Tennessee Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan Perry Knotts / GettyImages

What Titans Win Means for HC Brian Callahan

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 1:00 PM ET

By way of multiple football miracles out west, the Tennessee Titans mounted one of the wildest runs of the season to ultimately topple the Arizona Cardinals in what became their first win of the 2025 season. Now 1-4, the Titans, in spite of their still-dire record, have shouldered some positive momentum for possible the first time all year.

Yet in the midst of mild celebration from an exhausted fanbase, narrow eyes remain fixed on head coach Brian Callahan. Many remain unconvinced of his vision for the franchise, despite this mostly overhauled roster beginning to find their way, at least to some extent.

With this past week's win Callahan's overall record at the helm, as he's working his way through his second season, is still just 4-18. Boisterous sideline reactions are fair, but for any onlooker involved with the Titans franchise to allow the excitement to boil over would be seemingly unwise.

Not to mention that, in addition to not notching a win for an entire month, the victory only came after Coach Callahan relieved himself of play-calling duties in favor of the team's quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree.

Callahan isn't out of the woods yet, put simply. But for Titans fans, it's the opposite of a "have your cake and eat it too" scenario.

Because to call for the coach's job, at least in the immediacy of his first win, feels at least slightly unfair. Yet, all the same, burying the mountain of valid concerns related to Callahan's tenure under just his fourth win in more than 20 games seems similarly improper. The team, and Callahan, appear to be in a sort of limbo right now where, to most, it may take a while longer for a deliberate decision to be made.

All Tennessee can do now is take the season week-by-week and continue to develop their promising core of rookies - such as Cam Ward and Elic Ayomanor - regardless of who those rookies end up playing under next season and beyond.

As frustrating as it is, an apparent need for a change at the top of a hill takes climbing there to do so. It'd be fair to say that the Titans have been climbing since Callahan's hire, but given that was only last year, they may still have a ways to go.

This article first appeared on Tennessee Titans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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