Bill

Callahan

It was a rumored move, and we’re a bit surprised because we expected Callahan to rejoin his son Brian in whatever offensive role the younger Callahan landed. The Falcons will let Dwayne Ledford, a well-respected offensive line coach, hit free agency. Ledford should be on several teams radars. There’s no disputing that Callahan is one of the best offensive line coaches in the business despite his relative struggles to fix the Titans’ woes.

Callahan previously held the same role in Cleveland under Stefanski. The team let him go to coach under his son, Brian Callahan, with the Titans. That lasted less than two years and Bill ultimately resigned after the team fired Brian. Callahan is still considered one of the league’s best line coaches, even though the Titans stint didn’t work out. We fully expect him to reunite with Stefanski in the coming days.

That’s two OC interviews for Callahan, who per Jeremy Fowler “impressed” Tampa Bay in his earlier interview last Friday. Callahan hadn’t called plays for the Bengals before getting the Titans head-coaching gig, and after watching his Titans head-coaching play calling, we’d be a little squeamish on the fantasy prospects of whatever team he lands with. It does make some extra sense for the Chargers because he’d likely bring along offensive line coach (and father) Bill Callahan with him, which could help a Chargers o-line that was woeful last year.

Not a huge surprise, after all, they did fire his son from the head-coaching role. Callahan will be a coveted offseason coaching free agent and has a long history of success turning around bad offensive lines despite not delivering on that promise with the Titans.

One of the most respected position coaches in NFL history as well as one of the most experienced coaches overall, Callahan is leaving to join his son Brian in Nashville. Callahan’s road-paving units have been a big part of Kevin Stefanski’s success since arriving in Cleveland in 2020. He’s going to have his hands full with a Titans blocking group that has been anything but elite the past few seasons.

Notably, the Jets requested an interview with Callahan for their offensive coordinator vacancy. Looking to keep him from taking the job, the Browns likely gave Callahan a sizable raise to stay in Cleveland. Widely regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in the league, Callahan’s reputation has held true in Cleveland. Per Pro Football Focus, the Browns had the No. 4 run-blocking line this year and the No. 11 pass-blocking unit.

Callahan took over as the Redskins’ interim coach after Jay Gruden’s midseason firing in 2019 but wasn’t retained as new coach Ron Rivera opted to bring in his own staff. He brings with him 21 years of NFL coaching experience.

Callahan will serve the same role in Cleveland. He went 3-8 as the Redskins’ interim head coach in 2019, but had previously only coached offensive line since 2015. Baker Mayfield could certainly use a more-consistent unit up front in his effort to bounce back in his third professional season.

Some offensive assistants, including OC Kevin O’Connell, will interview with coach Ron Rivera but it sounds as if the latter’s cleaning house ahead of the 2020 season. Callahan arguably got the most out the hand he was dealt in Washington’s last 11 games, establishing 34-year-old Adrian Peterson for 171/790/4 and 4.62 yards per carry, simultaneously getting rookie Dwayne Haskins two wins and much needed developmental reps from Week 5 on. The longtime o-line guru was pegged as a one-year stopgap for that role with the Redskins, anyhow, and there’s no denying he’ll land on his feet at that same role elsewhere in the coming weeks.

K. This is standard-operating procedure in these kinds of situations, but that doesn’t make it any less funny. Callahan was antiquated when he coached the Raiders nearly two decades ago, and was even more so at the University of Nebraska. Were he to somehow blunder into replacing Jay Gruden, it would be arguably the darkest moment in the Redskins’ already very dark recent history.