Titans Hire Brian Daboll as Offensive Coordinator to Develop Cam Ward

The Titans just made their biggest offensive move of the offseason, and somehow the first “report” came from a country-rap superstar.

Tennessee officially hired Brian Daboll as its new offensive coordinator on Tuesday, a move initially reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and later confirmed by the team. The fun twist: the news also hit the internet via Jelly Roll, the Grammy-nominated Nashville native, before it fully made the rounds.

Daboll joins first-year Titans head coach Robert Saleh, who was hired earlier in the cycle after Tennessee’s coaching search wrapped quickly.

#Why this is huge for Cam Ward

This hire is about one thing: accelerating Cam Ward’s development.

Ward, the No. 1 overall pick, showed flashes in his rookie season but endured predictable turbulence in an offense that never fully stabilized. ESPN reported Ward threw for 3,169 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while Tennessee averaged 16.7 points per game in 2025.

If the Titans are going to get out of the AFC South basement, they need Ward to become the kind of quarterback who can erase mistakes with consistency, not just talent.

#Daboll’s track record: quarterback growth and functional rushing attacks

Daboll’s reputation is built on turning messy quarterback talent into something organized and dangerous.

He’s best known for his time in Buffalo, where he helped Josh Allen evolve from raw and erratic into an MVP-level force, a leap that turned Daboll into one of the league’s hottest offensive names.

Later, with the Giants, Daboll helped coax the most productive stretch of Daniel Jones’ career early in his tenure before the roster and quarterback play cratered and the situation deteriorated. Reuters notes Daboll was fired during the 2025 season after going 20-40-1 as Giants head coach.

The takeaway for Tennessee: Daboll might not have been built for the “everything is on fire” CEO job, but he can design and call an offense that gives a young QB answers.

#Why Saleh needed this exact kind of OC

Saleh is a defensive coach. That’s not an insult, it’s literally his whole brand.

Pairing him with an experienced offensive architect lets Tennessee run a cleaner split: Daboll runs the offense, Saleh focuses on repairing a defense that didn’t hold up nearly enough during the 2025 mess.

This is also the Titans quietly admitting something important: after the Brian Callahan era face-planted, they couldn’t afford another “learning on the job” play-caller with a No. 1 pick at quarterback.

#What comes next

Now the real work starts:

• Build Ward’s offense around quick answers, defined reads, and a run game that forces defenses to play honest.
• Establish an identity fast, because Tennessee does not have the luxury of another “figure it out by November” season.
• Staff continuity matters, but production matters more. Daboll was hired to deliver both.