NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Titans coach Robert Saleh hired offensive coordinator Brian Daboll on Jan. 27, seven days after becoming the club’s head coach, hoping to maximize the late-season play flashed by No. 1 pick Cam Ward in 2025. Saleh, a former defensive coordinator who previously served as head coach of the New York Jets, noted his past teams’ defensive success but said offensive efficiency — starting with the quarterback — was the missing piece in New York.
Saleh outlined three specific areas where a quarterback can move a team: third down, the red zone and the two-minute drill. “The quarterback metric is third down, red zone, two-minute [drill],” Saleh said. “Those are the three categories where the quarterback shines and pulls the team along.”
Daboll’s résumé in Buffalo provides a blueprint the Titans hope to follow on third down. The Bills ranked 30th in third-down conversion rate (31.63 percent) in Josh Allen’s rookie year with Daboll as offensive coordinator in 2018, then climbed to 46.64 percent in 2020 and 47.33 percent in 2021, according to the Bills’ offensive breakdown that credited Daboll and quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney with the improvement.
Daboll has leaned on analytics and scenario work since arriving in Tennessee. He consults with Bennie Contrino, hired in July as the Titans’ director of strategy and analytics, and the staff has examined down-and-distance, clock management and field placement over the past five years, breaking situations into percentages to inform quarterback decisions. “How you perform on early downs can really help you in those situations,” Daboll said. He added that third-and-4-plus is a significant advantage for a defense.
Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley emphasized creativity on third down, saying it centers on “affecting the quarterback and getting him off schedule” and forcing longer third-and distances. The Titans’ offense converted just 31.9 percent of third downs last season, second-worst in the NFL, and Daboll will be tasked with helping Ward and the offense improve. Ward told the “Deebo and Joe” podcast that Daboll has stressed the importance of third downs, calling them the downs “that can win or lose you the game.”
