in for Slye to kick. The Titans took a delay-of-game penalty, which pushed the field goal attempt back to 62 yards. Slye's kick was tipped, and the Colts took over near midfield. Daniel Jones' offense then quickly picked up 30 yards on four plays to set up a 36-yard field goal. Instead of Tennessee heading into the locker room trailing 17-9, the Titans were down 20-6. It was a six-point swing that led to loud boos from the home crowd. 

As for the new play-caller, Hardegree is a Tennessee native and a former Volunteers backup quarterback. He worked as an offensive assistant in the NFL since 2014, coaching for the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, New England Patriots and Raiders. Callahan told reporters that Hardegree received interview requests for coordinator gigs. Now, he has a chance to turn around the Titans offense.