New Titans OC Brian Daboll reflects on 'hard chair' he, Robert Saleh have sat in

Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll are reunited once again. Saleh is serving as the new head coach of the Tennessee Titans, and he recently chose Daboll to be the Titans offensive coordinator. 

While speaking with reporters during his introductory news conference on Wednesday, Daboll addressed some of the previous events that led him and Saleh to Tennessee. 

Brian Daboll knows Robert Saleh has a tough job

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for the job Robert has to do from being in that," Daboll explained, per Tom Rock of Newsday. "I am very happy to be where I am at right now and be part of this football team as the offensive coordinator. I’m always going to be here for Robert and the rest of the staff, but that’s a hard chair to sit in, and having some experience sitting in it will help me relative to being the best teammate I can be for this staff. This is the place I want to be. I’m excited to be here. I look forward to working with this young nucleus, working with Robert, and doing the best job I can do as offensive coordinator." 

In his first campaign as New York's head coach, Daboll guided the 2022 Giants to a playoff berth and a road postseason victory. However, he then went 11-33 over the following two-and-a-half seasons before he was relieved of his duties this past November. 

As for Saleh, he failed to record a single winning campaign in less than four full seasons as head coach of the Jets until he was shown the door in fall 2024. This past season, Saleh worked as the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator. 

Brian Daboll reveals "big factor" for taking Titans job

According to Nick Shook of the NFL's website, Daboll admitted that a "big factor" in his decision to join the Titans was the fact that they have 2025 rookie Cam Ward as their starting quarterback. 

"He's a young, athletic quarterback who has accuracy who can make plays on the move," Daboll said about Ward. "He can do a great job of, you know, if a play doesn't look great and then all of a sudden, it does look great because of his ability. He's smart. I look forward to communicating with him and building this thing together, along with the other pieces we have in play and the pieces that we will go get. It will be a collective deal."

Ward previously made it known he wants the sometimes fiery Daboll "to get on my a— when he needs to." On Wednesday, Saleh insisted that he believes Daboll "is the perfect man to match up with Cam and to maximize who he is."  

Perhaps the lows that Saleh and Daboll experienced while employed by the New York clubs will prove to be beneficial regarding their attempts to turn the Titans into a winning organization.