The Tennessee Titans have made numerous coaching changes over the past month after firing previous head coach Mike Vrabel. Heading into the 2024 season, the Titans will have a new head coach, defensive coordinator, and offensive coordinator. Reports also suggest the Titans will land a new special teams coordinator and an assistant offensive lineman coach. The new special teams coordinator will likely be Colt Anderson, who previously worked alongside new Titans head coach Brian Callahan. Anderson and Callahan worked with the Cincinnati Bengals for the past four seasons, with Anderson working as an assistant special teams coach. Since there are various moving parts for the Titans this offseason, 2024 could unfold in many different ways. However, the coaching changes transpired early enough in the offseason to give the team time to adjust and be ready to perform in 2024.
Tennessee Titans Planning to Hire Colt Anderson as Special Teams Coordinator
Anderson and the Titans Punt Return Team
The Titans did not find success on punt returns in 2023, as only one of their 42 returns gained more than 20 yards. Additionally, their punt return team had three fumbles, putting their team in too many precarious situations. The Titans also had one of the worst average yards per return, as they could not even reach eight yards. Comparatively, the Bengals had over 10 yards per return in 2023 and returned five punts for more than 20 yards. The Bengals punt return team also had more total punt return yards than the Titans while having eight fewer attempts. So, Anderson’s expertise with special teams on the Bengals should help the Titans punt return unit set their offense up for success in 2024.
Anderson Has Great Specialists to Coach
The Titans kicker is Nick Folk. He had a great season in 2023 and only missed one field goal out of 30 attempts, showing his prowess from various ranges. Folk’s only missed field goal got blocked at the line of scrimmage. Furthermore, he only missed two extra points, one of which was also blocked. Folk is nearly 40 years old, but he is still playing great. He has made over 92% of his field goal attempts in three of his last four seasons. So, Anderson is inheriting a special teams group with consistent kicker play, which is imperative for team success. The Titans also have one of the best punters in the NFL, Ryan Stonehouse. He is only 24 years old, and over half of his 53 punts were downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. This statistic showcases a punter’s precision and helps the team win in the field position battle throughout the game. Stonehouse is coming off a season-ending injury in 2023, which is concerning heading into next season. However, he still has plenty of time to heal the injury before needing to perform at an elite level again.
Anderson Must Help With Special Teams Blocking
As mentioned earlier, the Titans had a field goal and an extra point blocked in 2023. The team also had multiple punts blocked in one game against the Colts, leading to Stonehouse’s injury. Even if the specialists are elite, their skill level will not matter if the Titans are unable to block effectively. The game against the Colts should have been a victory for the Titans, but one punt block was returned for a touchdown and helped force the game into overtime. So, if the Titans want to be successful next season, Anderson will have to improve their blocking on special teams. In fairness, their offensive line also has to improve their blocking ability, as they could not protect any quarterback at the helm last year.
Main Photo: Denny Simmons / The Tennessean-USA TODAY NETWORK
