Tennessee Titans head coach insists NFL Draft quarterback shares ‘unique’ gift with Joe Burrow

Tennessee Titans bosses are making the most of their time on the clock.

A dismal 2024 season with Will Levis under center handed new head coach Brian Callahan the No. 1 pick in April’s NFL Draft.

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Brian Callahan guided the Titans to just three wins in the 2024 season[/caption]

And since then, the franchise has been dropping clues about who that selection could be.

“We won’t pass on a generational talent with the first pick in the NFL draft,” president of football operations Chad Brinker teased in January.

That claim sent fans racing to place bets on two-way Colorado Buffaloes star and Heisman winner Travis Hunter.

But Callahan and general manager Mike Borgonzi – another offseason addition – may have other intentions.

The new head coach cut his teeth as the Cincinnati Bengals‘ offensive coordinator — a post he held from 2019 until he took over the Titans.

He would have had a huge say in the selection of Joe Burrow with the first overall pick in 2020’s Draft and helped turn him into the best-paid player in NFL history with a $61.3million annual income.

“[Callahan]’s very smart and detailed,” Borgonzi told ESPN. “He’s been around, some pretty good ones — Peyton Manning, Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford.

“I think that helps being around players like that — knowing what to look for in terms of just footwork, dropping the eyes downfield, et cetera.”

The Class of ’25 doesn’t have the level of hype at the quarterback position of previous years.

It has even been claimed that J.J. McCarthy, who was the fourth QB drafted last year, would be the first to hear his name called out of the current crop.

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Burrow put in an MVP-worthy 2024 season despite the Bengals’ struggles[/caption]

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Shedeur Sanders has impressed scouts with his timing and maturity[/caption]

Hunter’s Colorado teammate Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward are the two passers being linked with the quarterback-needy Titans.

Callahan worked under veteran quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp at the Denver Broncos from 2013 to 2015 and revealed what he learned from his mentor.

“[Knapp] always said these three things: decision-making, timing, and accuracy,” Callahan told ESPN. “Those three things are always going to be the first things you look for.

“If you look for those things, you’re going to see a lot of what good quarterbacking looks like.

“People had questions about Burrow’s arm strength in general coming out.

“One of the things that makes Joe so unique, and I think you can probably put Shedeur in the same conversation, they anticipate when they throw it, they have the timing and accuracy on top of it. That makes up for the arm strength.

“Those things are how you make up for maybe not having the biggest arm. If you’re throwing on time and putting a ball when and where you’re supposed to go, you’re not going to have too many problems.”

The Titans could opt to trade down with plenty of other teams looking for help under center, but if Callahan rates Sanders, he is a lock to be taken.

Borgonzi was a director of player personnel when the Kansas City Chiefs selected Patrick Mahomes in 2017 so knows a thing or two about nailing a Draft pick.

“[Andy Reid] was great when we used to watch tape with him,” he said. “Little technical things like having a real wide base throwing the football would come up while watching film and he would say, ‘I can fix that.’”

Callahan and Borgonzi will have to use all their experience to make the right call in two months – the wrong pick could spell the end of their time in Tennessee before it has truly begun.

The right one – as the Houston Texans and Washington Commanders have recently proved – can inspire a new dawn.

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