Ray Horton, Jason Michael top candidate for Tennessee Titans as coordinators
Tennessee Titans helmet on the sideline prior to the game against the Indianapolis Colts at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Ken Whisenhunt was regarded as the top head coaching candidate on the open market, and the Tennessee Titans were somehow able to pull away the former San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator despite being a little bit late to the punch after nearly retaining Mike Munchak as their head coach. Munchak has been tossed around in coaching rumors since, but the Titans are sitting pretty as big winners after landing Whisenhunt. The crazy thing about the Whisenhunt-to-Tennessee move is the fact that he was constantly mentioned in rumors with the Detroit Lions, to the point where he was clearly their top candidate; it was a bit of a shock to see him end up with the Titans, but ESPN’s Chris Mortensen foreshadowed the move with an interesting report shortly before the hiring.
Now, Mortensen is reporting that the Tennessee Titans top defensive coordinator candidate is Cleveland Browns DC Ray Horton, who is one of the best defensive coordinators in the business. The Whisenhunt-Horton link is a strong one, as Horton was Whisenhunt’s defensive coordinator with the Arizona Cardinals; both coaches left Arizona after the 2012 season. Horton is still under contract with the Browns despite rumors earlier this month that the Browns had replaced him with former Titans DC and Lions head coach Jim Schwartz.
Mortensen also reports that the Titans top candidate at offensive coordinator is another former coach with Whisenhunt, as San Diego Chargers TE coach Jason Michael is the one to watch for. While the Titans don’t need to send a request to the Browns in order to interview Horton, they will have to ask permission from the Chargers in order to speak with Michael.