Rumors have been swirling around the Tennessee Titans as their head coach vacancy remains unfilled. The franchise admittedly made a bad call when it moved on from Mike Vrabel, and it's showing. They are one of the worst teams in the NFL, with a long rebuild ahead of them. It may take a current Pittsburgh Steelers coach and special figure with ties to the Titans organization to address their long-standing failures.
With the Steelers in pursuit of an AFC North championship and postseason success, outside rumors continue to surface.
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has seen positive and negative results since joining the organization, but he has brought stability to the team. He might not be a prolific play caller, but he has found ways of bringing some legitimacy back to the offense.
With his prior connections to Tennessee, don't be shocked if Smith gets an interview for their head coach opening.
He held a top title with the Atlanta Falcons just a few years ago, and his connection to Vrabel is strong. The Titans remember Smith fondly, given the level of success the team reached under his guidance as offensive coordinator. It could lead to Pittsburgh needing to fill a void.
Pittsburgh Steelers OC Arthur Smith potential Head Coach candidate with Tennessee Titans
Nothing has come out recently regarding Smith's status as a contender to join the Titans. He was initially connected back to the opening back in October by insider Nick Farabaugh. She tweeted out an initial list of candidates who made sense right after Tennessee fired its former head coach, Brian Callahan. There will be options for the Titans to choose from, but Smith makes sense.
Pittsburgh's play caller has held his duties with the Steelers since 2024. His first season started strongly by molding Justin Fields and reviving Russell Wilson. Unfortunately, the team collapsed down the stretch, losing its final five games of the season. It was an implosion that no one had seen before.
Despite the concerning circumstances, Smith produced quality results with Fields and Wilson and has done similar work with Aaron Rodgers.
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You can't stand there and say their offensive coordinator is the best in the NFL; that's untrue. Smith holds an old mindset of establishing the run and working your passing attack off of that. Sometimes that works, but sometimes it backfires and makes the offense look like a dumpster fire.
While it makes sense for the Titans to want a connection to the past, it might be best to go with someone else.
Smith served as the head coach in Atlanta from 2021 to 2023 but never posted a winning record. He has a strong résumé that should earn him plenty of interviews, but his chances of landing a job appear slim. If Smith fails to become the next head coach in Tennessee, his chances of another job of that ilk are low. The Steelers have experienced mixed results with him, which could hurt his chances.