Titans Owner 'Got Tired' of Power Struggle, 'Kicked Out' Mike Vrabel Over Ran Carthon, Rival Scout Says

In each of his first four seasons as head coach, Mike Vrabel led the Tennessee Titans to a winning record, including back-to-back AFC South titles in 2020 and ’21.

But after two straight losing seasons, Vrabel was fired back in January, and eventually replaced by Brian Callahan. A couple of weeks later, the Titans restructured their front office, promoting Ran Carthon to executive vice president in addition to his previous general manager title.

Rumors were rampant that a power struggle between Vrabel and Carthon finally came to a head, leading to ownership choosing one over the other.

“Some of those leaks last year about Mike Vrabel allegedly dominating Ran Carthon on decisions and around the office were right on the money," a rival scout told Athlon Sports for this year's NFL preview magazine , on sale at newsstands now. "From what I heard, the owner simply got tired of the situation and empowered Carthon by kicking out Vrabes. Ran is a real boss now in Nashville and doesn’t have to walk around on eggshells anymore."

As for Callahan, his primary task will be the development of quarterback Will Levis, whom the team traded up for in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft.

"We’re going to find out if Brian Callahan can coach up Will Levis and rein him in a bit," the scout said. "Levis has every physical tool, especially that cannon of an arm. He needs to work on the mental aspect and protect himself at times."

The rest of the offense has an intriguing balance of strengths and question marks as the Titans try to claw their way back into relevance in their division.

"Love the Tony Pollard signing," the scout said. "With him and Tyjae Spears, this is a great running back tandem. ... Signing Calvin Ridley gives them a real No. 1 wide receiver to take some pressure off of DeAndre Hopkins, who’s showing some signs of age. ... It’s time to admit they missed on Treylon Burks. He’s not quite in the bust category, but he’s not a success story, either. ... Carthon gets it. Draft and develop offensive linemen. Peter Skoronski last year and now JC Latham. Latham was one of my favorite players in the draft."

There are even bigger issues on defense, where the Titans made one big splash via trade this offseason with cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, but need players across every other unit to step up in a big way this season.

"Worry a lot about T’Vondre Sweat," said the rival scout. "We took him off our draft board for red flags. There was more than just the DUI. There’s reason to worry about that kid. ... They’re going to miss Azeez Al-Shaair’s presence inside. Kenneth Murray Jr. was a disappointment for the Chargers. ... L’Jarius Sneed upgrades the secondary significantly. In a division that’s loaded with good quarterbacks, you need a cover guy like Sneed. Overall, it’s a good secondary.”

With the rest of the division seemingly ascending with talented quarterbacks in place, the Titans will have to find out if Levis can be that franchise passer, if Callahan can have the same success Vrabel did early in his tenure, and whether or not they made the right decision to side with Carthon and give him full control of their future.

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