Ranking the known Titans coaching candidates 1-13

Earlier this week we ranked the first four Tennessee Titans head coaching candidates. Since then, Mike Borgonzi has interviewed, or plans to interview, an additional nine candidates. We decided to redo the list, ranking them 1-13.

Robert Saleh

Robert Saleh is expected to be among the top retread candidates. The Titans finally requested an interview with the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator on Thursday. Saleh’s tenure with the New York Jets was doomed by bad ownership and letting Aaron Rodgers take control of coaching and player personnel.

Mike McCarthy

Mike McCarthy has ties to president Chad Brinker after working together in Green Bay for a decade. McCarthy has won a Super Bowl, developed two young quarterbacks in Dak Prescott and Aaron Rodgers, and has a 60.8% career win percentage. He’s a quality retread candidate.

Jeff Hafley

Jeff Hafley is the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator. He checks Borgonzi’s boxes in the sense he possesses previous head coaching experience at Boston College, and is a long-time play caller. Packers fans love Hafley and would hate to see him depart.

Kevin Stefanski

The Titans have an in-person interview scheduled with Kevin Stefanski this weekend. The two-time Head Coach of the Year winner possesses a brilliant offensive mind. A few Browns players have questioned his leadership ability since his firing, but he’d be a great asset to develop Cam Ward.

Kliff Kingsbury

Kliff Kingsbury helped two young quarterbacks win Offensive Rookie of the Year in Kyler Murray and Jayden Daniels. His offense is similar to Eric Morris’, who coached Cam Ward at Incarnate Word and Washington State. The Titans should have questions about Kingsbury’s ability to lead a locker room though.

Matt Nagy

Since the Titans requested an interview with Matt Nagy, he’s become a candidate for multiple other vacancies. That wasn’t an expected development, since most Titans fans were chalking up his candidacy to his relationship with Borgonzi.

Arthur Smith

Arthur Smith was the Titans’ offensive coordinator in 2019-20. The offense was its most explosive in the Tennessee-era under his direction. Smith hasn’t recaptured that same success in Atlanta or Pittsburgh, but his relationship with Amy Adams Strunk could play a role here.

Vance Joseph

Vance Joseph has also received significant interest for coaching vacancies around the league. He went 11-21 in two seasons (2017-18) as the Broncos’ head coach while displaying in-game management struggles, but has since rehabbed his reputation as their defensive coordinator. Joseph would be an uninspiring hire.

Lou Anarumo

Anarumo feels like another low-floor, veteran, stabilizing option. He possesses a brilliant defensive mind, but has never been an NFL head coach. It’s tough to envision a 59-year-old, first-time, defensive-minded head coach as the best option to develop Cam Ward.

Raheem Morris

It’s surprising that Raheem Morris is interviewing for so many vacancies. This would technically be his fourth head coaching stint if you include his interim tenure. Perhaps a few these organizations, Tennessee included, are secretly hoping to land him as their defensive coordinator.

Jason Garrett

The Jason Garrett interview news was stunning given his absence from an NFL sideline since 2021. Garrett possesses a better all-time winning record as a coach than advertised, but his candidacy feels random and unexpected. Surely the Titans won’t be doing the unthinkable.

Steve Spagnuolo

Like Nagy, Steve Spagnuolo possesses a relationship with Borgonzi through Kansas City. It feels like the only justifiable reason for his interview request. Spagnuolo is a brilliant defensive coordinator, but he has an all-time head coaching record of 11-41.

Mike McCoy

Mike McCoy’s interview is simply a courtesy thank you. He did an admirable job as the interim head coach following Brian Callahan’s in-season firing. The Titans won’t be hiring McCoy to be their next full-time head coach.