NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Brian Callahan announced Tuesday he's handing off the offensive play-calling duties to quarterbacks assistant Bo Hardegree with the Titans off to an 0-3 start.
“I think this is one of the best things for us at the moment to help me do a better job as a head coach and be more present and available for the football team and less involved in just the day-to-day minutiae of getting ready to call a game," Callahan said. "So I think it's going to be positive for us.”
Callahan was asked about whether he would consider not calling plays Monday after the Titans lost their ninth straight game going back to last season. Some fans chanted for him to be fired during the 41-20 loss to Indianapolis. He said then that everything was being evaluated.
He announced the change Tuesday, just before the Titans' coordinators talked.
Callahan had plenty of other options for someone to call the offensive plays from senior offensive assistant and a former NFL coach in Mike McCoy, hired this offseason, and offensive coordinator Nick Holz whose role remains unchanged. Holz did not speak as usual Tuesday, though Hardegree did.
Callahan said Hardegree interviewed for some coordinator jobs during the offseason and that the Titans were lucky to have him. Hardegree called plays for nine games as interim offensive coordinator with the Raiders in 2023 after Josh McDaniels was fired.
“Bo's had some interim experience calling, he’s been with a rookie quarterback before. That part of it will make it a little bit seamless in that regard,” Callahan said.
Hardegree, who played at the University of Tennessee, started in the NFL as a quality control assistant with Denver in 2014. He also has coached with Chicago, Miami, the New York Jets, New England and the Raiders. Hardegree said Callahan made the decision Monday.
“He’s involved. Everybody is still involved,” Hardegree said. “That’s the good thing with the stability of everything. You know, the work flow is that. The only change is me calling on Sunday.”
The Titans will see if Hardegree continues to stay on the sideline with Holz and McCoy in the press box. Hardegree also has been working with Cam Ward since the Titans drafted him No. 1 overall, and he said he's seen the rookie growing as a player.
Hardegree said his philosophy as a play-caller is simple: “My philosophy as a play-caller is to protect the ball and score points. That’s it.”
Callahan is 3-17 as a head coach, with a .150 winning percentage. The Titans fired Ken Whisenhunt in November 2014 with a 3-20 record for a .130 winning percentage.
The Titans are starting a rookie quarterback. They also are scoring fewer points per game (17) than in 2024 with 18.3 a game. Ward also is last among starting NFL quarterbacks in completing 54.5% of his passes and averaging just 5.1 yards per attempt.
“Everyone owns a mirror, right?” Callahan said. "We can all look at it. We can all see where we need to be better and what can help us be better.”
The Titans knew when they hired Callahan in January 2024 that he hadn't called offensive plays during an NFL regular-season game, instead leaning on his work as offensive coordinator with Cincinnati and quarterback Joe Burrow to take over after they fired Mike Vrabel.
Callahan has had two situations in separate games this season where his decision-making opened him up to questions about how well he knows NFL rules and his lack of decisiveness in settling for a long field-goal try that led to a delay of game penalty and a blocked field goal on Sunday.
“My job is to be the head coach of the football team," Callahan said of handing off play-calling duties. "I think that this allows me to do that job a little bit better, pay more attention to some things that might require my attention and be more present.”
Tennessee starts a three-game road swing Sunday at Houston (0-3).
The Titans also made a trade Tuesday, sending starting cornerback Jarvis Brownlee to the Jets along with a seventh-round pick in 2026 for a sixth-round selection in that draft. Brownlee started 16 games, though he missed last week with an injured ankle.
AP freelance writer Terry McCormick contributed to this report.
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Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan speaks during a news conference after the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Titans in an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
