What Mike Vrabel said about Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing's future
Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel hasn't made any changes to his staff in the two days since his season ended, but will be evaluating his coaches in the coming weeks, including offensive coordinator Todd Downing.
"I think change is obviously part of this league," Vrabel said Monday. "It’s part of professional sports. I think there’ll be conversations here in the short term about the general manager and where that goes and then that person and I will have a conversation, we’ll have conversations with (owner Amy Adams Strunk) about the extent of the conversations we have. I don’t think that’s something that will happen necessarily overnight but there will be change."
When asked about Downing's status specifically, Vrabel said that will be "part of his evaluation" now that the season is over. Vrabel met with players Monday after they cleaned out their lockers and said he intends to meet with his assistants this week and next week.
Downing came under fire throughout the season for the poor performance of the Titans' offense. In 2022, the Titans finished No. 30 in the NFL in yards per game (296.8), No. 30 in passing yards per game (171.4) tied for last in first downs per game (16.3) and No. 28 in points per game (17.5). The Titans were the only team in the NFL that didn't score at least 28 points in a game this season.
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Downing was arrested after the Titans' win over the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 13 on suspicion of driving under the influence. He has not been publicly suspended or reprimanded since the incident. The Titans lost seven straight games to end the season after Downing's arrest.
This was Downing's second year as Titans offensive coordinator and production has dropped year-over-year both times. The Titans averaged 396.4 yards and 30.7 points per game in 2020 before Downing took over. That fell to 342.5 and 24.6 in Downing's first season running the offense before cratering to one of the worst units in the NFL.
The Titans hired Downing as tight ends coach in 2019, a role he held for two years. This was Downing's second stint as an offensive coordinator; he spent one year leading the Oakland Raiders offense in 2017.
Vrabel said he thinks there's been "a consistency" during Downing's tenure with how the Titans have built their offense around running back Derrick Henry and had success running the football. He said the Titans need to do a better job than they did in 2022 on the offensive line and protecting the football.
When it comes to hiring assistants, Vrabel said he values loyalty as a trait, but his loyalty to the team will supersede loyalty to individuals.
"The loyalty I have is to put people in place that are right for the football team. I’ll look at each and every phase of our team as it relates to the coaching staff, the players. That process has already started."
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What Mike Vrabel said about Tennessee Titans OC Todd Downing's future
